A trip to space will always hold its fascination to every sci-fi lover, and it will be a dream come true for those well-heeled folks who are resilient to the crisis. Apparently, a trip to space is still big on the list of the uber-rich, and that’s exactly why the Barcelona-based architects of the Galactic Suite Space Resort, which we have reported on back in 2007, are hopeful of opening their futuristic space resort to the public in 2012. Though looking at the time line from 2007 to 2012, it looks like it will remain a concept even in the future, but if you were to believe the Galactic Suite folks, it will soon become a reality. The company says it is on target to accept its first paying guests in 2012 despite all the question marks on the investment and time frame for this multi-billion-dollar project. This dream-come-true space travel will cost $4.4 million for a three-night stay at the hotel, including an eight-week training course on a tropical island. The other charms for the guests includes the rare chance of seeing the sun rise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes in Velcro suits.

“It’s very normal to think that your children, possibly within 15 years, could spend a weekend in space,” says Galactic Suite CEO Xavier Claramunt, a former aerospace engineer in an exclusive interview to Reuters. Richard Branson’s space tours firm, Virgin Galactic, will use the facility to propel tourists into suborbital space at a cost of $200,000 a ride. Galactic Suite hopes to start its project with a single pod in orbit 450 km (280 miles) above the earth, traveling at 30,000 km per hour, with the capacity to hold four guests and two astronaut-pilots. Claramunt says an anonymous billionaire space enthusiast has granted $3 billion to finance the project. And if you still call it a hoax, more than 200 people have expressed an interest in traveling to the space hotel and at least 43 people have already made reservations.

Via: Dvice/NY Daily News491485