May 2nd, 2012
Do you have a spare R1.5-million? If so, you certainly are eligible to be a passenger of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic's space travel.
Bookings for the world's first private spaceline opened in May and can now be be made right here in South Africa through Giltedge Travel's accredited ‘Space Guru,' Candice Sheridan - selected as an accredited agent for Virgin Galatic. The US$ 200,000 ticket price secures 3 days of pre-flight preparation and hospitality, including G-force acclimatisatio.
Sir Richard Branson, inspired by the lunar landings he witnessed as a child, had been looking for technology that would enable the Virgin Group to provide safe and affordable space travel to the masses since the early 1990's. He found this technology in SpaceShipOne, the brainchild of legendary aircraft designer, Burt Rutan. Funded by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, SpaceShipOne successfully completed three spectacular manned sub-orbital flights in 2004, thus winning the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. Virgin licensed the unique technology and ordered 5 scaled-up, commercial versions of the spacecraft to be called SpaceShipTwo along with two carrier aircraft named WhiteKnightTwo - in the autumn of 2004 Virgin Galactic was announced to the world.
The 2-hour spaceflight itself will propel the six passengers and two pilots out of the atmosphere at over three times the speed of sound, to a peak altitude of around 70 miles. Here the astronauts will leave their seats to enjoy around 4-minutes of weightlessness and a life-changing view up to 1000 miles in any direction, allowing them to see the curvature of the Earth, the thin ribbon of atmosphere and the blackness of space.
Sean Kritzinger, CEO of Giltedge Travel, says "Our agents have undergone extensive product training in the Virgin Galactic Space Guru Program and we are confident that our future astronauts will be getting the best possible care and attention when booking their spaceflights. Giltedge Travel has a proven track record of delivering exceptional and unique travel experiences and we are very excited to be working with Virgin Galactic on this truly pioneering adventure."
For more information about booking your place in space please contact:Sean Kritzinger
Owner Sure Giltedge Travel via email sean@gilt-edge.co.za or on 021 7130296
User Comments
Facts and subpar reporting.Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 09:14. |
Perhaps whomever wrote this report, should have established first that there are more travel agents than only the one referred to in this report, having undergone virgin galactic training? i know of two agents, from renniestravel, whom attended the virgin galactic training yesterday. how do i know this? because i am married to one.... |
