Cover Story

Wanted: an Emirati space tourist

ANY Emirati with $35 million to spare is being encouraged by Space Adventures to contact the orbital space flight company to join them on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

CEO and president of Space Adventures Eric Anderson, who was in Dubai for the recent WTTC Summit, told TTN’s in an exclusive interview that the company would particularly welcome an Emirati recruit to go orbital.

“The kind of astronaut I’m looking for is someone who would go into orbit – spend two weeks on the International Space Station,” said Anderson.

“They would have to have a reasonable level of fitness; they will have to find a little bit of time in their schedule because there are about 12 to 14 weeks of training required.”

Space Adventures is targeting private individuals, business people, and has spoken to organisations and sectors of the government while here. “We are just starting discussions about it now,” said Anderson.

So far the company has had five private citizens visit the ISS, and the sixth, video game programmer and designer and Texas resident Richard Garriott, is due to take off from the steppes of the Kazakhstan space port on October 12.

“Garriott is unique as he is going to be the world’s second generation astronaut - his father is Owen Garriott is a former NASA astronaut,” he said.

Although the focus of the company is on orbital flights, they also offer sub-orbital flights costing around $200,000 for the blast. Rockets boost passengers 100 kilometres up to where space begins. After the engines shutdown, participants experience up to five minutes of continuous weightlessness, and can see Earth below.

Other space companies – Virgin Galactic for example, have signed up five Emiratis so far for sub-orbital flights. UAE national Adnan Al Maimani, a Space Adventures client, was the first to sign up and is on a waiting list for a sub-orbital flight.

“Sub-orbital is really the edge of an orbital flight. We think that if someone is going to pay $200,000 for a few minutes on the edge of space, we would love to see more people doing it. If someone is keen to go that far they possibly really want to go to the space station. It’s a teaser. So we are very supportive of sub orbital flights and we don’t really think of others as opposition,” Anderson said.

Space Adventures recently acquired another company called Zero Gravity. “We have come to realise over the last couple of years that this is the best space experience for the rest of us, so to speak. The Zero Gravity is a $4,000 per person space experience. It is not a space flight per se, but it is a two hour flight in a specially outfitted Boeing 727 during which participants have short periods of weightlessness,” he said.

“Zero gravity flights are really a much better option than sub-orbital because you get more weightlessness and you are in an FAA approved aircraft. It is also a lot less expensive.”

Another advantage of zero gravity flights was that these fly out of regular airports anywhere in the world. So what if we want to bring it to Dubai?

“Absolutely, we could bring it right here. We would have to have a group of committed customers before we did that, but we may well do that at some point,” he said.

The United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe share the ISS international project. Construction started in November 1998, and is scheduled for completion in 2010. It orbits at an average altitude of 354 kilometres at an inclination of 51.6 degrees to the equator and at 17,000 miles an hour.

by Cheryl Mandy

Virgin Galactic seeks space agents

Virgin Galactic will be looking to appoint more Middle East sales agents for its sub-orbital space flights at ATM.

Virgin Galactic will be inviting travel agents to boldly go where no travel agent has gone before at ATM 2008.

Travel agents will have the opportunity to apply to sell space travel in partnership with the Virgin Galactic Accredited Space Office in Dubai, with selected applicants joining a shortlist from which the chosen sales agents will be announced.

"Travel agents play an integral role in the Virgin Galactic distribution process. As a trusted advisor and source of information for their clients, we are seeking the best agencies to sell spaceflights," said Carolyn Wincer, head of astronaut sales, Virgin Galactic.

"We want to create a network of agents in the Middle East who are knowledgeable, well informed and know how to deliver the highest levels of service when selling unique travel experiences."

Virgin Galactic has already sold more than 200 tickets globally and at US $200,000 per ticket has received $30 million in deposits and a projected future income of $45 million. Test flights are due to take place this summer with the first commercial flights taking off by the end of 2009.

"We anticipate finalising the appointment of agents before the end of the year and commencing the all important ‘accredited sales agent' training through the region.

It takes a very talented and skilled travel consultant to sell a trip to space," said Sharon Garrett, head of space marketing and PR, at Dubai's Virgin Galactic Accredited Space Office (Sharaf Travel).

Dubai firm becomes first to charter space flight

An unnamed Dubai-based company has become the first in the world to charter a space flight for its top management.

'I cannot reveal any details about the company or the deal, other than (saying that) the flight they chartered can take up to six passengers but they might end up flying only two people,' The National newspaper quoted Sharon Garrett, the head of space marketing and public relations at Virgin Galactic's Dubai office, as saying.

She said the company deposited 1.8 million dirhams ($500,000) last week to charter one of Virgin's commercial aircraft

A part of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Galactic is offering sub-orbital space flights and, in the future, orbital space flights to the paying public.

Virgin Galactic's mission is to fly passengers who are not professional astronauts to an altitude slightly over 100 km and allow them to experience weightlessness.

The first flight is planned for 2009.

According to the newspaper, the two-and-a-half-hour trip, on SpaceShipTwo, as booked by the company, will take off from the Mohave Desert Spaceport in California.

The spaceship will be attached to a base ship known as WhiteKnightTwo, which, after a runway take-off, will reach an altitude of 15,240 metres.

At that point, the SpaceShipTwo will be released and its own rocket will blast it to 4,000 kmph, three times the speed of sound, to reach 109,728 metres.

Once in space the passengers will be allowed out of their seats for four minutes to float around in zero gravity.

After seven minutes in space, the craft will return to earth, using a wing feathering technology, which will help reduce the intense heat generated by re-entering the atmosphere, before making a runway landing.

source

I pronounce you spaceman and wife: Branson to be the first man to marry a couple in space

By NATHAN KAY

Virgin Galactic boss Sir Richard Branson is planning to set yet another record – by becoming the first man to marry a couple in space.

The 58-year-old billionaire intends to conduct a ceremony 70 miles above the Earth on the first Galactic sub-orbital flight next year.

He has already officiated at one wedding in mid-air. Last year he was ordained for the day in an online church to marry Virgin America marketing director Dimitrios Papadognonas and Coco Jones on a Virgin flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas.

Record breaker: Sir Richard

 

He also helped officiate at the wedding of Google co-founder Larry Page on his private island, Necker, in the Caribbean.

A spokesman for Virgin Galactic told The Mail on Sunday: "We have had two bookings involving marriage, one to get married in space and the other for the couple to have their honeymoon in space.

"It is possible that Richard could obtain a licence to conduct the marriage."

The couple who have booked in for a honeymoon on the £100,000-a-ticket maiden flight are Virgin Galactic adviser George Whitesides and his new wife, Loretta Hidalgo.

The Virgin Galactic space project is progressing at a dramatic rate and customers will take part in the first test flights this summer.

In January, Branson unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, the vehicle he promises will turn space tourism into reality.

It is designed to hitch a lift on an aircraft to 50,000ft before blasting into the outer atmosphere.

So far 200 people have paid for the sub-space experience. Princess Beatrice, whose partner Dave Clark works in the marketing department of Virgin Galactic, has said she plans to be the first Royal in space.

Former Dallas actress Victoria Principal, the designer Philippe Starck and wheelchair-bound Professor Stephen Hawking have also paid for trips.

The spokesman said: "Customers will have a two-hour flight, go up to 70 miles above the Earth and experience amazing views of the planet, G forces and weightlessness after a three-day training programme."

Branson has been involved in a number of world record-breaking attempts.

In 1986, he set a record for crossing the Atlantic in a powerboat. And in 1991 he crossed the Pacific in a balloon, breaking all existing records.