Take Me To The Moon

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. October 14, 2008

LONDON, UK, November 8, 2005. 'Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour away - if your car could go straight up'. Astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle

Within three years UK-based travel specialists Pure Galactic (a new brand of Pure Vacations Ltd) will be bringing the 'final frontier' of travel within reach of the public when they introduce commercial space flights. No need for a car that will go straight up, you'll have a spacecraft to do it for you.

Incredible as it may seem, this means it will soon be possible to take a trip to the only holiday destination we can all see from out bedroom window - the Moon. Although you won't actually land on the Moon, Pure Galactic's range of space charter flights will eventually feature Moon viewing trips, orbital Earth flights and zero gravity flights.

But it's the Earth rather than the Moon which is more likely to grab the undivided attention of space tourists, since astronauts often remark on the incredible beauty of our planet when seen from space.

This may seem the stuff of science fiction, but as Wesley Baker, director of Pure Galactic's parent company Pure Vacations says, "This is not only the next logical step in high end tourism, but also one that within a few years will cost little more than a luxury cruise or heliski holiday".

Would-be space travellers will need to have a good level of fitness and as part of the deal will undergo a medical examination on booking and before departure, as well as receiving instructions in everything from take-off procedures to coping with zero-gravity.

At present the cost of the space flights is under negotiation, but it's expected that the first flights, which will include orbits of the Earth, will sell for around $75,000 per person, reducing to around $10,000 within the first five years of operation.

Flights will launch from a number of sites around the world, and a variety of potential space craft are undergoing testing, analysis and examination before a decision is made on which will be used.

The first flights will depart between 2008- 2010, meaning that within just over half a century of man first travelling into space it will be theoretically feasible for anyone to do so.