Call from Virgin Galactic

Friday 27/2/05 14:36, i get a call from an unknown number in the UK.
On the line is Steve, from Virgin Galactic, which operate the new commecial space flight project.
I’ve signed up in their website some time ago as a prospective astronaunts and they have just called in to initiate dialog between me and them.
I’ll fill you in with some of the details:
They are offering me to be amongst the first 20,000 astronauts to go commerially into out space, and receive an astronaut status, or credentials, or whatever it’s called.
First, and foremost, and also, the most important aspect of the whole ordeal is it’s price –
To go to space will cost me 200,000$. If I want to take Lee along with me, double that.
Of which, 20,000$ deposit in cash, each year for the next 3 years ad the flight itself won’t take place until 2008. In case i regret i have a moneyback guarantee.

The flight consist of something similar to the spacecraft used in winning the X-prize – spaceship one.
The craft is being taken to 50,000 feet with a carring airplane, then it’s rocket engine fire up and take you out of the atmosphere.
You then expereince 5 minutes of weightlessness, and you can take off your seatbelts and float freely inside the crafr – I made sure about that..
Then you’re expected to have a smooth glide back to the point of origin, when you land.

It seems like an awful lot of money just for 5 minutes of weightlessness. Money i don’t have at the moment. Money which if i had i’d probably use to buy a house.

For that sum, i’d expect at least one orbit around the globe. Not a sub orbital parabolic flight with 5 minutes of micro-g.
I don’t know how much i’d be willing to pay for that, as it also sound like a pretty big excitement, but not 200,000$ !!!

My year book from Junior high has a picture of me in a space suit, saying something like “Oded was always an astronaut… blablabla”
I don’t really remember what exactly it says, especially since whoever wrote it didn’t really know me, but though of me as one of the nerds. I was one of the nerds, i still am one of the nerds.
I’m sure i’ll go to outer space one day. Probably not 2008. I’m guessing by 2028 perhaps.

My kids will be mad that their father for using all their heritance money on a stupid space flight.