Fly to the Edge of Space on an Air Balloon
Probably after watching Pixar’s Up, the guys at World View Enterprises did a Mr. Fredrickson and attached a huge helium balloon to their own flying house. And who’d have guessed it worked!
After years of development, this ambitious Arizona-based company is now offering to take tourists 20 miles into the sky in a futuristic balloon ride. In a “luxuriously appointed space-qualified capsule”, eight guests can spend up to six hours on the edge of space to enjoy the astounding views formerly limited only to licensed astronauts: the thin sheet of air floating ever so slightly above the Earth’s smooth curvature, against the background of deep, black space spotted with stars in their utter brilliance. It’s an experience to die for.
Getting back to Earth is just as simple as the flight up. The capsule detaches itself from the balloon, leaving the balloon alone to wander the ends of space, and through a specialized parachute, the capsule safely floats back down to the ground.
Reservations are now open for the first ever flight on 2016, costing at $75,000. It’s cheaper compared to the $150,000 excursion to the moon and the $200,000 orbital joyride Justin Bieber signed up for.
