It will be possible before you know it. Xcor Aerospace, a California aerospace company, plans to enter the space tourism industry with a two-seat rocket ship capable of suborbital flights to altitudes of more than 60 kilometers above Earth.
The spacecraft, called The Lynx, is about the size of small private plane, and is expected to fly in 2010. It will take off from a runway like a normal plane, and reach a top speed of Mach 2 and an attitude of 60,000 meters. Then it would descend in a circling glide to a runway landing.
How much will it cost to get up there? Well, the ship will be flown by two pilots and carry up to six passengers, who will pay about U.S. $200,000 each. Apparently passengers will experience 4.5 minutes of weightlessness and will be able to unbuckle themselves to float in the cabin before returning to Earth.
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