Although I know very little in the field of civilian space travel i have a few theories.
i dont know how many civilians meaning "plain joes", like you and i have been given the chance to go up in a shuttle on circle round Earth. i believe other than that teacher that was on the challenger when it blew up, there has been none. why cant we go up? what military and flight traing do you really need to just go up and sit in a chair and look out a window and not participate in anything? maybe just some safety/emergency/fire training. yeah i know it supposed to be physically demanding, but i really dont believe that. why do the astro-travelers always have to be military? and i know its an expensive trip, but they send people up all the time and im sure there is room a 1-2 more people to see the planet. what is up there that we are not supposed to see? are they afraid a civilian will witness an alien craft and talk about it? what is so secret in space that we cannot go up?
does anyone have a real answer for me? im 32 years old, a member of MENSA since 2005 and i know a lot about many different things. this i do not understand.
forget about money, why cant i be astro-traveler for a couple days?

Give Richard Branson a call, and get out the checkbook. $200,000 gets you a ticket, and you can book your flight right on the website (www.virgingalactic.com).

i dont believe that is real though. and why pay so friggin much? we should go for free. we pay the military's salary and fund all space programs. right?

First, it most certainly is real. This is not another april fools like Google Mars or anything of the like.

We should go for free? Yeah, and the airlines should fly us all around for free too. And Bus tickets should be free, and trains too. If you really want to go to space, the first thing you're going to have to come to terms with is that it costs money to get there. You can't download free plans and build a spacecraft with left-over lawn mower parts in your tool shed. You can't fill the gas tank with good intentions either.

It takes cash my friend, and unfortunately for you and me, at this point in time, a considerable amount.

Originally posted by darthbogan2
i dont believe that is real though. and why pay so friggin much? we should go for free. we pay the military's salary and fund all space programs. right?

Virgin Galactic unveiled both their space craft earlier this year and construction has already begun on the "Space port" near Las Vegas.

I highly doubt you have given Nasa the equivalent in costs of getting you safely into space when you evenly break down where all your tax money has gone.

The money I'd pay to see beautiful Earth from a shuttle... I guess one of these we'll all have our own PERSONAL spacecraft.

What year'll that be? 2080? Geez, I'd be 97.

Won't the Russians take you up for 20 or 30 million?