If you're looking to plan a unique vacation in a few years that none of your friends can match, why not try a trip to the moon? You won't be able to make reservations with your travel agent, however and the cost is a mere $100 million.
Space Adventures, Inc., an Arlington, Virginia based company announced that it will allow two lucky (and very wealthy) passengers to fly to the moon and back on board a Russian Soyuz space craft. The vehicle would be piloted by a Russian cosmonaut.
The space craft would not actually land on the moon. Eric Anderson, the CEO of Space Adventures said it would travel around the far side of the moon and then return to earth without establishing orbit or landing on the surface of the earth's only natural satellite.
Anderson claims there are more than 1,000 people with the wherewithal and the desire to make the trip.
'There are almost 1,000 billionaires and you don't need to be a billionaire to do it,' he said. 'All it takes is two to do this. There are people out there with $100 million yachts and $100 million homes.'
The cost of the subsequent flights will be less, according to Anderson because the first flight will pay for research and development expenses. But, he added, 'there will only be one first private mission to the moon.'
Space Adventures had previously sent an American named Dennis Tito and a South African named Mark Shuttleworth on a trip to the International Space Station. The cost: $20 million each. A third trip is scheduled to take place this October with another American, Greg Olsen, scheduled to make the trip.
Imagine what Ralph Cramden would think. Now, if he yelled, 'To the moon, Alice,' she could reply, 'You put up the $20 million and I'll be glad to go.'
