Science

Aussie woman first galactic space virgin

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Monday, 30 April 2007

Glenys Ambe, from Brisbane in the state of Queensland, Australia, is reported to be the first passenger to book a trip on Richard Branson’s sub-orbital space airline, Virgin Galactic.

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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian woman, Glenys Ambe, from Brisbane in the state of Queensland, is the first person to book a trip on Virgin Galactic, with the ticket sold by ‘World Travel Professionals’, a registered Virgin Galactic space travel agent.

Ms Ambe has had to pay US $200,000, which in Australia dollars translates to a few hundred dollars under AUD $242,000, to secure the first spot. According to the Virgin Galactic site, each passenger will need to undergo a simple medical exam, and will need 3 days of pre-flight preparation, bonding and training onsite at the spaceport.

Safety preparation, according to the site “will ensure that you are mentally and physically prepared to savour every second of your spaceflight. Preparatory exercises could include g-force training in a centrifuge and zero-g training on a parabolic flight. A detailed preparation program is currently being developed in conjunction with medical and spaceflight experts. Virgin Galactic will also use this period to comply with any regulatory safety requirements dictated by the FAA”.

Virgin Galactic says you will become a real astronaut after taking a flight, that you will receive Virgin Galactic wings, and you may even receive FAA wings, as you are officially passing the level of height required to quality as an astronaut.

The first 100 passengers will be counted as ‘founders’, with Richard Branson and his family, along with two pilots, set to take the first ‘official’ flight, which is due at the end of 2008, with commercial flights due in early 2009, when Ms Ambe is expected to become an official astronaut and Virgin Galactic customer.

Richard Branson has said that: "The deal with Mojave Aerospace Ventures is just the start of what we believe will be a new era in the history of mankind, one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility."

Branson has also offered to cover the cost of renowned physicist, gravity expert, best-selling author and recent ZERO-G space traveller Stephen Hawking's next trip into space with Virgin Galactic.{moscomment}

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