Japanese balloon startup wants to 'democratize space' – with $180,000 ticket price Japanese startup Iwaya Giken has pulled the sheets off a two-seater airtight sphere that it plans to hook to a helium balloon and send space tourists into the stratosphere. "It's safe, economical and gentle for people," CEO Keisuke Iwaya told journalists during the announcement this week. "The idea is to make space tourism for …
"25 kilometers ([178578 linguine or] 82,000ft or 15 miles) where passengers will be able to view the curvature of the Earth."
20 years ago, you could, for £3000 take a trip in a daily service between London and New York, reaching a service ceiling of
18 kilometers (128571 linguine or 60,000ft or 12 miles) where passengers were able to view the curvature of the Earth.
According to the flat earth community ("do your own research"), the moon landings were faked because it's not possible for humans to get to space, let alone the moon. They frequently cite the lack of present tech to take people to the moon as evidence ("we're supposed to believe they could travel to the moon in the 60s, but 50+ years later, we no longer can").
I like to point out to them that Concorde therefore must be fake. Because supposedly in the 1980s, you could fly across the Atlantic at Mach 2, but now in the 2020s, you cannot even do it at Mach 1.
Regarding 'Flat Earthers' see the excellent book 'How to talk to a science denier' by Lee McIntyre, (ISBN 978-0-262-04610-7). The first chapter is his experience at a 'Flat Earth' convention.
Actually we can still travel across the Atlantic Ocean supersonically, you just need military clearance and in-flight-refuelling expertise.
https://tacairnet.com/2015/09/02/the-sr-71s-record-breaking-transatlantic-crossing/
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/f35/news-and-features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-f-35c.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle
I went London to New York. It was an evening flight, on G-BOAE. Felt the effect of the afterburners being relit somewhere after the Bristol Channel, with the Captain describing what was about to be done. Forget which way they were switched on - inner engines first, then outer?
After that, climb to cruising altitude, watching the Mach display to 2.0 and height to 60,000ft, then look out of the window to the blue and the black.
Occasionally, a subsonic craft way below, sort of going backwards.
And then, it's time to decelerate and start the descent. I wish it was longer, "up there".
If I had the money, I wouldn't go on one of these new rocket trips to get up there for all of a few mins.
Get on a vomit comet for the weightlessness, and yes, take the balloon. Far more time to savour the experience. And please, please keep the mobile behind and do look with your own eyes, and not through a screen / viewfinder.
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I really don't see the appeal of this. 25km is so far from any definition of space it's laughable. and a 1.5m diameter capsule?? I would hope they mean radius because that would be really cozy for 2 people. Better hope you like the other person locked up in there with you because you're going to get very familiar with them.
Looking at the linked article, 1.5m diameter is correct.
Random reality check: my office chair is only 60cm across, outside of one armrest to outside of the other; if you can manage to sit next to same person for an entire cinema showing of a Lord of the Rings film, including Pearl&Dean and trailers, you will be fine together in this capsule.
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship
The mate was a mighty sailing man
The skipper brave and sure
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three hour tour, a three hour tour
f not for the courage of the fearless crew
The minnow would be lost, the minnow would be lost
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