Would You Sign Up for a Space Flight?

by  Amanda Black | Feb 5, 2013
Space
Space / vjanez/iStock

Do you have a bucket list? I don't keep one lying around, but have a mental roster of things I'd like to do in my lifetime. Some are a bit more far-fetched than others (running a marathon, yeah right, Amanda; getting back to my high school weight, and if we're being honest, the weight I still claim on my driver's license).

When I read about the recent Space Entrepreneurship conference held at Stanford University, I thought, "Should traveling to outer space be on my list?" Nahhhh, and here's why.

Let's talk dollars and cents, or more accurately, a ton of them, and all for a chance of space flight (that may never return, I can't help thinking). Here's a number to think about: $95,000. That's the lowest price I encountered for a seat on a flight that's only 100,000 feet above earth for a matter of minutes. MINUTES!

It's like when I went abroad and none of my other friends did. When I got back to the U.S., I was the girl constantly recounting "this one time while I was in Spain..." Needless to say, my friends got really tired of me. Now, replace Spain with the International Space Station, and it's really no different (except you'll truly never stop talking about it because it's that cool).

A few annoying tourists would ruin the entire experience for me. They'd undoubtedly block all the best windows, take the window seat each time, and eat way too much of the Dippin' Dots ice cream for dessert. Also, what's the flash policy in-flight? No flash photography inside the spacecraft? Deal breaker!

I don't even like roller coasters, so how well would I do with a 17,500 mph approach into the earth's atmosphere (according to NASA)?

Even if I had the money (we can't all be Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg) and the stomach for it, I don't think I could take the plunge and join astronauts and daredevils alike on a flight. If I'm really craving the feeling of weightlessness, I can bungee jump (done it), skydive (never will), or take a zero gravity flight (starting at the budget-friendly price of $4,950).

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