Virgin Galactic Space Tours

Some of us are beach people and like to spend our vacations enjoying sun, sea and sand while others prefer snow and ice and enjoy skiing, snowboarding and toboggan rides. Snowmobiles may be your thing, or even RV's and camper vans (as we call them in UK). You may even want to climb mountains, trek through deserts, or sail the ocean for that hard earned break from the usual daily grind.

Now there's a brand new possibility when you are planning your next trip. Or., at least there will be from the end of 2009. You will plenty of money to finance this particular option and you may have to put your name on a waiting list for several years but I guarantee that you will never have been on a trip like this before. I'll bet that your friends and neighbours haven't either.

This vacation venue is quite literally out of this world. From late 2009 day trippers will be able to take a voyage into space aboard the new Virgin Galactic White knight Two. It sounds like something we used to read about in comic books but this is no fantasy. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Company has just unveiled its new edition of the White Knight space passenger vehicle.

The ship is transported up above the earth by a carrier vehicle which literally catapults it into space. It's a little bit like a two stage rocket where the carrier falls back to earth, only more comfortable for the passengers. White knight Two will carry two pilots and six passengers which is double the capacity of the original White Knight. The whole thing is powered by four Pratt and Witney engines and has a wingspan which is the equivalent of a Boeing 757 aircraft.

Passengers will experience forces of 6G when they leave the earth's atmosphere and get five minutes of weightlessness before their return to earth. They will be able to float around the cabin and take in the views from the many windows around both sides. On their return to earth, each passenger will be awarded astronaut wings in recognition of their voyage.

If you fancy booking up for this amazing trip you will need to start saving your money because the price is expected to start at $200,000 but Virgin Galactic say that they are working on ways to make it more affordable.

The company already has a long waiting list and holds more than $30 million is advance payments.