THE ADVENTURES OF SPACE … FOR THE PEOPLE OF EARTH

Specialist tour operator, WildWings, has been offering Zero-Gravity flights in the UK since 1998 – the flights operating from Star City, just outside Moscow. For 2005, a new flight location has been announced and, for the first time, it is now possible to experience weightlessness in Florida, USA – flying in a specially adapted Boeing 727-200 cargo aircraft.

Inspiration will come, first-hand, from a veteran astronaut with tips on how to maximise the time in zero-gravity and to fully experience what it’s like to walk on the Moon or on Mars. A full morning of training will be followed by lunch with the coaches and crew before being transported to a Fort Lauderdale airport for the weightless flight aboard G-FORCE ONE. During the flight the specially trained pilots fly a series of 12 parabolas, each giving the aircraft’s occupants up to 30 seconds of weightlessness at a time (a bungy jump ‘lasts’ six seconds!). Each flight has intervals of Lunar (1/6 gravity) and Martian (1/3 gravity), as well as zero-gravity. The day ends with a re-gravitation party and awards presentation. All participants receive a mission log-book, photos and a DVD of the experience.

Moonwalker and Apollo 11 Astronaut, Dr Buzz Aldrin, said, “It was great to experience both Lunar gravity and full weightlessness again … I hope that everyone interested in adventure tourism and space will participate in this amazing opportunity.”

Flight dates are Saturday 9 April, 16 July, 17 September and 19 November 2005.

Price of £2139 per person includes everything on the full-day flight programme and excludes travel to Florida (closest international airports are Miami and Orlando) and accommodation.

SPACEFLIGHT CLUB
Now that Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites team has won the Ansari X Prize, the realisation of the suborbital space flight industry is imminent. SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spacecraft, awed the world when it flew 100km above the Earth’s surface last year in the USA’s Mojave Desert.

Space Adventures has been designing and developing adventures in space since their inception in 1997 - flying the first private space explorer, Dennis Tito in 2001 and Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. To assist future space explorers to realise their goal, the company has created the Spaceflight Club. Members are provided with the tools, experience, training and education needed to realise their goal of flying to space within their lifetime.

Membership to the Spaceflight Club is open to all who have an interest in private space flight, a desire to fly in space or simply want to play an active role in the development of the emerging suborbital space flight industry.

All annual membership fees (currently £545 per annum) are applied toward the price of a suborbital space flight. Further credits can be earned by participating in other Space Adventures’ programmes such as MiG and Zero-G flights. Members have access to exclusive space events and receive invitations to members-only tours, launches and receptions. Regular newsletters, updates and offers, as well as priority booking for space flights and other space experiences are additional membership benefits.

Notes: Suborbital flights – up from a point on Earth into space (defined as 62 miles/100km above the surface), a few minutes at the apogee of the flight, experience weightlessness, enjoy the stunning views of the Earth, of stars and planets beyond, before gravity brings the craft back down to land at the same point of take off. Flights last between 45 and 90 minutes depending on the vehicle. Programme includes a week of preparation, training and presentation of Astronaut Wings after the flight.

RESERVATIONS 0117 9658 333
space@wildwings.co.uk www.wildwings.co.uk

For press enquiries please contact Debra Taylor at toucanmoon 01491 613424 debra@toucanmoon.com

WildWings
RESERVATIONS 0117 9658 333
wildinfo@wildwings.co.uk www.wildwings.co.uk

Prepared by toucanmoon
St John’s Hall, Shirburn Street, Watlington OX49 5BT
(t) 01491 613424 (e) debra@toucanmoon.com