Since the beginning of the space age, Man has dreamt of being able to make space travel accessible, not only for scientific but also for leisure purposes. Literature and cinema have spread this idea, which at first was but a mere dream… Now sub-orbital flights for tourist purposes are a reality on the short term (2009) and soon, with increased competition, there will be more choice and lower prices. In the medium term, there will be a wider range of products available: orbital flights, flights to the Moon, to space stations, and resorts in space. These will be built to welcome space tourists. THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY The first space tourists will travel on board of Space Ship Two. This new generation of spacecrafts is based on the Space Ship One prototype, which was developed by Burt Rutan from Scaled Composites, and initiated successful experimental flights in 2004. This revolutionary spacecraft is launched attached to the mother ship - The White Knight Carrier; at about 50.000 feet the SST is released from the mother ship and ignites its propulsion engine, literally shooting it into space. In 30 seconds it will travel at about 4 times the speed of sound. In one and a half minutes, the astronaut passengers will feel the impact of the 3 to 4G acceleration. After the space boundary (100 kilometres from the surface of the Earth) is crossed, passengers will be able to enjoy space, to experience the incredible sensation of absence of gravity, and hold the most incredible view they have ever seen. | 
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