Aussies to be spaced out

AUSTRALIANS are at the front of the queue to be the first tourists in space – at a cost of $260,000 a ticket.

Out of this world ... Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson announcing plans to launch offer space flights in 2007 for groups of up to five passengers / Reuters

AUSTRALIANS are at the front of the queue to be the first tourists in space – at a cost of $260,000 a ticket.

Nine travel agencies in Australia have been appointed to sell the three-hour trips aboard Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship starting in 2008.

At least six Australians have booked, but their names have not been revealed. Between 175 and 200 more are on a list of people with "an active interest in the flight," according to Travel Media Group of Sydney, which owns two Harvey World Travel offices, in suburban Mosman and Manly.

Australia was the first country visited by Virgin Galactic representatives on a world tour to sign up travel agencies – some 300 are being appointed worldwide.

Travel Media Group is one of the nine appointed Australian companies chosen from 52 who had interest in offering tickets.

Travel Media owner Gil McLachlan is confident more Australians will book.

The Virgin Galactic spaceship, with two pilots, will take tourists six at a time on sub-orbital flights – at first from Mohave in the Californian desert and then from a new $290 million spaceport in New Mexico from 2011.

The first flights will be weekly, then – all going well – daily after the first year. They will reach a height of 100km, with passengers able to see the curvature of the earth through extra large windows as well as the planet's blue atmosphere.

Mr McLachlan said the spacecraft would be released from a futuristic mother ship more than 15km up.

"At that point it will accelerate under its own power to more than 609m per second and an altitude of 106km before shutting down to allow passengers to enjoy the sensation of weightlessness in the utter silence of space with mother Earth glowing below," he said.

Re-entry will comprise a "slow, feathered return to terra firma and none of the heat problems suffered by the space shuttle".

Mr McLachlan, who hopes to be among the first Australians to make the flight, said health requirements imposed by Virgin Galactic were flexible enough to allow bookings to be accepted from some people in their 70s.

"Many of the first passengers are baby boomers who still feel the spark of romance ignited in their childhood by the first images of man on the moon," he said.

"Once the price comes down and the flights have proved to be success, we expect the experience will attract thousands of Aussies."

Sir Richard Branson and his two children are expected to be on the first flight. Prospective passengers can register interest by calling [phone].

Sunday Herald Sun