Your chance to fly into space is rapidly approaching. Hundreds of test flights for leisure space travel have already been conducted, and a growing number of companies are investing in the technology.
One of the aerospace companies in the commercial human space race is XCOR Aerospace, which is currently building its signature Lynx Mark I aircraft in Mojave, Calif. The aircraft will travel up to 200,000 feet, or approximately 38 miles, above Earth. A trip on the Lynx Mark I won’t be anything like flying in a commercial airplane. The Lynx Mark I will have only two people on board: the passenger and the pilot, currently former NASA Cmdr. Richard Searfoss, who has piloted two space shuttle flights and commanded one.
Bryan Campen, director of media relations for XCOR Aerospace, says the passenger can even tell the pilot where to go. “Imagine being up in space, in a space suit, just you and a former NASA pilot,” Campen says. “You could even ask him to flip the craft upside down, or point to a certain destination. It’s your own personal space mission.”
To put that trip into perspective, Campen says Felix Baumgautner, who performed a record-breaking sky jump from a space balloon in 2012, was at 24 miles above Earth. Lynx travelers will journey about 14 miles above that.
While Campen says there is no clear definition of the term outer space, he says Lynx I travelers will indeed be on the “edge of space,” or the thermosphere, which is the final layer of atmosphere before the exosphere, or what could be described as true “outer space.” The International Space Station also occupies the thermosphere, but at a much greater height of 250 miles.
No bargain fares in the beginning
As with any new and cutting-edge technology, space travel won’t be cheap. Current estimates are that a trip on the Lynx Mark I will cost you at least $95,000 for a 35-minute ride. It’s a high-ticket bucket list item, but it’s also your chance to float in zero gravity after blasting away at Mach 4 speed, approximately 3,000 miles per hour.
Basically, it will be about as close to the astronaut experience as anyone can get, for now at least.
“This is for adventurers and dreamers who have longed to go to space since childhood,” Campen says. “It’s for all the people who were kids during the moon landing, or for anyone looking for a status symbol. How cool to say you’ve been into space.”
Younger generations are also expecting more out of any vacation or travel, says Kendra Thornton, travel expert and partner at Chicago-based Royal Travel and Tours. This taste for the finer things in life is catapulting the leisure space travel trend. Plus, with practically every inch of Earth already discovered or traveled, there’s an emerging desire to explore someplace new.
“Generations X and Y have grown up in an era where traveling our planet has become more accessible, affordable and safer than it was for their parents’ generation,” Thornton explains. “Since we can now more easily explore our own planet, people are becoming more curious about what’s out there; space has become the next unchartered territory of travel.”
Even though $95,000 is a hefty price for a one-time flight, prices have come down in the years since the first civilian test flights and will continue to decline as popularity and frequency of flights increase, experts say. Campen points to the home-computer technology of the 1980s as an analogy: The first computers were too expensive for even some of the richest in America; then competition stepped in and reduced prices.
Engineers to be first test passengers
Campen says XCOR has conducted a series of engine tests with the Lynx aircraft, firing its engines more than 4,000 times without any complications. Within the next six to 18 months, XCOR should conduct another 50 to200 test flights, sending up its engineers on the first human test flights. Fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen, Lynx has fuel costs considerably lower than those of the space shuttles, says Campen.
Of course, safety is the No. 1 concern. While the Lynx takes off from a traditional-style runway, the similarities with typical commercial flight end there. Campen says all travelers must pass the equivalent of a Class 2 aviation medical physical (the same that’s required of commercial airline pilots) and shouldn’t be claustrophobic.
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Also, because of the distance the Lynx I travels, there is still some atmospheric re-entry involved in the landing process, warranting the need for special thermal protection built into the aircraft.
So what happens on a Lynx Mark I space trip?
“It’s a 35-minute flight, departing from and landing at the Mojave Space Port,” Campen explains. “After one minute, you’re supersonic, or at Mach 4 speed. After three minutes, the engine shuts off and you are at the edge of space. That’s when you get to experience zero gravity and weightlessness for about five minutes, before making the 25-minute descent back to Mojave.”
Also, it will be more than just a sit back-and-watch experience. Campen notes that each passenger will have assigned duties on board. While those duties aren’t clearly defined yet, Campen says the passenger or “participant,” will be acting as sort of an assistant pilot.
“Seriously, how close to becoming an astronaut can you actually get?” Campen asks.
The technology and innovation don’t stop there. XCOR will begin building the Lynx Mark II once the Mark I has been completed and tested. That aircraft will travel even higher, at 350,000 feet, or approximately 66 miles above Earth, putting humans even further into the thermosphere.