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Virgin Atlantic
has joined forces with Virgin Galactic to offer its Flying Club members the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become an astronaut.
Members of the frequent flyer scheme around the world will be able to convert their earthly miles into space miles and earn themselves a trip to space to join the 100 mile high
club.
Members will need to earn two million Flying Club miles on Virgin Atlantic flights to be able to redeem them for a trip with Virgin Galactic into space. The trip includes the
three day Virgin Galactic Experience which will ensure that future astronauts can savour each second of their space flight. The experience will include ‘g’
acclimatisation, a flight in the White Knight and will take place in the US at the Virgin Galactic Spaceport. To date the world has seen only 444 astronauts, with the launch
of Virgin Galactic commercial flights, the airline expects this to grow to many, many thousands – initially flights will cost $200,000 but Virgin Galactic expects prices to fall over
time.
Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic,
said, “A journey into space seems like a distant dream for many but this deal makes it more even
more achievable for our frequent travellers to become astronauts.
“We have always tried to offer more unusual and fun rewards, like hot air ballooning and white water rafting, alongside our more conventional awards, but this means
our Flying Club rewards are now literally out of this world! No other airline will be able to match this amazing offer.
“We expect the first Virgin Galactic space flight to take place in 2008 which gives our Flying Club members time to save up all their miles.”
Virgin Galactic is a company established by
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the challenge of developing space tourism for everybody. It will own and
operate privately built spaceships, modelled on the history-making SpaceShipOne craft. These spaceships,
it is hoped, will allow affordable sub-orbital space tourism for the first
time in our history.
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