Space Tourism to Become Affordable -- by 2019

So far space tourism has been limited to only the superrich—such as Dennis Tito, who paid $20 million to hitch a ride into outer space with the Russians.  By 2008, space tourism will be limited to just the average rich.  Richard Branson’s upstart Virgin Galactic will be selling rides into outer space for $200,000.  While I certainly have optimistic hopes for my near future, I have suspicions that this will still be slightly out of my price range.

There is good news for poor mopes like myself, however.  Branson just announced that he hopes to make flights affordable to the masses by 2019.  Although he wasn’t foolish enough to quote a price, he did equate space travel to the early days of commercial flying, arguing that trans-Atlantic flights, which initially cost the equivalent of $80,000, are now available for just a few hundred dollars.  The way Social Security is these days in the States, I’m not entirely sure I’ll have a few hundred dollars to spare in 2019, but at least I have plenty of time to start saving.  

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