Remember Virgin Galactic? It's Richard Branson's pet project to create the first ever commercial service to fly passengers into a lower orbit, tool around in zero gravity for a little while and float back to the surface. They teamed up with Scaled Composites, the group who built the spacecraft that won the Ansari X prize, to create SpaceShipTwo, which by 2009 should soon be able to carry six passengers and two pilots out into space. One ticket to 68 miles above sea level? $200,000.

It looks like they've also got some competition. Xcor, a California based aerospace company, revealed plans for a new sub-orbital aircraft earlier today dubbed the Lynx. It's significantly smaller than SpaceShipTwo and only able to accommodate one passenger plus one pilot, but it's a form factor that Xcor thinks will be better suitable to the market. Perhaps the fact that it takes off solo from an airstrip (opposed to the dual aircraft design of SpaceShipTwo) and only goes about half the altitude of its competitor will make it a less expensive flight.

It should be two years before the Lynx is off the ground, and Xcor has still to find a commercial partner to market and operate the flights. But with a little bit of extra competition in the market, maybe the galactic experience will soon be affordable to your average millionaire instead of your average billionaire.

Now you know. According to a NASA flight engineer on a International Space Station mission, space smells like "an arc welding torch repairing heavy equipment for a small logging outfit." Or more succinctly, "pleasant sweet-smelling welding fumes."

Yums. Another useless (but quite interesting) piece of trivia to know.

Of course, there's always somebody to burst your bubble. One theory is the smell has something to do with LCVG and PLSS, which are responsible for regulating and radiating heat away form the user (respectively). Out in the space vacuum, these chemicals may get vaporized, and hence, that "sweet-smelling welding fume."

Then, there's the alternative explanation. "That's God's crotch you're smelling."

A 30-meter, $1-billion optical telescope that's in the making promises to bring our Universe 10-times closer. A dream come true for astronomers, it will allow for the study of earlier galaxies, and maybe even take us into the space beyond our solar system.

Headed by the California Institute of Technology, the telescope is called the Thirty-Meter-Telescope or TMT and word is that it will exceed the capabilities of its rival telescopes: the 24.5 meter giant Magellan Telescope, and the 42-meter Extremely Long Telescope; and it is the biggest news to hit astronomy since the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.

Plans are for it to be located in Mexico, Chile or Hawaii; the design is to be finalized in 2009 and its completion is tapped for 2016.

Look how far we have come: Galileo's handmade telescope in the 17th Century -- which was not more than 2-meters in size -- to this humongous thing that will further revolutionize our understanding of what has so far been beyond us.

I think the fact that we were able to turn something that was once used to peek into our neighbors backyard, into something that allows you to look beyond your planet, is fascinating and so underrated. The boons of science never fail to leave me in awe.

Space is soon to become the next frontier, for travel and maybe for living too. With the world's first space hotel set to start accommodating guests within 5 years, here are some things you should know about spending time in space, courtesy of Discover:

• Space sickness is common. You could have several symptoms, including nausea, headaches and trouble locating your limbs.
  
• Your health will be affected in others ways too -- including kidney stones, muscle atrophy and slower bowel movements. And the scariest side effect? Your heart will shrink.
  
• But you'll be taller overall. Expect to grow about 2 inches.
  
• If you're pregnant, it will affect how your baby's inner ear develops, meaning he or she (or they) could have problems with balance.
  
• If you snore on earth, you won't in space (I live with a snorer so this one sounds ideal, actually)
• But you won't get regular sleep -- in space, there are 16 sunrises a day!
• If you like salt on your food, you have to use it in liquid form.
• When you use the bathroom, you have to position yourself precisely in the right spot so things will go to ... well, you know. But don't worry, cameras will help guide your way.
  

Hmmmm .... suddenly, staying in space doesn't sound all the fun. Want to know more about what happens in zero gravity? Read the full list.

I love staying in hotels, if for no other reason than I don't have to clean up (much) after myself -- I can leave the bed unmade, and fresh sheets and towels will magically appear without me having to make the trek to the laundry room. But sometimes a hotel isn't the best option -- renting an apartment or house is often the way to go, especially if you're staying for a while. According to this article from MSNBC, there are lots of reasons to avoid hotels. Such as?

Space: Hotel rooms can be pretty limiting size-wise. Your own flat or house will come with lots of extra space, and maybe even your own yard.

Privacy: Hotels are public places; you can keep to yourself in your own apartment.

Be prepared. What you should know before renting a vacation home. Don't break the bank. Where are the world's most expensive hotels?

Price: It's often a much better deal to rent your own place for a week than pay a nightly rate at a hotel -- which can be really expensive! Plus, you can make your own meals in the kitchen, which saves a lot of money.

Cultural experience: Renting your own place allows you to avoid all the other tourists and get a feel for what it's like to live like the locals. And, consider this: All name-brand hotels are basically the same, so why stay at one when you're somewhere exotic? You might as well be staying in Poughkeepsie as far as the hotel decor goes.

Flexibility: There are rules at the hotel. In your own place? Not so much.

Don't just look at rental apartments and houses either -- keep your eyes open for unique accommodations. For instance, I stayed on a houseboat on the Seine River when I was last in Paris; it was an amazing experience.

A while back, Willy posted what he called the greatest and most unusual travel photo of all time. Remember that? Well, Willy -- my dear friend -- I think I've found a photo that beats yours. It's the new greatest and most unusual travel photo of all time. Have a look:

Please pardon the forthcoming cheesiness, but here's a story that's quite literally out of this world: The world's first space hotel is slated to open in 2012. What began as a hobby for Barcelona architect Xavier Claramunt is about to become a reality, thanks to careful planning and perseverance ... not to mention $3 billion that he fronted for the project. Guests of the Galactic Suite can fly around the world in 80 minutes, see the sun rise 15 times a day and experience the weightlessness that has until now been limited mostly to astronauts.

Wearing Velcro suits, guests can navigate their way through the luxury hotel. There's only one problem though -- bathrooms. They've got the showering part figured out -- guests will float through a 'spa room' filled with bubbles of water, but they seem to be trying to figure out a way for guests to do 'other' duties in a way that is luxurious enough to justify the exorbitant price tag.

Speaking of the price, it's $4 million for a 3-night stay, including an eight-week training session. And while I think the experience would be amazing, I can't see myself spending that much money on a hotel unless it has a really nice pool and room service. But then again, I've never had the liberty of spending money as a millionaire would, so who knows?

The Genesis II, an inflatable space module recently sent into orbit via a Russian rocket, is the starting point to what hopes to become a "full-scale space hotel." Bigelow Aerospace, the company behind the project, plans to launch another module later this year that will link up with the Genisis II, and hopefully become the world's highest (and most expensive, I'm sure) hotel room.

Don't count on booking a trip anytime soon, however. "[E]xperts say the costs of commercial space travel need to come down before it can be a success," says the BBC. "As a result, Mr Bigelow is offering a $50m prize to anyone who can design a craft capable of carrying five people to a height of 400km (250 miles) before 2010."

Cool.

[Via Engadget]

I stumbled over this image just now, and it took my breath away.

Everything about the image is just so amazing: The poof-y shapes of the clouds in the background... The electric blue line that marks the boundary of the atmosphere... The absolute void of color that is space juxtaposed against the brilliant white space suit... The fact that you can see the photographer's reflection in the mask of the astronaut... The slight, slo-mo wave the astronaut is giving, as if to say, "Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows..."

In my opinion, this may be the greatest travel photo of all time. I love it.

Be sure to check out the larger image here. And for other great travel photos -- none of which were taken in space -- be sure to browse through our Photos of the Day.

My fiance and I occasionally speculate about where we'd like to have our honeymoon. Someplace urban? Someplace close to nature? Maybe both?

One option we hadn't considered, is space.

That's the plan for Loretta and George Whitesides, the couple who intend to have their honeymoon in zero gravity. You can learn all about the couple's mission du love at their new Web site, spacelove.org.

Here's an excerpt: "We hope that with our flight, we can help bring love and peace to a place that is very important to us - space," said Loretta (...) The sub-orbital spaceflight will launch the couple over 100 km high, past the boundary of space. The flight will include several minutes of weightlessness, a view of the blackness of space and the curvature of the Earth."

Sounds romantic, indeed. Check out the site for updates on the couple's preparation, and advice on how you can have your very own outer space marriage!

[via Boing Boing]