Russia Unveils Space Shuttle for Tourists

joestump98 writes: "Yahoo! News is running a story about those crazy, cash strapped, Russians building a space shuttle for tourists. For under $100,000 you can take a one-hour flight that includes a mere 3 minutes of weightlessness. Apparently the flights are to start around 2004/2005." 21mhz adds a link to this press release from Russia's Myasishchev Design Bureau, writing: "On close examination, it turns out to be a downscaled version of Buran."

Comments

Crisscross?

[red5]

To this now the russians are the crazy capitalists and it's us with the draconian anti-freedom laws (DMCA).

Re:Crisscross?

[ryanwright]

To this now the russians are the crazy capitalists and it's us with the draconian anti-freedom laws (DMCA).

I was thinking the exact same thing. The Russians get it. Why the hell don't our leaders run with this? It's a huge idea and will make millions, not to mention the awesome benefits to technology. We piss and moan about people like Tito coming to the ISS while the Russians are making money. The next guy they're taking up has gone through a year of training and is paying millions to be an active crew member. He's going to perform experiments and act as a functional member of the crew.

There are more than enough people willing and able to pay for things like this. What the hell is wrong with the people running my beloved USA?

Normal people?

[Judg3]

The makers of this new spaceship believe there is a huge untapped market of would-be space tourists - ordinary people willing to pay for the holiday of a lifetime.

I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't consider anyone able to pay $100,000 for 3 minutes of weightlessness normal.

But I must admit, it's a cool idea and brings us 1 step closer to a trip to the moon costing as much as a flight from New York to London. But hell, even the cost of that flight is out of my price range.