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Window or Aisle?

Posted by michael on from the down-in-birdland-yeah dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes "Forget Tito. Forget Shuttleworth. Private space travel is now a reality, now that eBay is accepting bids for travel to the International Space Station. I consider this a milestone for space travel, now that the average citizen-next-door can bid for a ticket as easily as buying, er, crap on eBay." Actually it appears that this is just the pre-flight stuff required prior to a trip - Note: Soyuz tickets sold separately, may involve a small added expense, if you get my drift. The real milestone is when tickets are listed on Travelocity. JFK->ISS, non-stop, no smoking, snack only.

32 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. My favorite is USAIR's tactic by sowalsky · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My favorite is how USAIR (US Airways) has already started advertising trips to space. You can either win a trip to space or redeem 10,000,000 frequent flier miles for one. I can't wait to see where this goes!

    1. Re:My favorite is USAIR's tactic by Rob.Mathers · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Never mind the space flight (which is actually a suborbital flight), I would go for the flight in a MiG-25! It says you go as high as 85000' and as fast as mach 2.

      Only 275,000 miles + $8,000 :D

      /me pictures himself in Top Gun

      --

      My other sig is funny!
    2. Re:My favorite is USAIR's tactic by SEWilco · · Score: 3, Interesting
      PanAm accepted 90,000 reservations for Moon trips in the 1960s.

      "The real milestone is when tickets are listed on Travelocity. JFK->ISS, non-stop, no smoking, snack only."
      Yes, but that's only a milestone. I'd prefer a 3-week cruise with transfer at Goddard Station, view of ISS Museum, 1950 DA mining facility and stop at Disney L-5 enroute to Tycho City Hilton. If I were younger I'd make reservations at Tycho Flight School, but instead I'll play with Hub Wings at DL5.
  2. No thanks by Brento · · Score: 4, Funny

    After a lot of Ebay deals gone sour, I've got a personal rule: never purchase from a seller with zero feedback. After they've sold at least a couple dozen of these, then I might reconsider. Heh.

    --
    What's your damage, Heather?
  3. What else to buy... by AstroMage · · Score: 4, Funny
    and after bidding on this on eBay, our intrepid space explorer can also buy himself some prime moon property, or go sign up at the Lunar Embassy.

    Heh, heh... ;-)

  4. Uhm, not spaceflight! by Daath · · Score: 4, Informative

    If I read this correctly this is _NOT_ a ticket to space - This is a ticket to the "International Space Station (ISS) Experience" - sort of like a disneyland ride... The ticket is for the, quote, "Orbital Pre-Qualification Program" - Read it. It looks fun though, if a bit expensive...

    --
    Any technology distinguishable from magic, is insufficiently advanced.
  5. bay auction by 56ker · · Score: 3, Funny

    For Sale: Mir Space Station
    Slightly burnt due to re-entry but still salvageable at the bottom of the ocean. Slightly fire damaged. Buyer pays postage and launch costs. Be the envy of the world - own a second-hand space station today! Starting price: 1 rouble.

    --


    Video Game cheats, hints a
  6. Hi tech Nigerian scam? by jmichaelg · · Score: 2

    Color me suspicious but I'm not about to give out personal id and banking information to a group in Russia whom I've never heard of. The last time I saw a similar request it was to help out a Nigerian clerk who knew where there was a stash of cash and he wanted to park it in my bank account.

  7. Reason for retracted bid by hitchhucker · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love this reason given for a retracted bid:

    wrong auction sorry.. thought it was for the other space trip

    1. Re:Reason for retracted bid by WhaDaYaKnow · · Score: 2

      Yeah and what about the current high bidder. (at a mere $1.1 million), he's got a eBay page up saying:

      "currently at high school, i try to be the best e-bayer as possible. although young, i hold a job at a private company as the professional webmaster"

      Jesus christ, I must be doing something terribly wrong...

  8. The Way by halftrack · · Score: 2

    To follow the true path to space you must not be mislead by false hippocracy such as this eBay conspiracy. The true path lies in pioneering. Look at the golden carrot from the x-prize and true seekers of enlightment such as the armadillos and the canadian arrow. True pioneers to space.

    --
    Look a monkey!
  9. Comericalization of space. Started by the Russians by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find it Ironic that the Russians are the curent/firsts leader in Commerical Space flight. Basicly because a decade ago they were still a Comunist Nation and everything is supported by the goverment and a vacation in space would not be funded by private indrustry. And was beleaved that America will be the first to comericalize space. But now the American Space Launches are still controled by the government.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  10. Classic Spellchecker Mistake... by RussGarrett · · Score: 2

    You've got to love this quote from the eBay info:

    Day Two: Driving tour of the major highlights of Moscow. After lunch you'll travel to Star City for a tour of the Yuri Garaging Cosmonaut Training Center, and begin the program.

    1. Re:Classic Spellchecker Mistake... by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 2

      That's where they store all the Yuris in a huge garage!

      --
      Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  11. Hayden Planetarium's list? by dpbsmith · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When I was a kid, I signed my name and address in a book at t the Hayden Planetarium in New York indicating that I was interested in being a passenger on the first commercial passenger flight into space (or possibly to the Moon, I forget which).

    I wonder if they still have that list? I wonder if they maintain it? I wonder what the names on a mailing list of "middle-aged geeks interested in being space tourists" are worth?

    I wonder if I need to contact them and ask to have my name removed?

    I wonder what sort of junk mail I can expect to get if I don't?

    --

    "How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!

    1. Re:Hayden Planetarium's list? by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 2

      Who got all Pan Am's assets? Wasn't that run by PanAm?

      --
      Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  12. Must be a hoax... by heliocentric · · Score: 2

    From the ebay page:

    Day Two: Driving tour of the major highlights of Moscow. After lunch you'll travel to Star City for a tour of the Yuri Garaging Cosmonaut Training Center, and begin the program.

    Who is Yuri Garaging? I'm familiar with the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center and its namesake's accomplishments, but if they are sending you to some other place I suggest you stay away from these people.

    --
    Wheeeee
    1. Re:Must be a hoax... by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 3, Funny
      Who is Yuri Garaging?
      He's the valet of the Star City Night Club...
  13. Re:Reserve not yet met by zsmooth · · Score: 2

    Well, this isn't for a "seat" on an actual trip to the ISS, we can expect it to go for less...

  14. ISS is in maine by an_mo · · Score: 2, Funny

    According to this list, airport code ISS corresponds to Wiscasset, ME. I wasn't able to get a quote from expedia or travelocity though.

  15. Window or Aisle? by OpCode42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Huh? Window or you'll... what? ;)

  16. Aisle seat, please by dattaway · · Score: 2

    or...

    I didn't want the Windows seat for a space flight my insurance won't cover it

  17. Buy stuff. by KingJawa · · Score: 2

    I have like a dozen feedback, all by buying stuff. So... that'd work.

  18. About milestones... by FurryFeet · · Score: 2

    The real milestone is when tickets are listed on Travelocity. JFK->ISS, non-stop, no smoking, snack only.

    No, what's happening today are the milestones. Tickets on travelocity are the stuff of boredom.
    I can picture Michael witnessing the Wright Brothers first flight and saying "heck, the real milestone will be when I can buy cheap tickets for a transatlantic flight".
    Just a pet peeve...

    1. Re:About milestones... by DennyK · · Score: 2

      On the contrary...I would say that putting something that once made everyone who saw/heard about it say "Holy s**t, can they do that?" within the reach of the average person to be a very important milestone in any technological development. Fancy technology is great, but if it doesn't eventually have an effect on everyday life, then, once you get beyond the "cool" factor, there's not much left for the average person to appreciate. Bringing new stuff to the masses may not be as revolutionary as inventing some incredible new technology, but I would still call it a "milestone."

      DennyK

  19. Second Space tourist... by reg · · Score: 2

    It's interesting that /. completely ignored the world's second space tourist, and the first African in space. South African .com millionare Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Thawte, and who lists /., Linux and Mozilla among his favourite things, spent 11 days is space, from the 25th of April to the 5th of May.

    Guess the integrity of /. is so high that $20 million can't even buy you a story...

    Regards,
    -Jeremy

    1. Re:Second Space tourist... by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2
      It's interesting that /. completely ignored the world's second space tourist, and the first African in space. South African .com millionare Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Thawte, and who lists /., Linux and Mozilla among his favourite things, spent 11 days is space, from the 25th of April to the 5th of May.
      I suppose that when you plunk down $20M for a weeklong junket, you don't care much about /. ...
  20. Did anyone else notice the errors? by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 2

    Did anyone notice that spelling errors abound in this "auction"? For crying out loud, they spelled Yuri Gagarin's name wrong! "Yuri Garaging"? WTF is that? "And various Hypobaric Altitude chamber tests"...it's spelled "Hyperbaric", dumbass.

    Since the auctioneer can't even spell correctly, do you (a) really believe this is genuine or (b) would you trust someone to shoot you into space if they can't spell correctly? Even if the writer was Russian, don't you think they would've at least run it through a spellchecker first?

    --
    In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    1. Re:Did anyone else notice the errors? by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 2

      I did look it up. Why don't you do yourself a favor and head on over to www.m-w.com before spouting something you don't seem to know much about.

      [quoted from m-w.com]
      One entry found for hyperbaric.

      Main Entry: hyperbaric
      Pronunciation: "hI-p&r-'bar-ik
      Function: adjective
      Etymology: hyper- + bar- + 1-ic
      Date: 1962
      : of, relating to, or utilizing greater than normal pressure (as of oxygen)
      - hyperbarically /-i-k(&-)lE/ adverb

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  21. $20,000,000.00 reserve by alexburke · · Score: 2

    Scroll down to the bottom. (Couldn't resist, sorry!)

  22. $20,000,000 reserve by zsmooth · · Score: 2

    There's a retracted bid that says "$20,000,000 reserve? Ouch!" Assuming that really is the reserve (which he could have guessed by bidding/see if reserve is met/retracting) then that's outrageous. You don't even get to go to the stupid ISS!!!

  23. Re:Someone better call Lance Bass ! by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 2

    Is he still plaguing the Earth's surface?

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.