MOSCOW (voa) – Russian engineers and U.S. businessmen have unveiled a full-sized model of the first space shuttle designed exclusively for tourism.
Would-be-astronauts will be able to experience three minutes of zero gravity at the edge of space during a one-hour flight aboard the “C-21”, a rocket-powered shuttle about the size of a mini-van. The spaceship, which seats a pilot and two passengers, was presented Thursday in Zhukovsky, Russia.
What’s the price of an adventure in space, less than $100,000, a fraction of the $20 million the first space tourist, Dennis Tito, paid the Russian space agency for an eight-day trip last year.
The shuttle is a joint venture of Russia’s private Suborbital Corporation and the U.S. based company Space Adventures. Space Adventures says about 100 people have already booked seats on the “C-21”, expected to become operational in three years.
