Lift Off - Would you pay $50,000 to touch the edge of space?
Inc.|November 2024
Would you pay $50,000 to touch the edge of space? Meet the entrepreneurs providing a rarified clientele with a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime journey.So you want to go to space. To take in the expansive curvature of the Earth glowing miles above the atmosphere, surrounded by pure darkness. To experience the mind-altering overview effect described by astronauts as a transcendent state of awe, staring back at the planet on which you've inhaled your every living breath.
By Christine Lagorio-Chafkin
Lift Off - Would you pay $50,000 to touch the edge of space?

So you want to go to space. To take in the expansive curvature of the Earth glowing miles above the atmosphere, surrounded by pure darkness. To experience the mind-altering overview effect described by astronauts as a transcendent state of awe, staring back at the planet on which you've inhaled your every living breath.

But for a civilian, traveling to space is an arduous journey. First, there's the price. The known cost of an 11-minute flight on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket is $1.25 million. Then, of course, there are physical demands. After months of training, you must be able to climb seven flights of stairs in 90 seconds. And liftoff is a shock to the body. The first two minutes are a vertical climb accelerating to more than 2,000 miles per hour, compressing the body with up to 4 g's of force, which former NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence has described as feeling like somebody just sat down on my chest.

World View´s Explorer capsule, wich can fit eight passengers and two crew members.

After the rockets detach from the capsule, the g-forces suddenly vanish and you begin to feel weightless. On a tourist flight, you have about two minutes to unbuckle and orient your shocked body while trying to take in the incredible view. Then it's fasten-your-seat-belts time, and another physical shockplummeting to the Earth. That's about $625,000 per actual minute of existence in near space, possibly slicked with vomit.

この記事は Inc. の November 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Inc. の November 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

INC.のその他の記事すべて表示
2025 FEMALE FOUNDERS 500
Inc.

2025 FEMALE FOUNDERS 500

THE PANDEMIC DROVE WOMEN OUT OF THE WORKFORCE THEN SPURRED AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPLOSION.

time-read
10+ 分  |
Spring 2025
HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025
Inc.

HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025

If you've been waiting to sell your business, this could be the year to get the deal done. Analysts expect mergers and acquisitions to pick up, especially given the Trump administration's promise of deregulation. So if you're considering selling now, here's what you need to know.

time-read
10+ 分  |
Spring 2025
Marina Khidekel You can tap creative funding sources for your startup, but as these founders learned, it's hard work.
Inc.

Marina Khidekel You can tap creative funding sources for your startup, but as these founders learned, it's hard work.

Raising capital can feel like a rite of passage for startup founders—a signal that your company is on the map.

time-read
5 分  |
Spring 2025
UP IN THE AIR
Inc.

UP IN THE AIR

HOW JSX FOUNDER ALEX WILCOX BROUGHT THE PRIVATE JET EXPERIENCE TO THE MASSES WHILE NAVIGATING STRAIGHT INTO A CLOUD OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS. AND WHY HIS RADICAL NEW WAY TO FLY COULD BE IN FOR A BUMPY RIDE.

time-read
10+ 分  |
Spring 2025
She's Done With Al. Now Lucy Guo Is Making a Big Bet on People
Inc.

She's Done With Al. Now Lucy Guo Is Making a Big Bet on People

Inside the Scale AI co-founder's plans to help influencers get paid, like, never-have-to-get-a-real-job kind of money.

time-read
3 分  |
Spring 2025
Tory Burch Is Better Than Ever.but Don't Call It a Comeback
Inc.

Tory Burch Is Better Than Ever.but Don't Call It a Comeback

The fashion veteran's business is hitting its stride— and she says, at 58, she finally feels like a real designer.

time-read
4 分  |
Spring 2025
ZONE OF CONCERN
Inc.

ZONE OF CONCERN

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are as pervasive as they are insidious, afflicting businesses ranging from hotels to breweries to coffee roasters. In taking on this huge problem, entrepreneur Dean Wiltse has found his calling—and an opportunity.

time-read
10+ 分  |
Spring 2025
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Inc.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

HE DESIGNED THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. SO WHY ISN'T HE IN THE PANTHEON OF SILICON VALLEY FOUNDERS?

time-read
4 分  |
Spring 2025
SET AND ACHIEVE BIG GOALS
Inc.

SET AND ACHIEVE BIG GOALS

In her latest book, Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life, Caroline Adams Miller shares a methodology for psychology-backed goal setting.

time-read
3 分  |
Spring 2025
10 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT SALES
Inc.

10 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT SALES

Today's customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making any decision is a challenge.

time-read
1 min  |
Spring 2025