“Seeing the Earth from Space will be forever etched into my mind” Anousheh Ansari, September 2006

Introduction and history

On the 28th of April, 2001, the American businessman Dennis Tito blasted off from the same launch pad in Baikonur that Yuri Gagarin flew from, and also entered the history books, as the world’s first private space  explorer. He spent over a week orbiting the Earth on Alpha One, the International Space Station. He was followed a year later by the South African, Mark Shuttleworth. He also enjoyed a week gazing down upon our home  planet, “I have never seen anything as beautiful as the earth from space”. Two years ago,  Dr Greg Olsen, an American scientist  become the world’s number three. I met him in London before he flew and was especially impressed with his plans to conduct science experiments during his mission, with American school children and for the European Space Agency which ultimately went very well on orbit. The postcard that arrived here in the office in Bristol, postmarked the I.S.S., was a nice touch from a true travel pioneer. Anousheh Ansari flew in September 2006, the first lady and is already promising to go back.  Charles Simonyi of Microsoft Word and Excel fame is next to fly, come and watch him on our exclusive launch tour this March or follow his amazing experience at www.charlesinspace.com  . The first British private space explorer is still sought, with our next possible available launch date being 2008. The cost is just over  £13 million, but it’s not just the funds that are required, six months of intensive training with your fellow cosmonauts,  you’ll also need to learn to speak basic Russian, and have the fitness, drive and determination to reach for the stars. The flight itself may just be an eight to ten day experience, but you will be an astronaut for life, and join the very few, who have so far ventured from our planet. The history books await you……The new next ultimate travel experience will even exceed these flights however, the Mission to the Moon, announced in 2005, for two very very lucky people only, £53 million a seat.

But you don’t need to be a multi-millionaire to experience the uniqueness of space travel first hand. WildWings have exclusively represented  U.S. based, Space Adventures since their inception in 1997. Formed by a group of visionary travel entrepreneurs, along with an advisory board of former astronauts and aerospace technicians and we have other, much more affordable experiences closer to home. 

More affordable space flights will become available in the next few years, Sub-Orbital, up from a point on Earth into space (defined as 60 miles/100kms above the surface), a few minutes at the apogee of the flight, experiencing weightlessness, enjoying the stunning views  back down and out to the stars and planets beyond, before gravity brings your craft back down for your landing from where you took off from. Depending on your vehicle, your flight will last between 45 to 90 minutes, a week’s preparation and training and your astronaut wings at the end. Over 200 people worldwide have paid their deposits and are patiently waiting their vehicle. The cost, a relative bargain at £60,000, private enterprise finally goes to space. Science fiction ? On June 21st 2004, SpaceShipOne flew into space, designed and built by Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites in the Mojave Desert, USA. She flew again twice in the second half of the same year and now hangs in the Milestones of Flight galley in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, USA. I witnessed Spaceshipone’s second space flight and my special report can be found on our website.  The second space race is truly on and we hope to see our first customers finally fly in the next few years (Operations currently are planned to commence 2009/2010). Space Adventures recently announced the full funding of what is expected to be our first Sub-Orbital Space Flight launch system, Explorer. Design, development and provisional test flight timetable details will be released later in 2007.

In the meantime you can see the Edge of Space with your own eyes in our double supersonic MiG31 or experience Deep Space, Martian and Lunar Zero-Gravity in one of our special parabolic aircraft here in the Earth’s atmosphere.

All our programmes may be customised, and offer great opportunities for corporate and incentive events, sample examples can be found on our website.

The following pages highlight our current main programme, more information, including our latest and most up to date programmes can always be found at www.wildwings.co.uk. We anticipate to continue making more important announcements in the near future, stay tuned.

We have been bringing the adventure of space to the people of Earth for some years now, we look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

Ad astra.

John Brodie-Good