June 20, 2010

• Travel to space with Virgin Galactic

  
  In the year 2012, ordinary people will get the opportunity to try out the life of an astronaut when the first commercial space flight in Sweden takes off. Together with Spaceport Sweden and Virgin Galactic, ICEHOTEL offers you the possibility to journey 130-140 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.

  After a couple days of preparations, you and the rest of the crew will be ready for take-off. Although the anticipation is almost palpable, the rise towards the sky is a quiet and peaceful journey. When the countdown for igniting the rocket engine starts, you find yourself tightening you grip of the armrest, when suddenly you are pinned back into your seat as the space craft accelerates to a speed of 2500 mph, almost 3 times the speed of sound.

  As you race across the atmosphere, you notice that the sky turns from blue to black outside the window. When the screaming from the rocket engine fades and the speed slows down, you start to relax. Now that the rocket engine is turned off, everything is quiet. Not just quiet, but really really quiet. The silence in space is awe inspiring, although your senses are loudly screaming in an effort to grip the fact that the gravity that usually keeps your feet safely on ground, is now gone.
  
  There is no up or down, you feel how you are gently floating upwards from you seat and soon you will be levitating in mid-air. After a handsome somersault, you find your way towards one of the windows in order to discover a mind-boggling view. Yes, you have seen it in many photos, but nothing can prepare your eyes for the sight of the Earth’s surface hundreds of kilometres below you and if you are lucky – the Northern Lights dancing across the sky.

  When you once again lean back in your seat, trying to process what you experienced during these last minutes that seemed to last a lifetime, you hear the pilot announce that its time to return back to Earth. Again the view changes as the atmosphere starts to get thicker and soon you feel that familiar thud as you touch down on Mother Earth.

  I am signing up now!

  • 11:29 pm
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