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People have been talking about space tourism ever since astronauts first landed on the moon. Will the dream ever become reality?
Believe it or not, we’re counting down to the first space tourist flight. The Virgin Galactic Spaceship is due for lift-off soon, and there are rumours that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are among those who have put their names down to fly.
How exciting! I’m going to book a ticket!
Hang on, it won’t be cheap – each passenger will pay 200,000 US dollars for the three-hour flight.
Over a thousand dollars a minute – that’s extremely expensive!
Yes, but the space tourists will fly at three times the speed of sound, they’ll experience six minutes of weightlessness and they’ll be able to look down on Earth. ‘Every passenger will have a spectacular view; they will have large windows and luxurious seats,’ says Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, who’s going to travel on the first flight with members of his family. And the holiday will include pre-flight training and six days’ luxury accommodation at the Virgin Galactic space camp. Initially, the spaceships will take off from the Mojave Desert near Los Angeles, but later there’ll be a spaceport in New Mexico.
And what about people who don’t have thousands of dollars?
I’m sure the cost of space flights will come down, and one day ordinary travellers will be able to go on trips into space. So perhaps our grandchildren will spend their holidays on the moon, and have honeymoons in a hotel orbiting Venus. But meanwhile, you can book a spaceship flight online at www.virgingalactic.com with a deposit of US$20,000.
Forget it! I’ve got to go – I’m flying to Florida today and I’m visiting the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. The tour starts at 9.45am …
What time do we arrive at the Space Center?
It won’t be cheap
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Comprehension
Answer the questions.
1 What will be the highlights of the Virgin Galactic Spaceship flight?
2 What else will the $200,000 fare include?
3 Who are going to be among the first passengers?
4 How will ordinary travellers be able to afford space tourism?
5 The man says ‘Forget it!’ – what is he not going to do?
Would you like to be a space tourist? Why/Why not?
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