Join the 13-mile high club in a MiG

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Incredible Adventures wants to push you through the sound barrier. Step into a MiG-29 and prepare to be thrust past Mach 1 in the fighter jet that caused Rocky to fight Drago. Or, find your way to the edge of space in a MiG-31. Find your way to Russia to get started, and then leave the Earth behind.

To pass the speed of sound, Incredible Adventures takes you to Nizhny and gives you a choice: the legendary MiG-29 or the newer MiG-31. The company has an arrangement with the Nizhny Novgorod Sokol Aircraft Building Plant, making the whole “MiGs over Moscow” program possible. The people who supply fighter jets to more than 30 countries, of course, take quality seriously. After all, they needed to develop the goods to end democracy. So, they’ll do everything possible to make sure your day at the airbase is an incredible adventure.

If new heights matter more to you than outpacing the words coming out of your mouth, check out the “Edge of Space” program. Join the “13-mile high” club in a MiG-31 with one of Russia’s premier fighter pilots.

When you touch down, lament the loss of your wingman, jump on a couch and tell people not to take psychiatric medicines.

20 things about living in space

by Martha Edwards on

Space is soon to become the next frontier, for travel and maybe for living too. With the world’s first space hotel set to start accommodating guests within 5 years, here are some things you should know about spending time in space, courtesy of Discover:

  • Space sickness is common. You could have several symptoms, including nausea, headaches and trouble locating your limbs.
  • Your health will be affected in others ways too — including kidney stones, muscle atrophy and slower bowel movements. And the scariest side effect? Your heart will shrink.
  • But you’ll be taller overall. Expect to grow about 2 inches.
  • If you’re pregnant, it will affect how your baby’s inner ear develops, meaning he or she (or they) could have problems with balance.
  • If you snore on earth, you won’t in space (I live with a snorer so this one sounds ideal, actually)
  • But you won’t get regular sleep — in space, there are 16 sunrises a day!
  • If you like salt on your food, you have to use it in liquid form.
  • When you use the bathroom, you have to position yourself precisely in the right spot so things will go to … well, you know. But don’t worry, cameras will help guide your way.

Hmmmm …. suddenly, staying in space doesn’t sound all the fun. Want to know more about what happens in zero gravity? Read the full list.

Space hotel accepting guests within five years

by Neil Woodburn on

The reality of spending the night in an outer space hotel is coming sooner than you might imagine.

We’ve posted before about billionaire space enthusiast Robert T. Bigelow’s efforts to launch the first space hotel, and now we follow up with a more detailed insight into the man himself and the plans he has in store for future citizen astronauts.

The cool thing about Bigelow’s pie-in-the-sky project is that he has already launched working prototypes which are currently circling the globe and providing internet surfers with some pretty cool satellite photos (most recently of the fires in Southern California).

The prototypes are basically pods made of a special, flexible fabric that weighs less than standard space station materials, just as strong, and is easily compactable for rocket ship transport.

Here’s the best thing, however. Bigalow plans to have a six-person module ready to accept paying guests by 2012. That’s just five years away! That gives us all plenty of time to save up the $12 million price tag for the four-week outer space adventure. In the meantime, I just hope that jealous Russian cosmonauts protecting their monopoly on space tourism don’t arrange a little “accident” for their up-and-coming competition.

Genesis II: Inflatable Space Hotel

by Justin Glow on

The Genesis II, an inflatable space module recently sent into orbit via a Russian rocket, is the starting point to what hopes to become a “full-scale space hotel.” Bigelow Aerospace, the company behind the project, plans to launch another module later this year that will link up with the Genisis II, and hopefully become the world’s highest (and most expensive, I’m sure) hotel room.

Don’t count on booking a trip anytime soon, however. “[E]xperts say the costs of commercial space travel need to come down before it can be a success,” says the BBC. “As a result, Mr Bigelow is offering a $50m prize to anyone who can design a craft capable of carrying five people to a height of 400km (250 miles) before 2010.”

Cool.

[Via Engadget]