Kicker - Floating to the edge of space

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s not a trip to space, but according to one Florida company it will be as close as you can get without leaving Earth’s gravity. 

A startup company called Space Perspective has teamed up with the Alaska Aerospace Corp. to offer balloon rides to the edge of space by 2021. 

Passengers will be able to board what the company calls Spaceship Neptune. The Neptune will be tethered to a hydrogen balloon the size of a football stadium. After ascending for two hours, the Neptune will reach its maximum altitude of 19 miles above Alaska, giving passengers a view of the northern lights from the edge of space.  

After a two-hour descent, the capsule will splash down off the Aleutian Islands and be recovered by a ship. 

You can grab your seat on Spaceship Neptune for $125,000 per person.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

(Photo/priestmangoode, via Designboom)

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.