A ticket to ride into space for just $200,000

Commercial space travel is on the way. Billionaire Richard Branson, owner of Atlantic Airways, announced that his new venture, Virgin Galactic, will be ready to shuttle individuals into space in a few years. The $450 million project includes the construction of six spaceships/shuttles/aircraft, which would take passengers 65 miles above the Earth.

Each ticket would enable a passenger to receive three days of training, a voyage that is about 2 hours or so each way, and 5 minutes of weightlessness. Not bad for a mere $200,000. Just in case you’re wondering if anyone would be willing to spend that much for a five hour trip that will result in just five minutes in space, Branson claims to have received 300 deposits. We are in a recession, right?