4 Sep, 2011 @ 10:30
1 min read

From Spain to infinity for balloon space tourists

IF you are afraid of heights, read no further.

A Spanish company has developed a helium balloon that will take brave passengers on the trip of a lifetime into the Earth’s stratosphere.

The ‘Bloon’ – set to launch in two years – will climb to a dizzying 22 miles above the planet, with the balloons four space tourists and two pilots travelling inside a pressurised 13ft pod.

The experience, offered by Spanish firm Zero 2 Infinity, will last five hours and cost a whopping 100,000 euros.

Included in the price is the chance to see the sun dawning over the planet as the curvature of the Earth is revealed.

The project was conceived by Barcelona-based Spanish entrepreneur Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales, who has so far conducted five test flights after coming up with the idea 10 years ago.

“People will enjoy it because being that high reminds them that they come from a planet, and are part of something much bigger,” he said.

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