Apollo 11 astronaut, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, who performed the first successful spacewalk in 1966, delivered the keynote address at the 8th International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes, France and thousands of travel industry insiders gathered to listen. Aldrin's message 44 years after his historic journey: "It is now high time to invest again in space technology!"

Today orbiter travel is on the radar, and the private sector is involved. Over the last decade, Space Adventures, Ltd. sold eight orbital space trips on-board the Russian Soyuz rocket, ranging in price from $20 to $50m for ten days at the International Space Station which orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. Imagine the photo opts!

This December, Virgin Galactic countered with Spaceship II offering "journeys of contrast beyond atmosphere." Pre-travel preparation includes three days of conditioning and G force adaptation exercises. Then you are ready for the 50,000 foot climb at almost 2500 mph (nearly three times the speed of sound!) into cobalt blue and indigo skies. In the words of Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, "The silence of space is as awe inspiring as the noise of the rocket just moments earlier."

The two pilots of Spaceship II will fly six customers at a time at $200,000 a seat for up to four hours in spacer hours. Over 200 customers are booked and 70,000 are considering confirmation of their flight! These pioneering space travelers will pave the way for new private initiatives to finance and develop space technology. According to Branson, "It would rival the scale of investment in the mobile phone and internet technologies if those investments assist in the logistics of weather satellites, agricultural monitoring, GPS and climate science."

Aldrin's presence brought a sense of reality to this new frontier of travel while his descriptions sparked imagination. In space, weightlessness dominates. After a graceful mid-space somersault you find yourself at a large window. What you see is a view that you've seen in countless images but the reality is so much more beautiful!

Today's luxury travel now includes the new category of ultra travel. It is for those with means and, equally important, for individuals with a true pioneer spirit. Can you imagine such a journey? Are you ready for the final frontier and the experience of a life time.

More information: Dr. Buzz Aldrin's Biography

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