Booking: World View

The US Federal Aviation Administration has determined that the technical challenges facing the pressurized capsule are essentially the same as those met in low-earth orbit. They are requiring that the capsule be designed and tested as if it were going to have long-term exposure in space, although it is never intended to operate at altitudes higher than 30 km. It will not, however, have to follow the rules and procedures governing launch of suborbital rockets, as the World View capsule is not a rocket.

World View uses one of the largest helium balloons ever used for human flight, although it´s just half the size of the Red Bull balloon from which Felix Baumgartner made his record-setting supersonic skydive.

The flight itself is projected to last about five hours. The ascent to the 30 km target altitude is estimated to take 1.5-2 hours. The capsule will remain at altitude for about two hours, during which time the semi-space tourists can walk in the cabin and take in the view. Unfortunately, they will not experience weightlessness during this period.

The first step in returning the capsule to the surface is to cut away the balloon. This does produce a period of weightlessness and extra excitement , but after 45 seconds the capsule gains enough speed that the parafoil can provide sufficient lift to keep the descent of the capsule under control. The capsule lands as a paraglider, deploying a set of skids upon which to land.

The flight is represented by WorldView seems to many of the key points, such as seeing black sky and the curvature of the earth, which can be up to an experience that is almost as good as lost in space. Check the amazing WorldView video here:

World View Experience.mp4 from World View.

World View Enterprises, a new entry in the near-space tourism sector,
will take passengers to an altitude of 30 km by balloon from where they will get a spectacular view of the Earth.
World View Enterprises has now obtained US Federal Aviation
Administration approval for its proposed balloon experiences, which will
 cost US $75,000, and are projected to begin in 2016.<br><p>While climbing to an altitude of 30 km, two
pilots and up to six passengers will enter a pressurized
environment capsule, which appears to be a
horizontal cylinder about 3 m in diameter and about 6 m in length.</p><p>The capsule is deployed below a parasail, with
the pair hanging from a 400,000 cubic meter helium
balloon, which provides the lift needed to bring the capsule and its
occupants to the 30 km altitude. The initial helium fill
requires about 5000 cubic meters, costing about $ 50 - 60,000. The surface
area of the balloon is about 25 acres, but as the
high-density polyethylene is only about 20 microns&nbsp;
 in thickness, its total weight is around two tons.</p><br><br>
Book here a near-to-space balloon flight by WorldViewExperience