Viking's ocean fleet expands

NAMED after the prominent constellation and in honour of Dr. Fisher’s work on NASA’s Orion exploration vehicle project, the 930-guest 47,800-ton Viking Orion arrived in Livorno, Italy on June 16. The ship will continue her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean this summer before heading east to sail Viking’s newest itineraries in Asia, Australia and Alaska.

New ship features include a planetarium-like immersive theatre, an “Explorations in Space” collection conceived as a photographic journal through space, with a broad range of vintage photographs, including astronaut portraits and documents of complex mission activities, produced by NASA and captured by National Geographic photographers.

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Explore space via Cologne

GROUPS of visitors can now book exclusive tours of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) on the grounds of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne-Wahnheide. The tours are organized by Space Time Concepts GmbH and can be booked in either English or German and includes a presentation as well as a guided tour of the training centre.

After the tour, visitors can ask questions regarding the work of the EAC, astronaut training and space travel in general. Tours are offered for closed groups of up to 25 participants. Larger groups can tour the facility on request.

Contact can be made via The Cologne Tourist Board info‎@koelntourismus.de

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Space Tourist

THE release of Oscar-nominated movie, Hidden Figures, which lands in UK cinemas on 17 February 2017 has generated a new interest in space exploration.

The Kennedy Space Center, where John Glenn launched into space in 1962, becoming the first American to orbit the earth, is the epicentre of mankind’s greatest adventures – past and future. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers a mix of historic artefacts, thrilling simulators, breathtaking attractions, behind-the-scenes tours, interactive exhibits, larger-than-life 3D space films, rocket launch viewing opportunities and more.

Located just 45 minutes east of Orlando International Airport, visitors can experience the brand-new Heroes & Legends attraction, featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Through cutting-edge technology, interactive elements and engaging exhibits, guests are introduced to the heroes of the NASA space programme: the pioneers who worked together to make space exploration possible.

www.KennedySpaceCenter.com

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Affordable space tourism just a decade away

#SPACE tourism won’t be a fantasy for much longer, former NASA astronaut Don Thomas tells the Daily Telegraph: 

‘It's going to happen. Virgin Galactic may be the first. Sub-orbital flights that go to about 85 miles – for five minutes of zero gravity, and to show you the black sky and the curvature of the earth. I would guess they will be launching in the next two years. And then there are other companies, like SpaceX, which has been sending supplies to the international space station, and is due to start sending crews next year.

‘Shortly after that, I would anticipate they will send paying customers. It's beginning to open up. You're going to see the price drop. To go to the space station now, as a tourist, – you pay the Russians $65 million. With Virgin Galactic, the price comes down to a quarter of a million dollars. I would think that, in a decade or so, you will see flights to space for $10,000 to $15,000. Space travel will be more in line with an exotic trip to Antarctica.

‘It will still be a lot of money, but it will be within reach. It won't just be for millionaires and billionaires.’

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Take a 60 minute ride in space, for just £91,000

KAYAK.CO.UK has become the first travel search engine in the UK to offer #spacetravel. 

The out-of-this-world journeys are on offer with the travel search engine for £91,476 per person with XCOR Space Expeditions.

Research from KAYAK.co.uk among the British public shows a strong appetite for space tourism and found that over half of UK adults (52%) say they would like to try space travel – providing it was safe and affordable. Men were significantly more likely to want to try it than women.

More than a third of Brits (37%) think there is a chance that recreational travel into space will become commonplace in their lifetime.

Expeditions with XCOR will depart – it says here – from the Mojave Desert in California and Curaçao (Dutch Caribbean) taking approximately five minutes to get out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Passengers get a view of Planet Earth during the flight, which lasts for approximately one hour.

kayak.co.uk
http://spaceexpeditions.xcor.com

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Picture Credit:ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/38745062@N02/4132833849">Earth and North America from Space - digitally restored</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)<

Good Luck . . .

TODAY December 15 Major #TimPeake will launch into space at 11.03 GMT blasting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket. 

Major Tim Peake becomes Britain's first European Space Agency #astronaut.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95492938@N00/5409139802">Left Behind</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)

Space history on show

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, #Texas, will open its multi-exhibit complex ‘Independence Plaza’ on January 23, featuring the Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and the shuttle replica, Independence. Visitors will be able to enter both the shuttle and the carrier. 

The shuttle replica has been re-modelled to offer access to previously restricted areas and has been stocked with a collection of artefacts. Exhibits will focus on problem-solving concepts, possible career paths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and examples of innovation from the shuttle era.

The shuttle carrier aircraft is the largest intact artefact from the shuttle programme and played key roles in the orbiter’s development.  It carried space shuttles 223 times and clocked 11,017 flight hours over 42 years.

The Manned Space Flight Education Foundation is a non-profit space museum with an extensive science education programme. The cornerstone of its science education mission is #SpaceCenterHouston, which USA Today called The Big Draw in the Greater Houston area, attracting more than 800,000 visitors annually.

www.spacecenter.org  

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Picture Credit: Independence at Space Center Houston" by Alex Ruddick - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, STS-121Launch by NASA/Sandy Joseph & Robert Murray - http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=29340. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

See the stars from Alice Springs

A SPACE observatory and private pods for #stargazing will be built at Earth Sanctuary in #AliceSprings, #Australia, with the help of a Northern Territory Government tourism infrastructure grant. 

Tourism Minister Adam Giles said the project aimed to capitalize on the emerging niche market of space discovery tourism and position Central Australia as one of the world’s leading stargazing destinations.

‘This grant will help Earth Sanctuary build a professional but modest observatory and private star pods that allow visitors to stargaze in a comfortable dome kitted with a double bed and private decking,” he said. “It is encouraging to see Earth Sanctuary working hard to position itself as a leader in providing a unique and sustainable tourism experience to not only Australians, but the rest of the world.’

Mr Giles said the Earth Sanctuary project follows a recent ‘Astronomeet’ that involved professional photographers and social media people coming together at Uluru to capture the night sky. ‘Projects and events like this promote the Northern Territory as a must-do holiday destination that is home to unique, world-class experiences and sends a message to holidaymakers: come for the stars, stay for a Red Centre adventure. It’s all part of the government’s plan to drive the development of North Australia and build an A$2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74101223@N00/7927534758">To Alice Springs via Tanami Road</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

Hands-on at Kennedy

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE in Florida is offering guests hands-on, science-based Activity Adventures. 

The activities, each from 90 minutes to two hours, provide guests the opportunity to launch a water rocket, create and then land a rover on “Mars” or race a jet car. The activities are offered at different times each day at the visitor complex, which recently extended its daily operating hours.

‘We created these fun activities to engage guests and provide a fun way to learn about some of the incredible technology and science that they see at Kennedy Space Centre,’ said Therrin Protze at the visitor complex. ‘We want to continue to build on the approach we took in creating the new Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction, which features more than 60 interactive, touch-screen experiences and high-tech simulators.’

www.KennedySpaceCenter.com

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Half term at the National Space Centre

THE National Space Centre, Leicester, will be building giant, dirty, snowballs, dispelling the myths relating to planet killing asteroids, and inviting visitors to handle billion-year- old rocks from space this half term (May 24-June 1).

Build your very own comet to take home – Discover how comets are made.

Discover the facts of Planet Killers and Life Bringers – learn the amazing truth behind comets, meteors and asteroids.

See a real life comet being made – see a giant dirty snowball hurtling through space, brought to life on the Space Now Stage.

Take a tour of the night sky – Sit back in Britain’s largest planetarium and discover what you can see in the night sky.  The show takes you through the planets, stars, and constellations.

www.spacecentre.co.uk

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