Arlington, Va. – September 23, 2004 — Space Adventures, Ltd., the world’s leading space experiences company, announced today the induction of a young member to its SPACEFLIGHT CLUB.  Adam Smith, a vibrant 14 year-old, committed to the dream of spaceflight is like many other teens Space Adventures’ representatives surveyed recently.

 

“I’ve been interested in space travel as long as I can remember.  I’m excited about joining Space Adventures’ SPACEFLIGHT CLUB and putting my summer savings toward a future spaceflight.  By being in the Club, I’ll learn more about the suborbital vehicles and future flights,” says Adam Smith, space enthusiast currently living in the Washington, D.C. area.  “I can’t wait!  Knowing that someday Space Adventures will help me fly in space is just awesome!  I’m sure teens around the world will want to join too.”

 

500 teenagers visiting the National Mall were informally surveyed on August 4 and 25, 2004.  The average age of those surveyed were 16 years, with a total of 266 male and 234 female participants.  Results from the survey include:

 

Do you think you’ll be able to fly to space in your lifetime?

  • 59%  Yes

  • 41%  No

 

If you could fly to space today, at no cost, would you go?

  • 82%  Yes

  • 18%  No

 

Have you heard of SpaceShipOne?

  • 78%  No

  • 22%  Yes

 

(If yes) Would you be willing to be a test passenger on a suborbital flight?

  • 58%  Yes

  • 42%  No

 

Do you think advancements in space travel are moving rapidly?

  • 70%  Yes

  • 30%  No

 

How interested are you in spaceflight?

  • 58%  Somewhat interested

  • 25%  Very interested

  • 14%  Not very interested

  • 3%    No interest

 

How much money would you start saving today to fly to space in the future?

  • 40%  Less than half your monthly allowance

  • 14%  More than half your monthly allowance

  • 7%    All your allowance

  • 39%  Would not save

 

Would you rather take:

  • 48%  A flight in space

  • 31%  A cruise

  • 14%  A safari

  • 7%    A ski trip

 

Which of the following most interests you about flying to space?

  • 35%  Experiencing weightlessness

  • 25%  The view

  • 27%  The thrill/rush

  • 13%  Not many have gone

 

Complete this statement: By the time I am 50, I believe the percent of the world’s population that will travel to space is:

  • 68%  Less than 25%

  • 26%  25-50%

  • 4%    50-75%

  • 2%    over 75%

 

Space Adventures’ SPACEFLIGHT CLUB is the unifying voice of the next generation of space explorers and provides members with the tools, experience and training needed to achieve the goal of spaceflight.  With each year of membership, the Club’s annual dues and program purchases will be set aside as credit toward the cost of a suborbital spaceflight.  In addition, members will be kept in the forefront of this new and exciting industry via newsletters, conferences and many other members-only benefits.  For more information on Space Adventures’ SPACEFLIGHT CLUB, please visit http://www.spaceadventures.com/flight/spaceflightclub.  

 

Space Adventures is the marketing and experiences operation partner for several of the leading space vehicle manufacturing companies and is the only company currently accepting deposits from suborbital clients.  Space Adventures’ suborbital program will consist of a detailed four-day flight preparation and training experience.  The highly focused and inspiring pre-flight agenda will familiarize each passenger with the flight program, critical vehicle systems, flight operations, zero-gravity conditions, in-flight accelerations and space flight safety procedures.  On launch day, flight specialists will assist the passengers in suiting up and guiding each through the final checklist.  Each flight will be directed by both a skilled-pilot and a precise computer controlled system.  As each vehicle reaches their maximum altitude, the rocket engines will shutdown and the passengers will experience up to five minutes of continuous weightlessness, all the while gazing at the vast blackness of space set against the blue horizon of the Earth below. For more information on Space Adventures’ suborbital program, please visit http://www.spaceadventures.com/flight/suborbital.

 

Space Adventures, the only company to have successfully launched private tourists to the International Space Station, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia with an office in Moscow, Russia.  It offers a variety of programs such as Zero-Gravity and MiG flights, cosmonaut training, spaceflight qualification programs and reservations on future suborbital spacecrafts.  The company’s advisory board comprises Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, shuttle astronauts Kathy Thornton, Robert (Hoot) Gibson, Charles Walker, Norm Thagard, Sam Durrance and Byron Lichtenberg and Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott.  For more information, please visit www.spaceadventures.com.