Who: “Space Perspective” — Owned and operated by Poynter and Taber McCallum
What: Neptune One — ” a gentle ride to the edge of space by attaching vehicles to giant space balloons.”
“The world’s first luxury spaceflight experience, as Space Perspective calls its pitch, reimagines the thrill of space exploration so that you don’t have to endure a multi-g-force ride on a rocket. Instead, a balloon the size of a football stadium will take you up gently to the edge of the atmosphere, 20 miles above the Earth. There, you can snap pictures that show the view of Earth from space, including the curvature of the planet.”
“When most of us think about spaceflight, we think about high G’s and rockets. And so we took a different tack to make it much more available to people. The beautiful thing about these space balloons is that they allow us to take people to space very gently, very comfortably. We have a bar on board, which is sort of iconic, and emblematic of the kind of experience we were able to provide people. So this is truly the first luxury spaceflight experience.”
— venturebeat
When: They are taking reservation for 2024
Where: Space Coast Spaceport — adjacent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
. . . . .
Other Facts & Details:
- the balloons are filled with helium or hydrogen — “The capsule is five meters in diameter, while the polyethylene balloon above has a 100-meter diameter when fully inflated, about the length of a football field.”
- the cost is $125,000
- the trip takes place in the pressurized “Spaceship Neptune”
- 100,000 feet to the edge of space / approx. 20 miles
- it will rise above 99% of earth’s atmosphere — the edge of space
- rising at approx. 12 mph
- total time — six hours — approx. $20,000 / hour
- the time on the edge of space trip is two-hours
- one pilot on board
- a remote co-pilot on earth
- designed for eight tourists
- available for small weddings or birthday parties
- equipped with an oversized parachute in case of failure
- “The HighLifeChannel states, “The inaugural test flight took off on June 18 from the Space Coast Spaceport in Titusville, Florida. The six-hour and 39-minute flight was uncrewed, but cameras on board captured a stunning image of the Earth at sunrise.”
. . . . .
Key Biblical Thoughts:
- faith
- risk
- salvation
- life and death
- the rapture
- eye has not seen
- the Gospel
- trust
- comfortably / gently
. . . . .
Sermonic Example:
[Include whatever details you find useful]
The articles says this . . . . When you read it, you have to ask yourself — “Would you be willing to pay to travel to space or are you thinking what I am thinking . . . .”They need to pay me to get aboard!”
Here is what the CEO, Poynter McCallum, said . . . .
“if the balloon fails, then the capsule has a big parachute.
Upon returning to the Earth, the capsule will land in the ocean at a predetermined point,
and the near-astronauts will be picked up by a boat.”No, no — my response is — I don’t pay for that experience and risk involving “a BIG parachute” and landing in the ocean at some predetermined place, picked up by a boat — Not something I pay for and not $125,000 to be one of eight — They need to pay me to get aboard.
I know, and you know, there will be people lined up for the voyage in 2024 and long after that! They enjoy the thrill, and trust the engineers who designed it all.
AND YET SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE WITH TRUSTING JESUS!
And Jesus has paid the cost for it all!
Other Information & Links:
–https://highlifechannel.com/2021/06/24/on-sale-125000-balloon-trips-to-the-edge-of-space/
— https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/spaceship-neptune-balloon-flights-scn/index.html
RhetoricAndHomiletics.Org 