Sprague Astronautics intends to develop a spacecraft designed to carry seven astronauts (a Mission Commander and six Astro-Adventurers) into space on a sub-orbital flight similar to NASA's early Mercury space missions.

Sound far fetched?

The United States Air Force through the 45th Space Command has already entered into an agreement with Sprague Astronautics to provide launch and support facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the same location from which America's first manned flights ventured into space.

Although the Altairis is a new space vehicle, all of the technologies encompassed in its design have been proven through successful launches over the past 40 years of U.S. space exploration.  The craft is designed to be flown automatically with double and triple-redundancy built into the computerized control systems.

The company's board of directors includes Nelson "Doug" Pewitt, Ph.D., former Chief of Space and Science Programs in the Office of Management and Budget and Assistant Director of the White House Science Office in the Reagan Administration.  Says Dr. Pewitt,  "There are a number of private groups developing space vehicles.  The Altairis makes the most sense from both a safety standpoint as well as an economic one."

Tickets on the inaugural flight of the Altairis (expected to occur late in 2006) are currently available for $250,000 each.  Tickets on the second and third flights are currently available for $150,000.  A deposit of only 25 percent will reserve your seat.

All seats have both a window and a aisle and the ticket price includes a one-week training program, a customized space suit, flight jacket, space wings, commemorative plaque, edited DVD and pre and post-flight parties.   Astro-Adventurers must pass a pre-flight physical and be able to withstand sustained G-forces nearing four times the earth's gravity on takeoff.