Cosmic Adventures

Abstract

This chapter explores the ways you can experience some of the thrill of space exploration. It is not just aimed at the few who can afford the near quarter of a million dollars to reserve a place on a future Virgin Galactic flight; instead, the chapter looks at the possibility of viewing space launches and landings, experiencing moments of weightlessness, high-altitude flights where you see the sky darken and the stars appear, as well as launching a small object and photographing it as it peaks at the stars.

Mmm, the sweet smell of melted concrete and vaporized grass.

–Sarah McNulty, a Space Ranger at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the launch of an Atlas V rocket in December 2015