Fly the Friendly Ionosphere

I admit that for a long time I dreamt of taking a hop into space. Still, it astonishes me that there are people willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few minutes of sub-orbital flight. If passenger rides on orbital flights ever become commonplace, I wonder if eventually the same thing will happen that's become the norm on the airlines now, where you have to pay extra for your meals. Imagine shelling out a few hundred grand for a trip into space and then having to buy a Subway sandwich. I got into an elevator once in Santa Monica, and the only other person

in it with me was Dennis Tito, who only days before had become the first multi-millionaire to buy his way into space. The only thing I could think of to say was, "how was it?" "Good," he answered. Then the elevator stopped, the door opened, and he got off. That was it. A couple million dollars, several days making ninety-minute circles hundreds of miles above the earth in a tin can, and all he had to say was "good." Ever since it's semed less alluring to me.