World View to offer balloon spaceflight experience

World View plans to use a helium balloon to lift customers to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere to take in an unprecedented view of the planet. The specially-designed hot air balloon and capsule will climb to an altitude of 30 km. The company said that, unlike any other suborbital spaceflight experience being offered today, the human flight into near space, cost $75,000, would allow passengers to remain aloft for around two hours. World View recently received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration for the balloon experiences, which are expected to begin in 2016. Passengers will be among the few to have seen the curvature of the Earth with their own eyes. [Photo/icpress.cn]