A Hot Air Balloon That Can Take You to Space! (Nearly)

Who needs a rocket ship when you got a hot air balloon? The company World View is creating a hot air balloon that can take you 99% above Earth's atmosphere. That means you'll be able to see sights such as the curvature of the Earth, and the sun rise over the planet! Technically, you will not be in space, but it is still an incredible distance away from Earth to travel to. Now, of course, a trip this incredible will not be cheap. To ride this balloon will cost you $75,000. World View aims to launch people into space in this year, 2017. It is being created at the company's location, Tucson Arizona. This innovation is so important to humanity because only a small percentage of humanity has been able to have a life-changing experience by being this far above the planet. A mere 536 humans, throughout our entire existence, have been to able to go through this experience, so World View wants to give that opportunity. It may be costly, but for something as incredible as this, there are bound to be people who will hand that over.
While this story is very interesting, here's my look on it. Firstly, I think that World View is a company that is dedicated to the field of space/flight and that the members are surrounded by fellow workers who share the ideal. I believe this because on World View's they include this description as a way to summarize their company: "World View is leading the way in the emerging stratospheric economy, unlocking affordable new applications with the introduction of the un-crewed Stratollite flight vehicle, and pioneering new perspectives with the development of the Voyager human spaceflight system.” It shows me they are dedicated to what they do. Their website also includes a quote from T.S Elliot, a British essayist, that is meant to show how the company pushes through obstacles to achieve their goals: “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” I also believe that this innovation is extremely important to the global community. I say this because this invention will allow regular people to witness a view some can only dream of. You would be entering a frontier that only 536 people can say they been to. Being 99% above the planet's atmosphere is an incredible feat. So just as long as you can spare $75,000, World View will give you the chance of a lifetime. Lastly, this invention is a extremely large step forward for humanity. As I have stated numerous times, this hot air balloon will be able to take you to edge of space and you experience the same views that astronauts describe with wonder. Plus, this invention shows how far we have come as a race. less than 100 years ago, we haven't even been into space, let alone the moon. But now, World View is offering to give ordinary people the chance to see the vast beyond up close.

Citations

• Cruddas, Sarah. “Company Will Balloon You to Space for $75,000.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Apr. 2016, www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/tech/balloons-fly-edge-of-space/index.html.
• Writer, Mike Wall Space.com Senior. “World View's Balloon-Based Space Tourism to Lift Off in 2017.” Space.com, www.space.com/30750-world-view-space-tourism-balloon-flights.html.
• “How Many People Have Been In Space? » Scienceline.” Scienceline, 5 Mar. 2010, scienceline.org/2007/03/ask-romero-people_in_space/.
• “World View Enterprises.” World View, worldview.space/.