3 A Chance to Join the 70-Mile-High Club

Virgin Galactic

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Sure, the next manned NASA missions won't launch for years, but if you win the lottery, your dreams of becoming an astronaut without all that pesky training could come true. Virgin Group billionaire/ unintentional Ted DiBiase impersonator Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is sending people to space, and Branson's second model and launch craft have already been tested.

If all goes according to Branson's master plan, Virgin Galactic's two pilots and six passengers will gaze upon the arc of the Earth from more than 62 miles into the atmosphere, with Virgin spaceports dotting the entire globe. If you want to buy a ticket -- and happen to have $200,000 on hand -- get in line. More than 500 of the world's top scientific minds (such as Ashton Kutcher) have plunked down the $20,000 deposit for this space ride. At least Stephen Hawking's been offered his ride gratis.