Source:
---------- "Beckham's chance to join the stars"
A rocket enthusiast hoping to become the first amateur to fly into space has written to David Beckham offering him a journey to the stars. Real Madrid's new signing has reportedly said he would love to fly into space following the end of his football career. This prompted Steve Bennett, the boss of Greater Manchester-based Starchaser Industries, to write to Beckham to offer him a ?500,000 trip. In the letter he said: "We are delighted to hear you have expressed an interest in space tourism and in particular a trip to the moon. "We are in a position to help you experience a sub-orbital trip into space in preparation for your trip to the moon." Mr Bennett, 39, of Hyde, Greater Manchester, has been building and launching rockets for more than a decade as he tries to become the first man to pilot a privately-developed spacecraft into space and back. His firm is competing for the 10 million dollar X-Prize, payable to the first non-governmental organisation to send three people 100 kilometres (62 miles) into space twice. Two of the four available passenger seats, costing ?250,000 each, have already been taken. One is being given away in an international competition, leaving the last available for Beckham to purchase for ?500,000. As part of the deal, full training will be given. Passengers will get the chance to experience a 23-minute flight into space and four minutes of weightlessness.
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Does anybody think that Beckham would make better deal with signing up at Mir Corp/Space Adventures instead ?
-kert