Your weekend trip to the Moon just got a big step closer.

It's all started in 2005 by Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, who started his new venture Virgin Galactic. The goal was to offer sub-orbital flights for $200,000 (£128,000) per person. 

Virgin got hundreds of pre-booking on their space flights, 5 years passed, and now they are almost ready. Their SpaceShip Two (Photo 1) will go just above the defined boundary of space - 110 km (when the boundary is 100 km) and the flights are going to start between 2011/2012. Virgin actually is finishing building first commercial Spaceport (Photo 2) in New Mexico. 

To fly into suborbit, you need to get there, get your 3 days space training, and everything looks like from science-fiction movie (Photo 3). Then you get your 30 minute flight with around 5 minutes weightlessness and seeing piece of Earth from space. Thats it.

It's cool, and looks awesome. But the real transformation is beyond this. On Wednesday Boeing signed a memorandum with Space Adventures that they will be offering orbital commercial space flight by 2015. 

To remind you:

1. Boeing is the largest global airplane manufacturer,

2. Space Adventures is the only company that offers flights to International Space Station for very rich and famous tourists - with price repeatedly being $40 million.

And this is something which makes Branson and his Virgin Galactic looks like a child's play.

Instead of flying just above atmosphere (suborbit), you will actually go into near space. And it will least much longer. Even spaceship will look uh... clunky, but like a professional spacecraft module (Photo 5). In the nearest future Boeing is planning to organize visits to near space stations. In the further future Boeing is planning (and already signing agreements with collaborators) to build their own space station for touristic purposes. 

Yes, what you read about in science-fiction novels just got a very real start. And probably available to you within your lifetime, if you have enough money. Cost of Boeing trip for 2015 is not yet know, but it is estimated to be competitive to Virgin Galactic.

It's good news not only because of recreational aspectes but also for the potential future  space developments. Commercial space trips mean that scientific research and near space developments will have a new surge. Many companies will sign up to offer space training for people, and it's a question of time when space walks will be available in the package. Not mentioning that sending new satelites, building new space stations and generally expanding our technological capacities into near space will be significantly improved. And in the time when NASA budget is draining quickly - these are good news. 

Then the next step will be the Moon - and I've already done advert for it (see first image) ;-)

[photo credit: Virgin Galactic (1,2,3), NASA (4), New York Times (5)]

[Moon Advert created by Geek On Acid ® with logo from BA, LOT, KLM & Boeing]