LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY FOR 200K.

If you're not one of the 500 people who have 'left' the planet since spaceflight began 4 decades ago, Richard Branson can help you lose your space virginity with his latest business venture, VIRGIN GALACTIC. Famous for starting VIRGIN records and VIRGIN ATLANTIC, Branson's new company offers trips into space for anyone who can afford the 200,000 dollar ticket.

The Spaceship Two craft that they are developing will launch from a 200 million dollar 'spaceport' currently being built in New Mexico, fly to a height of around 100km, where passengers will experience weightlessness for around 7 minutes, then glide back to earth.

the Swiss designer was inspired by his favourite cheese

interior designed by Philippe Starck (really)

Flights begin in 2008 and already all the first year's tickets are spoken for, with some of the first passengers allegedly including Moby, Paris Hilton, Dave Navarro and director Bryan Singer (who incidentally used the Virgin Galactic logo in Superman Returns). Unfortunately all are buying return tickets (ha,ha - thanks folks we'll be here all week).

And if you don't have 200k in spare change down the back of your sofa? You can always buy a ticket using Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer miles. Only takes 2 million, or the equivalent of flying from Jakarta to London round-trip, once a month for the next 10 years (if Virgin Atlantic flew to Jakarta, which will probably happen a decade after they start trips to space).

As for us, we'd buy a ticket except the website doesn't accept Indonesian credit cards or Paypal. So in 2008 we'll be getting our cheap thrills and feelings of nausea riding the new Jakarta Monorail instead and waiting for Garuda Galactic to start up.