That's On Top Of The $20 Mil It'll Cost You To Go Into Orbit

Looking for that perfect birthday gift? Well... if price isn't an issue, then how about the low, LOW price of $15 million for a spacewalk?

Space Adventures Limited, the Virginia-based travel agency that arranged for the first spaceflight by a paying tourist, is now offering a 90-minute stroll outside the Russian segments of the International Space Station. Space Adventures already offers a $20-million package for the tourist who's seen it all... a chance to visit the International Space Station, in exchange for some much-needed hard-cash.

The company's president and CEO, Eric Anderson, says offering spacewalks is the next logical step... and already, there are plenty of potential clients. Some of them, in fact, are repeat customers -- space tourists who've already flown.

The outings will last long enough for one eye-popping orbit of the Earth... and if the experience isn’t eye-popping enough, the final price tag is.

The $15 million fee is in addition to the $20 million Space Adventures charges for a 10-day round trip to the space outpost.

Anderson says he has no takers just yet... but several customers are are interested and Anderson expects his first spacewalking client within two years.

Still... you can bet there'll be a lot of red tape to get through before a tourist can walk in space. The tourist, and the plans for the spacewalk, must win the approval of NASA -- and the space station's 14 other international partners.

Russia's space agency also says potential spacewalking tourists would have to meet training and medical requirements.

FMI: www.spaceadventures.com