Stories from the stratosphere

THE NEW YORK TIMES - From zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps, reservations for getting off the planet — or pretending to — are skyrocketing. The prices, however, are still out of this world. Ilida Alvarez has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a child. But Ms. Alvarez is afraid of flying, and she isn't a billionaire — two facts that she was sure, until just a few weeks ago, would keep her fantasy as out of reach as the stars. She was wrong.

SPACE.COM - A space balloon start-up, which plans to fly paying customers to the edge of space as early as 2024, has signed up its 1,000th customer, making it the most sought-after space tourism operator in the world.

PRESS RELEASE - World View, the leading stratospheric ballooning and space tourism company, has accomplished a new milestone: reaching one thousand reservations for its space tourism program taking participants to the edge of space in a zero-pressure stratospheric balloon and pressurized space capsule. As seasoned leaders in stratospheric exploration and space tourism, the company has now sold the greatest number of seats in the space tourism category.

ROBB REPORT - Actor Adrian Grenier of the show Entourage will serve as Chief Earth Officer for World View, a company with a space balloon for tourists.

FAST COMPANY - Traveling is wonderful, but an eight-hour flight often equates to numb legs, an aching back, and terrible snacks. Penny-pinching airlines have ruined the experience of air travel. But what if you were taking an eight-hour flight into space?

PRESS RELEASE - World View today announced environmentalist, actor, and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Adrian Grenier has been named its Chief Earth Advocate. In this new role he will support World View’s mission to rediscover Earth, inspiring new perspectives on the planet and encouraging deeper respect for it as a living organism. Today’s announcement follows the company’s entry into the space tourism and exploration market offering an affordable, long duration and accessible space experience on Earth.

TODAY - Actor Adrian Grenier joins the 3rd Hour of TODAY to talk about his role as the first Chief Earth Advocate for the space tourism company World View, which is planning to take passengers nearly 23 miles above Earth in a high-tech balloon and capsule. “I get to welcome people back to Earth and rediscover their relationship to the planet,” he says.

YAHOO FINANCE - World View CEO Ryan Hartman and World View Chief Earth Advocate Adrian Grenier join Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the benefits of space tourism, making their balloon space flights available in 2024, the rise of crypto, and the impact of bitcoin mining.

BLOOMBERG QUICKTAKE - If you've had dreams of seeing the sunrise from space, you might be closer to achieving them than you think. Space tourism company World View will begin commercial flights to space in 2024. World View CEO Ryan Hartman and World View Chief Earth Advocate Adrian Grenier joined Quicktake's Scarlet Fu to discuss the company's business strategy and the benefits of space exploration.

DEZEEN - Space tourism company World View has unveiled designs by PriestmanGoode for a capsule that will fly passengers to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere under a giant balloon in two years' time.

PRESS RELEASE - World View, an expert in stratospheric exploration on a mission to help spaceflight participants rediscover Earth, today announces the debut of its spaceflight capsule prototype. The announcement marks another exciting milestone for the company, following recent news of its entry into the space tourism sector and appointment of President of Tourism and Exploration, Dale Hipsh.

TODAY - The space tourism company World View, is producing capsules that will provide an out-of-this-world option to view the sun rise over the Earth. Passengers will sit inside a ten-thousand pound pressurized capsule attached to a football stadium-sized helium balloon. Unlike competitors, such as Blue Origin, that charge half a million dollars for a ride that lasts minutes, this experience will cost customers about $50,000. NBC’s Steve Patterson reports for TODAY.