As befits the current season of elegant celebration, a Parisian company that specializes in arranging over-the-top marriage proposals announced today it is now planning to offer “an intimate dinner in space” for customers to pop the big question. Scheduled to be available at some time in the coming year, ApoteoSurprise is offering a flight in a pressurized capsule carried aloft by a stratospheric balloon to an altitude of 35 kilometers (115,000 feet).
Good luck keeping that champagne in the glass, that food on the table, and those love birds flying around the cabin alive. This has to rank among the most preposterous ideas in aviation history, ever. When even Flight Design can’t stay afloat, how in hell do they…?? Aw jeez, let’s just change the subject.
Good luck keeping that champagne in the glass, that food on the table, and those love birds flying around the cabin alive.
What’s the problem here? They are in a balloon, not a rocket. Their altitude will be stabilized at some point, putting them in a fairly level trajectory, with a gravitational force very close to 1 G - not in a parabolic, ballistic arc which would simulate weightlessness.
I stand corrected. I was misled by the claim that this would occur “in space” and missed the bit about the balloon. This is not in space, not even close. “Space” is generally said to begin about 62 miles above the earth (327,000 ft), not 115,000 ft. I need to read more carefully—but it’s still an imbecilic idea, IMHO.
The image in the article was obviously computer generated. Was it also written by a computer? Or is this just a copy of a press release? There are no details in the article. What “Parisian company” announced this? You’re worried about the pressurization, and not the logistics of providing a five course meal inside a balloon capsule?
I used to expect better of AvWeb, but sadly this is all too common for this site now.
You missed the best bit – there is at least one more, possibly two more companies promising the same thing, Zephalto out of Toulouse claims to be ready this year for the €100,000 or so rides to start… They going 25 km up.
With real balloon pilots not robots.
Yeah, that was my first thought too. Considering the time it would take to both ascend and descend, the winds could take you far, far from Paris. I wonder if the price for the “adventure” includes transportation back home from wherever you might land.
Since this is an April Fool’s joke leaked out three months early, let’s take it a bit further…jbmcnamee points out the wind factor on the climb and descent. I’m reminded of a TV series from the 60s named “Time Tunnel”. Imagine leaving Paris. After arriving at ‘top of climb’, she says yes/no and you descend…into an active war zone. There are plenty to choose from over that way. “Monsieur, you didn’t opt for the optional travel insurance”, the balloon operator states.
Well, if you think about it, this is just a (logical?) extension of the guys that take their prospective brides up in a hot air balloon to propose. And, wait for it, the next step will be to haul a preacher along to have the marriage ceremony done at 100,000 feet. To save weight, you just stream the event back to earth for the wedding party and invited guests to observe.
Considering the time it would take to both ascend and descend, the winds could take you far, far from Paris. I wonder if the price for the “adventure” includes transportation back home from wherever you might land.
