Photo Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
It's the hottest ticket on the planet -- but Avatar star Sigourney Weaver turned down the opportunity to fly on the first commercial spaceship.
Virgin Galactic, a new line of passenger spaceships owned by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, is set to begin making trips out of the Earth's atmosphere in early 2010. Although it sounds like science fiction, over 7,000 passengers have already signed on for future flights (which only last a few minutes.) Celebrities rumored to have bought tickets include Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks and William Shatner. Sigourney Weaver had previously said she would sign up -- "I'd love to go!" -- but once the invitation arrived on her doorstep, she reconsidered.
Why? Because she starred in the Alien movies.
Says Weaver: "Richard Branson was kind enough to invite me but I thought the last thing people who pay that kind of money want to see is me, coming out, looking in the overhead rack looking for God knows what. There might be an alien aboard! 'What's she doing here? What does it mean?!'"
That's very considerate of her -- although we actually think we'd feel safer with Ripley on board our spaceship.
If you want to join the celebs on a flight into space, you can now book online. Tickets cost a mere $200,000, and passengers are required to take part in pre-flight medical exams and a zero-gravity training program.
Plus: Watch our exclusive video interview with Sigourney Weaver!
Chime In: If you could afford it, would you buy a ticket to space?
