Gifts that are out of this world

Neiman Marcus– Nov. 21, 2006 – Want to buy your mom or dad something they don’t have for Christmas? Something so special that very few others will receive? Then all you have to do is look to the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog for inspiration. Neiman Marcus is offering the opportunity to charter a flight on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo for six. (Yep, that means you get to go, too.) And the cost is a mere $1.76 million. SpaceShipOne has already completed three space missions and won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for the first private space flight. And now Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites is building a larger commercial version of the spaceship for Virgin Galactic that should be ready for passengers by 2009. According to the catalog, your trip to outer space will begin with three days of medical assessments and training. Then your group will board SpaceShipTwo and be carried by a “mothership” about 10 miles up. At that point, SpaceShipTwo will detach and its rocket will propel you to outer space where you and your travelers will experience weightlessness. Once back on the ground, your trip won’t be over. Your group will next fly off to meet Sir Richard Branson at his private island in the British Virgin Islands. You’ll enjoy four nights of festivities with Sir Richard personally presenting each member of your flight with Virgin Galactic astronaut wings. But if that fantasy gift is a little out of your price range, Neiman Marcus has several other less expensive options: •A 7-foot skyscraper made out of thousands of sharpened No. 2 pencils for $40,000, excluding delivery. •The GG Quad, a mix of muscle car and motorcycle, for $56,465. •A limited edition 2007 BMX convertible, for $139,000. •A His and Hers Twike Commuter Vehicle, the first human-powered hybrid vehicle that operates without gasoline, for $40,000.

Neiman Marcus, an upscale, specialty, retail department store, is offering the opportunity to charter a flight on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo for six people at about $1.76 million. For More Information Neiman Marcus Catalog Neiman Marcus Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo SpaceShipOne Ansari X Prize Burt Rutan Scaled Composites Sir Richard Branson

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