Bezeq sends the first Israeli tourist into space

Moshe Ostrovsky from Jerusalem is the winner of Bezeq's promotion and will be the first Israeli tourist to fly into space * It turns out that the cost of a launch to space - 200 thousand dollars may be expensive for a private person, but cheaper than a television campaign

Remember the Tnuva milk that flew at a cost of about 400 dollars to the Mir space station in the nineties, with the aim of restoring the company's image after the disclosure of the introduction of silicon into the long-lasting milk? Well, this time, God forbid, Bezeq does not need space to repair its image, but only to strengthen its image as a company that provides fast bandwidth and in preparation for the Internet provider based on the infrastructure of the IEC that will be able to provide us with a two-way infrastructure at a speed of 100 megabytes and not only in the downlink network as the DSL technology of Bezeq today. In any case, the price of the flight to space that will be offered by the private companies Virgin Galactic and Rocket Ship, which is about 200 thousand dollars, is a price that only Israeli tycoons can afford, but for a large company, it does not scratch even a part of their advertising budget. PR of the kind that Bezeq can get in such a promotion is worth a lot of money and more effective than direct advertising on television.

To burn in the consciousness that this is indeed a fast service, Bezeq decided to team up with Rocket Ship, which is developing an infrastructure for short flights to the edge of space where passengers can enjoy a few minutes of zero gravity and see the Earth from a height of about 100 kilometers.

Moshe Ostrovsky, a 27-year-old young man from Jerusalem is the big winner of the space flight, on behalf of Bezeq and will be the first Israeli tourist to fly into space. Ostrovsky, served in the Air Force and is currently a law student. Ostrovsky won after competing in the computer game on Bezeq's Facebook page and achieved the best result in the game.

In order to illustrate the speed of browsing on the NGN network, Bezeq recently launched a number of marketing moves, under the title, "NGN at 100 Mega Speed". At the same time as Bezeq's advertising campaign, in recent weeks, starring Gidi Gov, the company also held a competition on Bezeq's Facebook page, where the guerilla among its customers won valuable prizes, with the highlight being a flight into space.

The competition for the flight into space was the third and culminating stage of Bezeq's advertising campaign. He was preceded by a flight in a real fighter plane, and the most terrifying roller coaster experience in the world. The comprehensive marketing and advertising move best illustrated the meaning of surfing at a speed of 100 megabytes in the NGN network.

The flight to space will be carried out through the company "RocketShip tours", which cooperates in Israel with Ofir Tours and is the exclusive supplier of the leading aviation and space company XCOR Aerospace worldwide and the developer of the space vehicle Lynx Mark I - it is the revolutionary space vehicle for suborbital flight, powered by friendly rocket engines.

Ostrovsky will enjoy a flight in the Lynx Mark I spacecraft that includes continuous interaction with pilot Rick Searfoss. Also, he will get to sit in the co-pilot's seat and enjoy extensive views through the front and both sides of the canopy, and not just through the side windows of the aircraft. Thanks to the revolutionary rocket engine cluster developed by XCOR, the two-seat Lynx vehicle takes off horizontally from the runway and does not need a carrier aircraft. This design reduces total emissions and increases the level of safety while reaching Mach 2 speed on its way to 200,000 feet above the ground.

Bezeq emphasizes that the deep blackness of outer space above, and the spectacular view of the curve of the Earth and the miraculous mantle, are sights that will not be forgotten while floating in a state of weightlessness at the height of the peak. Lynx participants will wear a pressure suit as an additional life-saving measure during their journey into the mesosphere, and the issue of safety will be of paramount importance while preparing for the Lynx's descent through the layers of the atmosphere, which includes a spectacular exit with 4G forces.

The winner will undergo a qualifying program that will be required, consisting of a four-day protocol to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, and it includes medical screening and learning experiences, as well as enjoy deluxe conditions at an exclusive resort hotel, the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, which has an international reputation for its contemporary design and restaurant the award-winning one found in it.

The chief test pilot of the sub-orbital space vehicle, the Lynx, Col. Sirfus, formerly in the US Air Force and also commanded a space shuttle. His experience at NASA includes the fourth longest mission in US manned spaceflight history, docking with the Russian space station, Mir, and also includes the intensive Neurolab research mission. Col. Searfoss is a highly decorated graduate of the US Fighter School and the US Navy Test Pilot School.
As mentioned, he served as pilot (vice commander) of the space shuttle Columbia, STS-58, pilot of the space shuttle Atlantis, STS-76 and commander of the space shuttle Columbia, STS-90. First-time participants in RocketShip tours will have the rare opportunity to reach the edge of space while sitting next to Rick Searfoss, who also aspires to experience the sights that will not be described to Earth while making space flights.

According to Rocket Ship, the flights will begin in November 2012.

to the Rocket Ship site