Katy Perry ditched the conventional gifts one might buy for others and went a bit more over-the-top for her ex. Well, maybe a lot over-the-top. She bought ex-husband, Russell Brand, a ticket to get propelled into space like a firework and head towards outer space, for his 35th birthday!
This wasn't just a teenage dream... Katy Perry actually spent a whopping $200,000 for Russell Brand to travel to space via Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic ship. This gift was definitely more extravagant than a weekend trip or a new fancy watch, but Perry was excited to do something special and go the extra mile. According to Virgin Galactic rep Louella Faria, “it’s true... We [were] very excited to have him on board.”
But how does one get to space? Surely one would need more than just some faith, trust, and a little pixie dust in order to take flight. Russell, Virgin boss Richard Branson, and their fellow travelers would have some homework to do before they could shoot into space. This would require them to partake in a two to three-day astronaut training course where they would gain valuable insight into the ins and outs of going into space.
Once they successfully completed the training course, completed their mission and glided on back down to Earth, the passengers would be presented with their own set of astronaut wings as a memento to remember their trip. Cool, right? It sounds like a great way to remember such a stellar space experience.
So, what exactly happened as Brand and the other triumphant travelers shot across the sky? Once strapped into their seats, the voyagers zoomed more than 365,000 feet right into the Earth’s atmosphere, three times faster than the speed of sound. Once they reached their cruising altitude, they had the opportunity to unbuckle their seatbelts, stretch their legs and soar effortlessly in the air for five minutes before gearing back up and making their way back to Earth.
Amazingly, the passengers even had the opportunity to get snapshots of Earth around 800 miles from all directions, from space! They should have all taken a silly space selfie together and come up with some clever hashtags to post on Insta for their followers to enjoy!
While Perry was eager for Brand to go on this escapade, she wasn't quite ready just yet to travel three times the speed of sound to experience space for herself. There are other ways for one to travel out of this world that doesn’t involve strapping into a spacesuit and soaring to another dimension.
Maybe one day Perry will change her mind, but for now, she’s was just excited to give Brand the opportunity of a lifetime for his birthday! She hoped that this gift would be one to remember and that Brand would reflect fondly on his experience in the years to come, even though their marriage didn't work out quite as they had planned.
