The 40th anniversary of the moon landing of Apollo 11 is today July 20 and Fisher Space Pen Co.has made 1,000 limited edition AG7-40LE Space Pens to commemorate the event. The pen is designed as a replica of the historic anti-gravity model pen that was invented by company founder, Paul C. Fisher, in 1966 and flew aboard the Apollo missions. The 40th anniversary pen features a piece of "Kapton" foil, used as protective thermal insulation on the Apollo 11 Command module, Columbia, which carried the astronauts to the moon and back. The tiny piece is mounted in an acrylic dome sealed into the pen's cap.

The presentation case has a resin casting of the Neil Armstrong's famous footprint on the moon inset into the hinged lid. A magnetic pedestal allows the pen to sit on its own "launch pad" for display when the lid is closed. The sides of the case features a band of plated stainless steel engraved with a timeline that tells the moment-by-moment story of the mission's key events, from launch to splashdown. The pen is finished with black titanium nitride and engravings inlayed with 24-karat gold show the pen's sequential serial number, the names of the Apollo 11 crew and the image of an astronaut planting the American flag into the lunar surface. The limited edition ball-point pen and display case is $800 and is available on the Fisher website.

The 40th anniversary of the first moonwalk is swiftly approaching: July 20, 2009. And although it's been long in the making, Virgin Galactic moves ever closer to making a space journey a reality for private citizens willing to spend $200,000. (A bargain, really, considering that arranging private space travel today costs about $20 million.) On May 28, 2009, Virgin Galactic announced the successful completion of the first phase of tests of the rocket motor that will propel space tourists up, up and away.

There are still more tests to go, but at this point, the plan is to start sending passengers into space as soon as late 2010. (Delays are very likely, so no need to go into an oxygen-free environment just yet -- don't hold your breath.) There's no moonwalking in the cards, but there is traveling at 3,000 miles an hour to 70 miles above the earth's surface, experiencing weightlessness and a view of more than 1,000 miles in all directions.

If you want to get to this before the been-there-done-that's set in -- at current tally, there are 300 people from 42 countries waiting for their turn -- it's worth signing up early. You can accomplish this exclusively through luxury travel pros Virtuoso, who are the first "Accredited Space Agents."

In fact, Virtuoso founder Matthew D. Upchurch is a candidate to be among the first to make the trip. Whether he's on the very first flight will be determined by a lottery -- he's got a 1 in 14 chance. But hey, the odds of reaching the moon at all forty years ago had to be longer than that.

We're having a Buzz Aldrin week here at Luxist. Not only is the legendary astronaut appearing at the Omega Store in New York City today but he is also part of a new ad campaign from Louis Vuitton along with Sally Ride and Jim Lovell. Aldrin, who walked on the moon in 1969 was shot by Annie Leibovitz with his fellow astronauts posed with a battered pickup truck and a Louis Vuitton Icare travel bag while gazing up into the sky in the California desert. The campaign marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The Wall Street Journal reveals that the astronauts each donated a "significant" portion of their modeling fee to Al Gore's Climate Project. Astronaut Neil Armstrong was also invited to participate in the campaign, which will appear in the July issue of several magazines, but declined the offer.

I'm all for getting creative and doing your own thing when it comes to weddings (I did the 'run off and get married on the beach' thing myself), but if you feel like it's all been done before and you're looking for something that's truly different have you considered getting married in space? The Japanese company Rocketplane Kistler Japan has paired up with wedding planner First Advantage to offer a marriage ceremony 62 miles up in space. For just $2.2 million you and your sweetie can exchange vows while orbiting the Earth.

Do you think they make space suits with veils and white lace?

Now here's a trend in luxury home design that I really get: observatories. For some people a beautiful view of the stars is becoming just as important (if not more so) than a view of the ocean or the beach. And thanks to technology observatories are more fun in places they never used to be, and people are putting them in as additions to their home and taking up astronomy as a regular hobby. But they aren't cheap, obviously, because in addition to the space involved the telescope alone can cost several hundred thousand dollars.

I would love to have an observatory in my home! Forget waiting for the weatherman to say there's a certain star or planet that might be visible at 3am on a random Monday, I'll just pop upstairs and see the stars whenever the mood strikes.

Here's an item for your home that probably isn't one of the first to come to mind when you think of choosing something top-of-the-line and luxurious: a trash can. It's the Wesco Spaceboy Trashcan, and it's claim to fame is the fact that it's shaped like a rocket. Available in a variety of designer colors, and finished for either home or commercial use, this is one trash bin that isn't going to blend into the background. Retro or futuristic? I think it could swing both ways. £200.98

We know space tourism is getting big but what about space real estate? A company called Bigelow Aerospace recently launched Genesis II, a prototype habitat that may be the future of life in space. The company is getting closer and closer to launching a habitat that can support human life. The first habitat that can support three people, Sundancer, is set to launch in 2010.

Robert Bigelow has already invested $75 million in the company and says that the inflatable could be used for hotels, laboratories or other purposes. The biggest problem he foresees is having enough launch vehicles to get his designs into space. As the article in the Register puts it, what's the point in cheap housing if there is no way to get

Richard Branson may have Philippe Starck in his corner for his Virgin Galactic space plans but the folks at EADS Astrium have another world-dominating designer for their new space plane on their team: Marc Newson. Newson's designs for the spaceplane were unveiled last week in Paris. Newson, who has already designed for several private jets as well as for Qantas, worked with the unique challenges of a plane which has both jet and rocket engines and will allow weightless flight (note the handles in the picture above). The interior was kept simple and the biggest challenge was the seats which have to be compact and light and comfortable for both traditional flight and rocket flight. The solution was a sort of hammock-like seat that is mounted on pivot points that move when the plane's angle changes. Newson is also famed for his love of bright colors, hence the canary yellow seats. After the jump, a few more shots of Newson's unique design.

The aircraft above may look a bit like a normal airplane but it is actually a space jet outfitted with rocket engines. EADS Astrium unveiled plans for the jet, which is designed for space tourism, last week and plans to show off a full-scale model at the air show in Paris this week. The jet will take passengers into weightless flight more than 62 miles above the Earth. The first flight is scheduled for 2012 and tickets are expected to cost $199,000 to $265,000. A ticket buys you three minutes of weightlessness and the chance to gaze down on the Earth and is part of a burgeoning space travel boom that includes major players such as Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.

If you don't have the cash or the sea legs for your own space tourism flight there is another option, you can send your stuff into space.  ZG Aerospace will send your things into space, give them a few brief minutes of weightlessness and bring them back safe and sound. Their nearly 20-foot tall rocket will give a ride to business cards ($49.95 each), titanium rings ($249.95) or anything you can shove into a one inch square box ($995.95). Their maiden flight is set to take off  in July so get your order in now.

[via Aero-News Network]

Whether you have limited floor space in your home or apartment, or simply like streamlined, practical designs, the Circular Kitchen could be the perfect piece of equipment. In addition to being incredibly useful for organizational purposes, the kitchen frees up a lot of space, allowing you to be more creative with your decorating and room layout.

The kitchen has doors that slide back, not that open into the room, and the core rotates 180 degrees, though the uppers shelves rotate a full 360 degrees to maximize their storage potential The unit includes a stainless steel sink, a waste bin, drawers, its own lighting, electrical sockets, water and waste disposal.  Additional options include a refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, built-in coffee machine, ceramic cooktop with 2 or 4 cook burners, a microwave and a Range hood - so there is nothing that can be found in a standard kitchen that can't be put into this unit. Prices start a $6,500 and go up to $15,000, making it considerably less expensive than some kitchens.

[via Impact Lab]

Sir Richard Branson showed up in Dubai this week to ceremoniously plant the Union Jack on the Great Britain island at the The World development. The event was part of the debut of  Virgin Atlantic Airways’ direct flights between the United Kingdom and Dubai. Branson jumped out of a red London telephone box dressed in a colorful Union Jack suit. Development company Nakheel also announced that 90 percent of the islands of The World have been created.  While in Dubai, Branson also talked about his favorite subject, space, saying that he plans to make Virgin the world's first commercial spaceline and that they will be sending passengers into space in sub-orbital craft starting in late 2008.

We've done plenty of talking about New Mexico's spaceport plans but is there anywhere else in the United States that has space plans? The town of Sheboygan, Wisconsin of all places, has their own idea to create a Midwest space research center and launchpad. The idea includes converting a World War II armory into a space research facility. The hope is to cash in on the space tourism market. Sheboygan has been firing small rockets into the atmosphere as part of the Rockets for Schools program and offers a place of restricted airspace over Lake Michigan for rocket and jet-plane space launches. The FAA has given Sheboygan authorization for suborbital flights. All they need is the cash and the Wisconsin State Legislature is considering creating a state aerospace authority which would be  The Wisconsin state legislature is considering a measure to create a state aerospace authority, which could sell up to $100 million in bonds to purchase land and build a launch facility.

More news on the growing space industry in New Mexico. Aero-News Network reports that New Mexico governor Bill Richardson has announced that the Rocket Racing League, the NASCAR of the sky, will have its world headquarters in New Mexico. The Rocket Racing League will be based in Las Cruces and will also have facilities at the Southwest Regional Spaceport. Races will be held around the country with the semi-finals at the Reno Air Show in Nevada and the finals in New Mexico in conjunction with the X PRIZE CUP competition. The X-Racer rockets race a three-dimensional track that is one-mile high, two miles long, and a half-mile across and will race three to four laps around the course between pit stops. Cameras will follow the race from balloons, chase planes and the cockpits of vehicles.

I'd been sucked in by Richard Branson's dog-and-pony show regarding Virgin Galactic but meanwhile Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has been planning his own space lair for his aerospace company, Blue Origin. According to this AP story, Bezos recently bought a 165,000 acre ranch in West Texas that he plans to use for test launches and that will eventually be the home of his spaceport. There aren't a lot of details yet but Bezos is somewhat interested in space tourism but is aiming at building ships to orbit earth creating permanent space colonies. Blue Origin has designed a ship that will take off vertically and carry three passengers.

[via AV Web]