How much does this cost?

A ticket on Virgin Galactic that as of right now is $200,000 with a final price tag of $288,000.

If the cost of the ticket is $200,000, why do need $288,000?

Taxes. Even if you barter according to the IRS you owe taxes.

Here is the breakdown:

$288,000 gross

$78862.50 federal tax

$8640 state tax

$87502.50 total taxes

$200497.50 net

OK, I do admit that I am $497.50 over. I figure that is enough money for me to use the CTA get a roundtrip flight to the Spaceport America with a cup of Starbucks on the way.

$88,000 in taxes??

Hey don’t look at me – I just know if you found this site so can the IRS.

If by the end of the year, the price comes down, maybe I will take some people with me. Maybe I will just go ten times. As with everything else, the price will only come down if an early adopter pays $200,000.