SEATTLE (AP) — To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Seattle's iconic Space Needle, organizers want to go beyond Earth.

"We
went back to 1962 and questioned why the Space Needle was built," said
Ron Sevart, President and CEO of the Pacific Northwest landmark. "It was
an optimistic time, a forward-looking time, right in the middle of the
space race."

The Space Needle — with its hourglass tower and a top that resembles a flying saucer — embodied the era.

Inspired,
Sevart and his team decided to create a multi-tiered contest to send a
member of the public into orbit using a company from the burgeoning
private space travel industry.