San Francisco , Dec. 10 :Travelling to space or embarking on an expedition to excavate lost Mayan ruins are normally the stuff of adventure novels, but for employees of Facebook, these and other lavish dreams are moving closer to reality.

According to the Daily Mail, the world''s No. 1 online social network is preparing for a blockbuster initial public offering that could create at least a thousand millionaires.

The most anticipated stock market debut of 2012 is expected to value Facebook at as much as 100 billion dollars, which would top just about any of Silicon Valley''s most celebrated coming-out parties, from Netscape to Google Inc.

While weak financial markets could postpone or downsize any IPO, even the most conservative market-watchers say Facebook seems destined to set a new benchmark in a region famous for minting fortunes, with even the rank-and-file employees reaping millions of dollars.

Facebook employees past and present are already hatching plans on how to spend their anticipated new wealth, even as securities regulations typically prevent employee stock options from being cashed in until after a six-month lock-up period.

Founded in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends, Facebook has grown into the world''s biggest social network with over 800 million members and revenue of 1.6 billion dollars in the first half of
2011. (ANI)