Space is the final frontier for tourism


  • Mark Shuttleworth on board the ISS

    Mark Shuttleworth on board the ISS. (Photo: NASA)

    “Did you have a good weekend?”
    “Yes, I went up for a few orbits. Got outside the ship for a while and got some great video for YouTube.”
    “Yeah, I’ve done that. It’s fun. But next year is gonna be a biggie for me. I’m saving for the Moon.”
    “Lucky you.”

    It seems that it is only a matter of time before there are Monday morning conversations like this. A trip into space could be nearly as routine as a weekend in Prague.

    It is a clear indication of one of the most powerful ways in which science is shaping our world:

    • First, scientific invention makes amazing new technologies available, like X-rays, television and space flight
    • Then further waves of innovation bring these things from being new-found wonders to being part of everyday life

    That’s now happening with space travel. Once restricted to the largest nations, or international agencies, it is now within reach of wealthy individuals, and is rapidly becoming more affordable.

  • Space tourism pioneers

    It may be some time before a trip to space is a routine weekend event. But that day is getting ever closer. Here are the earliest space tourists:

    • Denis Tito, a US businessman, became the first paying space tourist in April 2001, when he spent seven days on the International Space Station (ISS). He is reported to have paid $20 million for the trip, which used the Russian Soyuz launcher to reach the ISS
    • He was followed by Mark Shuttleworth and Gregory Olsen, then in 2006 by Anousheh Ansari, the fourth space tourist and first female one
    • Exact figures are unclear, but all paid many millions of dollars for their flights. Several dislike the term “space tourist” and prefer expressions like “independent researcher”
    • All four have backgrounds in maths, science or technology. Their success in high-tech business funded their space flights

  • Future of space tourism

    The space tourism pioneers orbited Earth – at an altitude of about 350 kilometres – for days on the ISS. The next generation of more affordable space tourism is likely to be “sub-orbital”, at least to begin with. This means flights that go as high as 100 to 160 km above Earth.

    There are many companies promoting private space flight. Space Adventures, which organised the first private flights, is one of the best known. Also well-known is Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson’s group that includes air and train travel, which is already taking bookings for flights (at $200,000) on its website. The trips are expected to start in 2010.

    Sub-orbital space tourism will bring passengers above the “Kármán Line” at 100 km above sea level that is defined as the border between Earth’s atmosphere and space. In a flight lasting several hours, the highlights should include:

    • Several minutes of weightlessness at the peak of the flight
    • Seeing the curve of the Earth
    • A view of the stars that do not twinkle by having their light distorted in the atmosphere

    Of course there is also the thrill of being among the first space tourists. Holidays on the Moon may take a bit longer but space tourism is now a reality of our science-shaped world.

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