From Copernicus to Star Wars human interest in outer space
is relentless. Yet despite breakthroughs in technology, space
travel for the consumer seemed a fantasy locked in the stories
of Douglas Adams and Ray Bradbury. This is no longer the
case. Space tourism is getting ready for liftoff.
In the not too distant future, expect the tourism section
of the newspaper to advertise vacation packages to a place
far, far away – space. For the time being the United
States is leading the way in space tourism. To punctuate
this fact the United States government is the first to release
a set of proposed regulations governing future consumer space
travel. In December 2005, this120-page set of proposed rules
was issued in draft form. The first series of regulations
addressing crew and passengers is expected to go into operation
later this year, despite the fact that space tourism hasn’t
quite started yet. Thus far, space tourism has been reserved
for the excessively wealthy. In 2001 Dennis Tito was the
first civilian to enter space at the cost of $20 million
US. Since then, Space Adventures, a Virginian based company,
has organized just three trips into space for a couple of
wealthy civilians.
As of yet, space tourism is not exactly a booming market.
Still many companies are jumping on the space tourism bandwagon.
Recently the Florida Space Authority announced its proposal
for turning the Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville, Florida
into a commercial spaceport for civilian use. The construction
of the spaceport is expected to run between $10.5 million
US and $28 million US. The proposal still requires approval
of the Jacksonville Airport Authority, the National Space
Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department
of Environmental Defense. Regardless, officials are optimistic
-- the Space Authority believes that within ten years Florida
will be gathering several million dollars a year in space
tourism revenue. Likewise, Virgin Galactic and the State
of New Mexico announced their plans to build a $200 million
US spaceport in the southern part of the state.
For Virgin Galactic, space tourism is just around the corner.
In September of last year, Richard Branson of Virgin announced
its partnership with Paul Allen’s Mohave Aerospace
Ventures and SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rhutan. This space-tourism-company,
Virgin Galactic intends to launch $190,000US two-hour, suborbital
trip by 2007 or 2008.
For the time being, there is ZeroG Aerospace offering space
travel on a smaller scale. For the first time, people will
have a chance to travel in space vicariously through personal
keepsakes. For the low cost of $49.00US, patrons may purchase
space tickets for their small objects. The first launch is
fixed for March 27, 2006. As part of the package, patrons
are given detailed flight information (of their special objects),
an official ZeroG Certified Space Seal, and their names entered
into the International Space Registry.
Although space tourism seems well on its way there are a
few issues to contend with. First, how do nations build a
set of international guidelines governing civilian safety
and environmental protection? Although the United States
is working to build appropriate regulations, laws cannot
be enacted without an actual incidence occurring causing
serious injuries or fatality. According to the proposal,
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has to wait until
human harm occurs before they can impose restrictions. Instead,
regulations are being phased in. In lieu of a substantive
set of safety guidelines, Congress will require space tourists
to be informed of any possible risks. But fear not, space
crews will still be required to have an FAA approved pilot’s
certificate and appropriate clearance on their physical and
mental capabilities in addition to safety training.
Certain environmental concerns also come into question.
American scientists recently found a high incidence of what
they call “space junk” orbiting the earth. Since
Sputnik was launched in 1957, 9,000 pieces of man-made debris
has collected in orbit around earth. This “space junk” consists
of pieces of rocket, shuttle and satellite waste that will
only increase with the space tourism industry. While the
impact on earth’s climate and air quality is not yet
a major concern, catastrophic collisions are. Possible scenarios
include in-orbit collisions between space vehicles and larger
space junk objects or the possibility of debris hitting the
earth’s surface. There is not yet a strategic plan
for dealing with space pollution.
At this point, the space tourism industry is still inchoate.
It appears that there is at least a little time left to rigorously
examine the possible negative impact of consumer space travel.
Regardless it seems that space tourism is developing to the
delight of many. A 1997 NASA study found that as many of
1/3 of the American population is interested in space travel.
According to Virgin Galactic as many as 15,000 American’s
would pay upwards of $100,000 to enter space. Imagining the
market as a transnational one, the amount of possible space
patrons is likely to increase exponentially.
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