Trends & Predictions: Space Tourism
I’ve read that astronauts describe their first time looking upon Earth from outside as overwhelmingly euphoric – an extraordinary out of body experience in which they felt ageless, nameless, weightless, and profoundly connected to every part of the universe. Apparently, it’s called the “Overview Effect.”
Visiting space is something that I want to do before I die. I’ve known that since I was 5, and I know that many share the same dream, though only about 500 people have ever been outside the planet. The International Space Station has no need for sales guys, so I will wait patiently, grounded, and stream every single SpaceX launch until we discover an extraterrestrial market for smartphone apps and I’m called in to offer my expertise, or until space tourism is accessible.
Less than 10 years ago, a single round-trip ticket to space cost some tycoons $20-35 mm. Today, there are several agencies offering pre-bookings for trips at $100k. Generally, these trips promise a few minutes of the sensation of weightlessness, and a view from about 120km above Earth. Moon tourism has also been deemed feasible by some firms.
Virgin Galactic’s Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo, and SpaceX’s 7-person Dragon capsule, as well as Boeing’s CST-100 capsule, are all well-known early stakeholders in this budding market.
The question is: Will space tourism help or hurt the initiative to explore space for scientific purposes?
Read the full post and my answer to this question at:
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