Curious about commercial space travel? Space travel is no longer a science fiction movie theme and it has evolved from being an endeavor reserved solely for astronauts and scientists to being available to the average citizen. The wealthy average citizen, that is.
Commercial space travel, or private space travel how it is sometimes referred to, is still in its early years, but its future looks more than promising. Want to know more about this topic? We have compiled a countdown of 4 important things you should know about commercial space travel.
No. 4: Space Tourism – Not Yet an Established Industry
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Attempts of making space travel a commercial venture have started more than a decade ago, ever since Dennis Tito became the first tourist to travel to space. In 2001 the American paid a whopping $20 million to visit the international space station, Mir, for seven days. Several startup companies have sprung out since then and have tried to make space tourism more mainstream, but the reality is that, as of yet, it is not an established industry. Currently, six other people apart from Tito have paid exorbitant sums of money for the privilege of becoming space tourists.
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No. 3: Commercial Space Travel Might Become a Reality Sooner Than you Think
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Although progress on making space travel a commercial commodity has been somewhat slow up till now, it is presumed to become a reality sooner than most people would think. For example, the Russian Federal Space Agency has announced its plans to intensify its efforts in this area during 2013.
What is more, Virgin Galactic has already started selling tickets worth $200,000 for people who want to spend a few minutes in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. It is projected that the company, which has reportedly sold about 500 such tickets, will commence the flights by the end of the year. Rumor has it that several celebrities, including Tom Hanks and Katy Perry, have already signed up for these commercial flights.
No. 2: The Downsides of Commercial Space Travel
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With the imminent prospect of having space travel become a commercial endeavor, there are several downsides to it one needs to take into account. Questions have been raised regarding how safe this means of transportation will be. Incidents with space shuttles have occurred over time and they might become more frequent once commercial space travel will take off.
In addition, there are people who have voiced their concerns that intense activity within space will lead to an increase in the level of pollution and will accelerate the global warming process.
No. 1: Is Commercial Space Travel Reserved for the Rich?
Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
In short, yes. Most people who have made it to space, for commercial purposes, have paid a whole lot of money to do it. Commercial suborbital flights, which are expected to start in the near future, will cost less than visiting the International Space Station, but it is highly unlikely that the average citizen, without a trust fund or an extremely highly paying job, will ever be able to afford travelling to space.
