Space Tourism

>
> Talking about space tourism, that guy Tito finally made it today - the first
> space tourist became a reality!
>
> However, since NASA was freaking out so much about Tito's vacation at ISS, I
> kind of doubt that there will be other millionaires going there in the
> upcoming months. Or will the Russians just ignore NASA's opposition and
> create a spaceline for the rich and famous? I would like to know the
> opinions of everyone in the list about this subject...
>

NASA, Europe and the Russians are hashing out some kind of agreement re:
tourist visits. Tito was ruled an exception (probably because the
Russians would send him no matter what). Personally, tourism is the
only way I see to make human space flight a profitable business. I also
see orbital hotels as the first step towards colonization.

--
Al Globus
aglobus@..., (650) 604-4404
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

The dinosaurs weren't spacefaring. We are. I don't think that's an
accident.
Maybe we are life's taxi to the stars.

I think we should:

1. Devote half of NASA's budget ($7 billion) to reaching NASA's 2020
goal of
reducing launch costs to Low-Earth-Orbit to $220/kg with a 0.01% failure
rate.
This should enable space tourism. The resulting orbital hotels will need
to
develop efficient orbital life support and other necessary technologies.

2. Build orbital space colonies. The materials in the largest asteroid
are
sufficient for orbital colonies with a combined surface area about 500
times
greater than Earth's. Eros alone could make over ten thousand space
colonies,
each with about about 10 square kilometers of 1g living area.

3. After a few generations of orbital living, people won't need their
colony
to be near Sol. Then small groups of colonies with populations in the
tens-of-thousands can set out on multi-decade journeys to nearby stars.

Except the launch goals, none of this is even a little bit official.