General Public Space Travel And Tourism

Travel and tourism is one of the world's largest businesses. Its gross revenues exceed $400 billion per year in the U.S. alone, and it is our second largest employer. U.S. private sector business revenues in the space information area now approximate $10 billion per year, and are increasing rapidly. Not so in the human spaceflight area. After spending $100s of billions (1998 dollars) in public funds thereon, and continuing to spend over $5 billion per year, the government is still the only customer for human spaceflight goods and services. Serious and detailed consideration was first given to the possibility of space being opened up to trips by the general public three decades ago, and some initial attempts to do so were made a dozen years ago. But the difficulties were great and the Challenger disaster put an end to them. In recent years professional space tourism studies have been conducted in the United Kingdom, Germany and, especially, Japan. In the U.S., technological progress has been pronounced; we have had nearly a decade's experience in seeing our astronauts travel to-from low Earth orbit (LEO) safely, and we expect to commence assembly of a LEO space station housing a half-dozen people this year. Too, NASA and our space industry now have new and promising space transportation development programs underway, especially the X-33 and X-34 programs, and some related, further generation, basic technology development programs. And five private companies are also working on the design of new surface - LEO vehicles. The first professional space tourism market studies have been conducted in several countries in the past few years, especially in Japan and here. The U.S. study makes it clear that, conceptually, tens of millions of us would like to take a trip to space if we could do so with reasonable safety, comfort and reliability, and at an acceptable price. Initial businesses will address the desires of those willing to pay a greater price and accept a greater ris...

This is the first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary work on the emergent phenomenon of space tourism. It is written by leading specialists and covers a wide spectrum of topics including space history and technology, the environmental, social, and legal aspects of the development of a future space tourism industry, and space tourism marketing.

Many scientific papers and popular articles have been written on the topic of space tourism, describing everything from expected market sizes to the rules of 3-dimensional microgravity football. But what would it actually feel like to be a tourist in space, to be hurled into orbit on top of a controlled explosion, to float around in a spacecraft, and to be able to look down on your hometown from above the atmosphere? Space tourism is not science fiction anymore, Michel van Pelt tells us, but merely a logical step in the evolution of space flight. Space is about to be opened up to more and more people, and the drive behind this is one of the most powerful economic forces: tourism. Van Pelt describes what recreational space travel might look like, and explains the required space technology, the medical issues, astronaut training, and the possibilities of holidays to destinations far, far away. This is a book for everyone who has ever dreamed of traveling to space: a dream which, according to van Pelt, may not be so far from becoming a reality. Consider it the armchair traveler's guide to the coming boom in space tourism.

The work "Feasibility Study and Future Projections of Suborbital Space Tourism at the Example of Virgin Galactic" deals with the topic space tourism, especially with the so-called suborbital space tourism a current trend of private businesses that offer commercial flights up to the edge of space. This edge of space, named "Karman Line" due to its founder Theodore von Karman, is defined by the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) to be at an altitude of approximately 100 km. The author conducts a detailed feasibility study about this phenomenon at the example of the Anglo-American business Virgin Galactic, and sets up future projections based on the results of this study. After a general introduction into the topic (history, motives for going to space, stages of space tourism etc.) the author addresses the focal points of the feasibility study. In detail, this includes an analysis of the Virgin Galactic approach and its most promising competitors (Space Adventures, Benson Space Company, Space Access, Incredible Adventures, Rocketplane Limited, Starchaser Industries, and Blue Origin), as well as an analysis of the several spaceships and its manufacturers. Subsequently, the regulatory framework is illustrated at the example of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). In the end, results from market research projects are evaluated in order to explain the demand for suborbital flights. The study comes to the conclusion that the industry is still in an early pioneer phase, but nevertheless shows an enormous potential to grow.

"The general themes of this analysis of the commercial space tourism industry include three main topics; 1) Benefits of commercial space tourism to numerous stakeholders, 2) The viability of commercial space tourism 3) existing public relations solutions f"

Welcome Aboard! Space is only 100 miles away from anywhere on Earth. Since the early 1980s a small group of visionaries have been pioneering the frontier of off-world tourism. Overcoming significant obstacles, their quest to start the space tourism industry was achieved on 28 April 2001, when American businessman Dennis Tito lifted-off from Russia into Earth orbit for a week-long voyage aboard the International Space station. He was the first space tourist. Upon boarding the Station he said "I love space." He paid millions of his own dollars to fulfil his life-long quest to experience space. Since then another space tourist has flown, and many more are lining up for the opportunity. In the future, space passengers will float and dance in zero gravity, swim in spheres of warm coloured water, enjoy games, saunas, exercise, massage, shopping and world class entertainment. Several private enterprise space tourism companies have recently been formed, some by multibillionaires including the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, and the founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos. They are spending millions of dollars of their own money. Why? Because they are positioning themselves to be leaders -- the Walt Disney and Baron Hilton of the space tourism industry; an industry destined to be the largest, most prestigious, and profitable industry off-world. This is the first book published in the US on the space tourism theme. It was written and designed by one of the worlds leading authorities and pioneers in the growing field of space tourism, space architect, John Spencer. The book premieres his vision, the "Destiny" orbital super yacht design and master development industry plan for expanding the space tourism movement and creating the long-term space tourism industry. His plan offers opportunities for non-rocket scientists to participate today, to make a difference, and to have a wonderful time in the process.

Many scientific papers and popular articles have been written on the topic of space tourism, describing everything from expected market sizes to the rules of 3-dimensional microgravity football. But what would it actually feel like to be a tourist in space, to be hurled into orbit on top of a controlled explosion, to float around in a spacecraft, and to be able to look down on your hometown from above the atmosphere? Space tourism is not science fiction anymore, Michel van Pelt tells us, but merely a logical step in the evolution of space flight. Space is about to be opened up to more and more people, and the drive behind this is one of the most powerful economic forces: tourism. Van Pelt describes what recreational space travel might look like, and explains the required space technology, the medical issues, astronaut training, and the possibilities of holidays to destinations far, far away. This is a book for everyone who has ever dreamed of traveling to space: a dream which, according to van Pelt, may not be so far from becoming a reality. Consider it the armchair traveler's guide to the coming boom in space tourism.

The ‘long tail’ of holiday offerings implies dramatic shifts in the sector’s concentration levels and its competitive dynamics. In order to examine the applicability and validity of this scenario, a number of key holiday niches are examined in terms of their demand development, supplier landscapes, operational challenges and future potential.