According to the Mercury News, “Sure, humans have been blasting into outer space for half a century, but the privilege has thus far been reserved for highly trained astronauts. This weekend’s Citizen Astronaut and Space Hacker Workshop of more than 100 space experts — and aspiring space experts — was focused on shooting the common man and his gadgets into orbit in hopes of going beyond the discoveries of NASA and other government programs …

“…The event at the Hacker Dojo, appropriately across Highway 101 from NASA’s Ames Research Center, featured speakers preaching way-out-there ideas such as colonizing Mars or building intergalactic gas stations to fuel rocket ships. And there were plans that entrepreneurs insist are only a year away, namely sending the first paying customer into space aboard a passenger rocket ship, at a cost of at least $95,000 per space tourist.”

And of course, the Mercury News is an appropriate named organization to carry this news.

According to MSN, “More than 500 people have already reserved seats – and paid deposits on the $200,000 ticket price – for a minutes-long suborbital flight on the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) set to begin by the end of this year.

“’We have reduced the (carbon emission) cost of somebody going into space from something like two weeks of New York’s electricity supply… to less than the cost of an economy round-trip from Singapore to London,’ Branson told reporters in Singapore.

“The founder of the diversified Virgin group was in the Southeast Asian city-state to attend a summit organised by the Carbon War Room, an environmental charity organisation he founded in 2009.”

Because cars and coal-fired power plants are the main culprits with regard to greenhouse gases, it would do us well to fight the battle on these fronts first before taking on the relatively low amounts of carbon that the emerging space tourism industry might be offering up to the atmosphere.

According to GCN, “The medical research arm of FAA recently purchased a high-performance micro-modular data center from Elliptical Mobile Solutions and Nor-Tech. EMS actually has quite a few impressive data center accomplishments listed on its website, putting computers in odd places where they are really needed, though this seems to be the first one designed to be able to head into space, or near space, as the case may be …

“…The data center will be used to help measure the amount of radiation a traveler can expect to absorb during a trip 100 kilometers up, away from Earth’s protective barriers. Down here on the ground, we do get some radiation naturally from space, but the ozone layer helps keep us from frying to a radiated crisp. Travelers in space would require adequate shielding and other precautions to keep themselves safe, and FAA will be using the data center to figure out how much protection is needed. The agency is working with space tourism company Virgin Galactic on conducting the test.”

With the space tourism industry on the edge of commercial flight, one would have thought that the FAA testing would have been completed long ago. But, better late than never especially when it comes to public safety and I applaud any measure that will keep tourists safe and having the times of their lives in space.

External References

http://gcn.com/blogs/emerging-tech/2013/04/faa-supercomputer-first-tourist-in-space.aspx

http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2013-03-28/faa_selects_elliptical_mobile_solutions_data_center_for_commercial_space_travel_research.html

According to PCmag, “Earlier this month the Adventure Travel Company unveiled packages that will allow nearly anyone to buy a ticket to space, launching a comprehensive website that describes the specifics of the program, as well as the technical details involved.

“The company’s base package starts at $106,210, which includes a flight to one of three spaceports in the Mojave Desert, California, Curacao, or Cape Canaveral, Florida; a three-day stay in a top tier hotel; space training; photo and video footage of the flight; a customized astronaut flight suit; and an end-of-mission awards ceremony commemorating your journey. The company’s VIP package, which costs $138,365, upgrades the airline flight to the spaceport to first class, extends the hotel stay to five days, and includes a special pass to the Montreal Grand Prix.

“Another Montreal-based tour company called Uniktour will also begin offering space tours at slightly lower prices of $95,000 ad $100,000. However, Uniktour’s services are geared toward the French-speaking populace of Montreal, so all of the company’s tour support material is in French.”

And what is most exciting is that the ride aboard the XCOR Lynx, next to the pilot, will take place in less than a year away, in February 2014.

Well, now Dennis Tito has another mountain to climb, another sea to swim and another great nothingness to cross. He wants to be the first space tourist on Mars (or have someone else do it). And he wants to do it by 2018.

According to Space.com, “A nonprofit organization called the Inspiration Mars Foundation — which is led by millionaire Dennis Tito, the world’s first space tourist — will hold a news conference on Feb. 27 to announce the 501-day roundtrip mission, which will aim for a January 2018 launch.”

And according to Generation NT, “The company appears to be serious, as they have signed a partnership with Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter from the Paragon Space Development Corporation, a company that manufacturer’s assistance systems and protection from the extreme environment that is space.”

So, here are two resources saying that Tito is muy serious. Now some may say that this is just some pie in the sky dream and that he may do well to focus on the moon first. But, remember the first time there actually was pie in the sky it was Tito at the ISS doing all the laughing.

But, Axe is also putting their money where their mouths are, so to speak, in that they are running a promotion where you can actually win a trip into space. The vehicle transporting you will be an Xcor Lynx.

According to Xcor, “Unilever PLC and Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) announced a 22 flight purchase on XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx® Mark II suborbital spacecraft for Unilever’s space-themed AXEApollo™ campaign for the AXE ® brand of men’s cologne, body spray, shower gels and other personal care products.

“Unilever will award the first flight to a lucky winner selected from a drawing just after the Super Bowl on February 3rd, and the 21 other winners will come from a year long, 60 country promotional campaign.”

So, if you want to get your game on, then sign up for a free pass into low earth orbit.

References

http://www.xcor.com/press-releases/2013/13-01-11_unilever_buys_22_flights_on_lynx.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/Does-Super-Bowl-ad-prove-space-tourism-passe-4230354.php

According to SFGate, “With space tourism on the cusp of becoming a real possibility for people who don’t have the health and fitness of a NASA astronaut, now is the time to think about medical guidelines, said aerospace medicine experts.

“There’s a wealth of information about the effects of space travel on career astronauts – from the symptoms of space sickness to the long-term repercussions of lengthy stays at the International Space Station. But the effects on the average person with imperfect health are unknown.”

Virgin Galactic, one of the biggest players in the burgeoning industry has this to say, “Although we don’t expect many medical restrictions to prevent people from flying, we will not jeopardize your safety if we believe you are at risk.

“This will involve some pre-flight medical checks. Early indicators show that the required medical assessment will be simple and unrestrictive and that the vast majority of people who want to fly will not be prevented from doing so by health or fitness considerations.”

Since space tourism is so new, potential passengers would be well served if they check with their own personal physicians first to see if they are healthy enough for space flight. The physicians themselves may not know the exact details of what space flight will do to a human body, but at this point they are the best line of defense when seeking adventure travel of this sort.

Salim, in her life, has already climbed Mount Everest, traveled to North and South Poles plus set up her country’s first consulate in Monaco. But says Branson the flight has been delayed.

According to Fox News, “Asked about Virgin Galactic, Branson said he has ‘stopped counting’ days to the launch because it gets delayed “to the next year, to the next year.”

So, on the heels of Felix Baumgartner’s record setting jump from space and probably around the time that singer Sarah Brightman is to travel to the International Space Station, Namira Salim MAY be afforded the opportunity to travel into low earth orbit.

We know that safety is the number one mantra for air travel or space travel so it’s important that Branson gets this right. But, this patience will be a virtue when the big event finally does happen.

Felix Baumgartner became the first man to jump from space and break the sound barrier during his free fall. With speeds estimated up to 833.9 mph, jumping from a helium-filled balloon that carried him into the stratosphere, Baumgartner managed to stay alert instead of passing out. He also survived a crushing cerebral hemorrhage (which was another possibility) to jump from a height estimated to be over 128,000 feet.

The free fall from the helium balloon was over 4 minutes in length and just a few seconds shy of the free fall record set by Colonel Joe Kittinger in 1960. In that jump Kittinger fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds. He jumped from a height of 102,800 feet and reached a maximum speed of 614 mph.

Kittinger was the Red Bull project manager and mentor to Felix Baumgartner on his historic jump. Baumgartner stayed lucid and aware the whole journey often speaking with Kittinger and others in the command and control center in Roswell, New Mexico where the flight occurred.

The helium balloon was purposely allowed to continue flying after the jump so that it would not fall upon Baumgartner and was recovered about 50 miles away.

External Links

Videos of the jump

http://www.redbullstratos.com/gallery/?mediaId=media1902415096001-2100

http://youtu.be/YIj9XGLTGH8

Other wealthy space tourists before her have joined Space Adventures and paid between $20 million and $35 million for a trip aboard the ISS. But now that the Space Shuttle program has shut down there are more astronauts than ever who wish to go to space if they have the budget behind them.

Apparently with a bad economy still brewing, Brightman has trumped NASA in this endeavor.

According to ABC News, “To maintain its presence in orbit when Soyuz seats are limited, NASA had to agree to commit at least one of its astronauts to spend a year in space, instead of the six months they currently stay. Brightman’s trip will be announced in Moscow on Oct. 10.

“NASA says a year in space has great medical research benefits. Astronauts spending just six months on the space station in the past have suffered from radiation exposure, muscle mass loss, decreased bone density, and vision problems. The research from a year on the space station will help NASA plan for long flights to Mars or an asteroid. It does mean an astronaut will get booted from a flight to adjust for one less seat.”

Brightman will ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and undergo extensive cosmonaut training before the space trip. If we’re lucky we’ll get to hear this diva broadcast the first aria in space.

But, not everyone has $51 million for a jaunt to space. Besides a pie-in-the-sky dream trip that is unaffordable, most people will say that their first choice in travel involves booking through a place such as FirstChoice for a memorable earthbound vacation. While it’s nice to dream it’s also nice to be grounded here on Earth for a relaxing getaway when we need it.