Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 6 February 2009

Holiday Planner

ADD SPACE TOURISM TO YOUR LIST

By Radhakrishna Rao

The multi-billion dollar global tourism industry has been on the roll. It is witnessing an exponential multi-dimensional expansion in its scope with the emergence of innovations such as “eco tourism”, “adventure tourism”, “heritage tourism”, ”village tourism” and “honeymoon tourism”. The most recent addition to this ever-growing list of specialized tourism categories, notwithstanding the economic slowdown is space tourism. It is aimed at providing a feel of what it is to be in a near-earth environment. 

Indeed, captains of the emerging space tourism industry drive home the point that the growth in this sector could contribute to employment, economic growth, environmental protection, education, human development and world peace. Moreover, outer space is being projected as the next frontier for setting up human colonies! As such, ambitious plans for setting up hotels in outer space have been mooted by many leisure and entertainment outfits around the world. However, critics are of the firm opinion that space tourism is nothing but a play ground for “predatory corporate and wealthy individuals with enough cash to dispose off”.

Significantly, so far six tourists have paid millions of dollars to take off on Russian Soyuz man-rated space vehicle from the Baikonur cosmodrome for the International Space Station (ISS) through a space tourism company “Space Adventurers”. Obviously, these space tourists who experienced gravity-free stay in outer space were wealthy American citizens. Richard Garriot, son of Owen Garriot, who flew to the European-built Space Lab orbital complex in 1983, also flew to ISS in October last, which cost nearly $ US 30 million. As of now, Space Adventurers happens to be the only outfit offering actual private space flight and space tourism opportunities.

It is also learnt that the Adventurers has a plan to buy a Soyuz flight all its own in 2011. It would keep its options open for buying more depending upon the booking for space tourism slots. Interestingly, Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google has made a US$5-million investment in the company which will serve as a deposit for his future flight to space. “I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the space frontier. And am looking forward to going to space” Brin quipped.

However, with the multi-national space complex, International Space Station (ISS), in preparation of receiving an increasing number of crew members, it will no more be available for space tourism opportunities after mid-2009. As a result, Space Adventurers’ tourist Charles Simonyi will send its so-called last tourist to ISS in the second quarter of 2009. It, would, of course keenly watch the departure of the crew members so as to start planning its next group of “space tourists.” 

Those who are keeping a close watch on this mind-boggling tourism industry are of opinion that the space tourism enterprises would need more vehicles to bring down the existing exorbitant costs. Moreover, a public-private partnership model is being mooted to make space travel and exploration more inclusive and cheaper. Susmita Mohanty of Earth2 Orbit (E2O), which is in the nascent stage of working on a space tourism profile with the possibility of five launched every day, gives the hope that the cost of travelling could come down to a mere US$10,000 per head for a trip to outer space and back.

E20 has on its agenda to be able to offer frequent orbital flights and proposes to put into place innovative technologies to bring down the cost of space travel. Like other space tourism outfits, it also views this aspect of tourism as a big business opportunity. Interestingly, a survey carried out in Japan in1993 had revealed that around 70 per cent respondents had expressed their interest to travel to space and almost half of them even said they were willing to pay their three months salary to do so.

Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic, space tourism company, owned by billionaire Richard Branson has signed a 20 years lease agreement with Spaceport America based in New Mexico as a first step towards inaugurating the era of regular orbital trips by the end of this decade. Further, it has revealed that it will make use of a space port in Sweden as one of the launch sites for commercial spaceflights. The successful maiden flight of White Knight2 launch system in December last-- marking the first step towards the operational use of the system—has paved the way for laying the foundations of Spaceport America.

The space tourism company is optimistic of sending 600-odd tourists in the very first year of its initiating the service. On another front, Virgin Galactic has already put 100 ticket holders through rigorous G-force testing to prepare them for a space ride. On another front, as part of its publicity campaign, it is offering ticket contests with Nestle in France and UTV in India.

The Galactic has already provided a profile of the space tourism experience it would offer to global customers willing to cough up the price for the ride. To begin with, a six-passenger Galactic spaceship will be pushed into an altitude of 15-kms through a jet powered mothership. At this point, the onboard rocket of the spaceship will get activated to help it sustain a joy ride during which it will attain a maximum speed of 4,400-km per hour. As the spaceship climbs an altitude of over 100-kms, the passengers will experience “weightless” unique to space travel for around five minutes.

Media reports reveal that space travel buffs from various parts of the world including India, Japan, Europe, US and UAE have already signed for the space trip with Galactic. Apparently, the Galactic office at Dubai informs that people in the UAE have shown maximum interest in space travel.

What about tourist safety? According to Homer Hickam, who was associated with the American space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) space tourism is “a very safe operation.” A team of international researchers specializing in space tourism has come out with the projection that space tourism will rocket into reality in this century and the “final frontiers” could begin showing up in tourist blurbs by 2010. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)