When humans first set footprints on the moon, many people worldwide may have dreamed of ‘I want to go into space, too.’ Space travel, which seemed to be a distant future story, was eventually realized on April 30, 2001, by American millionaire Dennis Tido, who paid $20 million. With his immense wealth, he succeeded in space travel for the first time in human history on a journey to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz rocket.
Since then, NASA, which was at the center of the space industry, has opened up the possibility of space tourism and devoted a variety of time and efforts to enabling commercial space flights, creating many people who dream of space travel. In particular, 2021 was a year of rapid development with great interest in the space tourism industry as space travel, which had been suspended since 2010, resumed.
Let’s look at what space tourism, space tourism, has emerged as the hottest topic of the 21st century, what are existing space tourism companies, and what are the pros and cons of space tourism.
What is space tourism?
Commercial space tourism can be divided into semi-orbit, orbital, and lunar space tourism. It is a space trip designed for leisure purposes, that is, for human enjoyment.
In general, space tourism companies offer suborbital flights. Suborbital travel usually has a flight speed of 3,700 mph and is a type of flight that flies into space and falls right away. Orbital space tourism, on the other hand, is a journey in which a rocket with a speed of about 17,400 mph orbits the Earth. Space tourism to the moon is to travel the moon, but no one has experienced it so far.
Commercial space travel
Virgin Galactic
Founded in 2004 by Richard Branson of Virgin, Virgin Galactic made its first space trip in 10 years since 2001, on July 11, 2021. The 90-minute space trip was an 85-kilometer flight with Branson, two pilots, and three other passengers. Branson focuses on opening up the possibility of space travel to people worldwide while children have expectations for a better future through Virgin Galactic’s space tourism.
Blue origin
Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, launched Blue Origin’s space tourism rocket, the New Shepard rocket, on July 20, 2021. It was only nine days after the Virgin Galactic flight. The space flight had four passengers, including Bezos, who set a new world record by boarding the oldest person and the youngest 18-year-old student ever to travel to space. The total flight time was 11 minutes, shorter than Branson’s, but the altitude was 107 kilometers, which was higher than Branson’s. Blue Origin focuses on finding new material resources and energy outside the Earth to preserve the Earth while also focusing on increasing costs and sustainability by making the projectiles reusable.
Space X
SpaceX introduced its first full-traveled orbital trip at the Kennedy Space Center on September 15, 2021. Only one was a very rich billionaire, who personally financed the journey of the rest of the members, ordinary citizens. SpaceX was founded by Tesla founder Elon Musk, who built a global presence in electric vehicles. It focuses on more diverse plans for space travel and future life, such as the possibility of moon residence, building human colonies on Mars, or transportation from Earth through Space X.
Pros of space tourism
Encouraging innovation and scientific development
The desire for space tourism has long been in many people. As commercial space travel became a reality in 2021, space tourism opened a new market for the tourism industry. This will lead to research and technological innovation on new science and technology needed for space tourism. In addition, as consumers’ demand for tourism increases, many investors and companies will be interested in creating new markets through space tourism, and various industries will develop.
Scientific research
Space travel so far has been a very short trip, but it can predict and prepare for long-term changes in humans when travel time is extended soon. For example, Virgin Galactic recently conducted small-scale experiments by bringing plants together on space flights to study their response to microgravity. In other words, various scientific studies and measures for long-term flight in the future can be sufficiently conducted.
The new perspective of the Earth
Looking at the Earth from space would be the best experience a human being can have. For some, it would be a wonder that this seemingly impossible thing could become a reality. Astronauts experience the importance of the Earth and the sense of responsibility and duty for the existence to be protected when observing the Earth in space. This change in perception is called the “overview effect.” If space travel becomes common for civilians, many people who look at the Earth from space will equally realize the importance of the Earth and have a sense of responsibility and duty to cherish and protect it.
Cons of space tourism
Space pollution
Already in space, there are various types of debris from previous space exploration, including burned satellites and rocket fragments. In other words, there are useless objects in space, space waste. As commercial space travel becomes more common, such waste will increase tremendously. This useless debris will pose a potential danger to astronauts, space travelers, and satellites launched from various countries.
Safety Concern
Two dangerous points in space flight are when a rocket is launched and when it descends, it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. Safety issues are always the subject of discussion, as human errors may be misplaced due to gas defects or for third reasons. The death of co-pilot Mike Alsbury during a flight test at Virgin Galactic in 2014 was a reminder of the safety of the space travel industry. In addition, long-term space travel needs to be fully discussed before space travel because there is a risk of physical and mental illness and poor health caused by space radiation, isolation, and gravity.
Conclusion
There are positive aspects of commercial space tourism that promote scientific development and inspire children about the future world. But so far, much-involved need to discuss in more depth and prepare practical solutions, given the limitations of the reality of the space race of billionaires alone and the potential cause of pollution to the Earth and the environment.
References
- FutureLearn, 2022. Is Space tourism good for the planet? [online] Available at: <https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/is-space-tourism-good-for-the-planet> [Accessed 5 July].
- GEO, 2021. Advantages and Disadvantages of Space Tourism. [online]. Available at:< https://discover.hubpages.com/education/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Space-Tourism> [Accessed 6 July].
- Rui Alves, 2022. Space Tourism: The Pros and Cons of the Ultimate Luxury Travel. [online] Available at:< https://medium.com/illumination/space-tourism-the-pros-and-cons-of-the-ultimate-luxury-travel-26e7b2fa9311> [Accessed 7July].
