SPACE TOURISM

IN MEMORIAM TO A PIONEER

2007-05-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Walter M. Schirra, Jr.s death was announced today.

Wally was the fifth member of the Mercury Astronauts to Orbit the Earth. He was the only member of the original Seven to Fly in a Mercury Capsule, a Gemini Capsule and the Apollo Program.

Wally died of a Heart Attack in San Diego, California at age 84.

So long Wally we will miss you!!!

SPACE PORTS ABOUND, ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND GLOBE

2007-04-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

In the May "Air & Space" magazine on page 62 begins an article about the growing number of commercial civilian Space Ports in this country. The article is titled "Fields of Dreams". In the article they enumerate the civilian Space Ports that are a work in progress, 13 and counting.

This does not count the Military and NASA sites. There are also proposed launch facilities in Canada, Sweden, Australia, United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

For more information on the article you can pick a copy at your favorite Newstand or at www.airspacemag.com.

BURIALS IN SPACE

2007-04-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 28th 2007, burial in Space took a step closer to being a fact when the Ashes of James Doohan,"Scotty" on Star Trek, and Astronaut Gordon Cooper were fired into near Earth Space in a suborbital Rocket Launch from the New Mexico Commercial Space Port.

For further information, please check the Sunday Republic Newspaper's "The Buzz" page A23.

ZERO GRAVITY RIDE FOR PROFESSOR HAWKING

2007-04-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Asrophysicist Stephen Hawking fulfilled the dream of floating free in a weightless state.

During a flight of the modified jet used to fly parabolic paths for zero-g, Professor Hawkins was able to make 8 weightless trips and on the last two was able to do weightless flips.

After the Flight He said "As you can imagine I'm very excited." He also said "I want to demostrate to the public that anyone can participate in this type weightless experience." He further stated "Space here I come."

This information was part of an A.P. article in the Arizona Republic and other sources.

SPACE TOURIST RETURNS TO EARTH SAFELY

2007-04-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

American Billionaire Charles Simonyi returned safely to the Russian Steppes. Having spent $25,000,000 for the trip to the International Space Station, the trip appears to have been well received by him and enjoyed fully.

With the Space Tourist the ISS crew also returned to the Earth's surface, Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and U.S. Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria. On this tour on the ISS Michael Lopez-Alegria set a U.S. record for the continous space flight by spending 215 days in orbit, he also set a record for U.S. space walks at 10 over his career.

BIGELOW AIMS HIGH

2007-04-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

Bigelow Aerospace reveals near-term plan for commercial manned space infrastructure.

On page 22 thru 24 of the magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology for April 9, 2007 Bigelow Aerospace explains their near-term plans to launch a small fleet (3) of Space Stations. Each of the Space stations will contain two BA330 Modules of 330 cubic meters, one Module of 175 Cubic Meters (named "Sun Dancer") coupled to a Propulsion Bus.

The target date according to the article is 2015. Please refer to the article in the Aviation Week Magazine for additional information.

SPACE TOURIST ARRIVES AT SPACE STATION

2007-04-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

The latest fare paying Space Tourist has arrived at the International Space Station. U. S. Billionaire Charles Simonyi arrived at the ISS aboard The Russian resupply ship along with two Russian Cosmonauts. The estimated cost to ride the Soyuz Supply vehicle was $20 to $25 Million dollars. The tourist even served a gourmet dinner that he had brought along to the crew.

NEW MEXICO SPACEPORT

2007-04-05T23:34:00.000-07:00

In a newspaper article today by Alicia Caldwell of Associated Press has written that a Tax package to finance the NM Spaceport failed to carry with a large majority of the electorate. In fact the Tax package carried by a small but convincing margin.

The article is in the Arizona Republic, page A15.

SPACE TOURISM

2007-02-12T00:11:00.000-08:00

There are several companies that are in the space Tourism business or will soon be. Those companies currently in the tourist business for Space include:

1) Virgin Galactic:

2) Bigelow Aerospace:

3) Space Adventures:

4) Space Devices:

5) Zero G Corporation:

6) S.T.A.R. Systems Inc.:

Each of these Companies is approaching Space Tourism in a slightly different way.

Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, Space Devices and S.T.A.R. Systems are currently planning suborbital trips for paying passengers. However, both Space Adventures, Space Devices are also planning on being able to deliver passengers to the International Space Station. Bigelow Aerospace is planning on building a Space Tourist Hotel in a low orbit. And Zero G Corporation is delivering 30 seconds at a time at 1/3 G, 1/6 G and zero-G simulations to the paying passenger.

Virgin Galactic is planning on using a development of the Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipOne that is capable of carrying eight passengers and the pilot. Prospective Ticket price is $200,000.

Space Adventures is developing an air launched design called Explorer that will carry six passengers for Suborbital flights at a ticket price of $100,000. Orbital Trips are being currently offered using Soyuz launchers, Ticket price is $20 Million.

Space Devices is currently developing their Dream Chaser, a six passenger rocket plane that is launched vertically by outboard Hybrid rockets. Ticket Price is yet undetermined.

Bigelow Aerospace Corporation is currently developing CSS Skywalker an inflatable space station as a Tourist Hotel. It includes Weeklong stays abord an orbiting hotel complete with staterooms and observation decks, ticket price is currently set to be $7.9 Million.

REFERENCE:

1) Popular Science Magazine, August 2006, page 44, “ROCKETPLANE”

2) Popular Science Magazine, April 2007, page 31, “UP AND AWAY”

OTHER PLACES:

www.lunartransport.blogspot.com

www.moonsocphx.blogspot.com

www.rapidtransitphx.blogspot.com

www.lunarresources.blogspot.com

www.lunarwhatifs.blogspot.com

***************************************************************************