Completely private ?space tourism? is about five years away.
This isn?t a statement from some wacky sci fi nut or futurist web site. It?s contained in a Wall Street Journal story Monday about several private ventures set to test their space vehicles within the next few weeks and months. They are trying to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize, established in 1996 by a collection of donors including novelist Tom Clancy, aviation millionaire John McDonnell, and most importantly Anousheh Ansari, a 37-year-old telecommuncations entrepreneur.
Separately, a private firm in Arlington, Virginia called Space Adventures has been lining up customers interested in space tourism. It reports that it already has deposits from more than 100 people willing to spend $98,000 per ticket. Obviously, these are members of the filthy-rich class, who can afford to blow big bucks on such extravagances. But it is important to keep in mind two things: 1) some people put a huge value on the idea of reaching space, more than so you or I might; and 2) similar generations of the filthy rich willing to spend their own dollars on “extravagances? explain other historic achievements such as great works of art, scientific discoveries, voyages across continents and oceans, the introduction of the television, various medical miracles, and the personal computer.
In other words, lighten up ? and get ready to see a little science fiction become science fact, thanks to private enterprise.
