Space Tourism: Will it go far or fizzle out?

Space Tourism: Will it go far or fizzle out?
By Philip A. Janquart
NewSpace Magazine
There are six spaceports in the United States alone and others around the globe. Spaceport America, located in Upham, New Mexico, is the world�s first commercial spaceport, Sir Richard Branson�s Virgin Galactic the world�s first self-proclaimed �spaceline� and the facility�s anchor tenant.
Bigelow Aerospace, a Nevada-based aerospace engineering company, recently approached the Canadian government about building a facility in their country. Orbital facilities are being marketed to governments as an alternative to the International Space Station, one reason Bigelow has approached the Canadian government about a ground facility.
When it comes to space tourism, it turns out there are several companies in varying degrees of planning and development of spaceships and spaceports. Other companies are selling and marketing tickets to go to space.
�I think the future of space tourism is going to depend on a lot of different factors, and how successful these companies are at launching things,� said Douglas Messier, owner of the blogsite Parabolicarc.com.
Messier�s site focuses on space commercialization and tourism. He has a master�s degree in science, technology and public policy from The George Washington University. He studied at the university�s Space Policy Institute and graduated from the International Space University. (He also holds a bachelor�s in journalism from Rider University.) The Institute is a place where scholars, policy analysts, practitioners and students come together to study and evaluate the future of space.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into the space tourism industry, but the question that seems to persist is whether space tourism is for real. Messier suggests it may be, as long as certain components fall into place. The biggest is money and right now companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace and Armadillo Aerospace are the current frontrunners in the effort to send �citizen astronauts� into space.
The two companies, especially Branson�s Virgin Galactic, are fueled by lifelong visions and a belief there is both the money and the interest to fuel the industry. Then there is what could be called the �X� factor, a type of manifest destiny-based momentum that is carrying forward our natural compulsion as humans to gravitate beyond what we already know. That gravitation has now become a race.
Companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, Blue Origin Aerospace, Armadillo Aerospace, Excalibur Almaz, Bigelow Aerospace and, just recently, Boeing are all waist deep in a mini space race, each eagerly positioning themselves to become the first company to begin sending spaceships filled with private tourists on suborbital and, eventually, orbital flights.
Virgin Galactic seems best positioned in terms of suborbital flights, having performed several successful test flights of its SpaceShip Two.
�Virgin has a lot of money and prestige behind it,� Messier told NewSpace Magazine. �They are, kind of, the Goliath of the industry right now. They just completed another test flight. It�ll be interesting to see how fast they can move with the aggressive schedule they have. One question is their engine: they still need to do a lot of testing.�
Which brings up an entirely new subject � safety.
But, if Virgin Galactic is Goliath, XCOR and Armadillo are the �Davids� of the story.
�XCOR is a small, scrappy company,� said Messier. �XCOR is the expert at engines and I think they have a workable design and their funding now seems solid. They are looking at initial test flights by the end of 2011. There seems to be a lot of people interested in doing this (visiting space). The issue will be how good are the flights, reliability and a lot of other factors. But I think there is a market. Companies are also looking to the suborbital experiment market as part of their revenue stream�
There is also a sizable market developing for orbital flights. The Russians have been sending the very wealthy to the ISS (International Space Station) for years.
�It is a very interesting market,� said Messier, a communications expert who has spent the last 10 years involved in entrepreneurial start-ups. �The price has gone up to about $45 million for a 10-day to two-week mission. The Russians have had a monopoly, so the prices haven�t gone down.�
That will change once private companies catch up, finding viable, safe and cost-effective avenues for putting paying customers into orbit. One of those avenues includes buying technology from the Russians themselves. At least one company, Excalibur Almaz has already don that. The company, based on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, has purchased Soviet-era military space station hardware it is refurbishing.
Former Excalibur employee and current Boise State University Professor Clay Morgan has intimated the company may intend to eventually send tourists around the moon and back.
Other ventures currently in the works include the Bigelow-Boeing CST-100 crew module � they have a marketing deal with Space Adventures � and SpaceX�s Dragon spacecraft. Orbital Sciences Corporation may also convert its Cygnus freighter for human missions.
�These vehicles are being designed to serve multiple facilities (ISS, Bigelow space stations) and fly on multiple rockets,� Messier said.
These ventures, and others, are vying for funding under NASA�s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program.
�The missing link is a commercial transport to low-Earth orbit,� Messier added. �It�s only about 250 miles up, but right now governments have a monopoly on it. Break that stranglehold, and you could see an explosion of commercial development in low-Earth orbit. In ten years, the space industry could be totally unrecognizable.
In some ways, space tourism has no choice but to succeed and prosper, especially considering the fact the current Presidential administration has nixed NASA�s plans to return to the moon. NASA is now relying on the private sector to continue development efforts from the Earth to the moon while it tries to adjust to a new mission mandate.
NASA�s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, as defined on http://www.nasa.gov, aims to stimulate efforts in the private sector to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities. The efforts are intended to foster entrepreneurial activity leading to job growth in engineering, analysis, design, and research, and to economic growth as capabilities for new markets are created. The Program intends to solicit proposals from all interested U.S. industry participants to mature the design and development of commercial crew spaceflight concepts and associated enabling technologies and capabilities. In 2009, NASA used its Space Act authority to invest up to $50 million dollars in multiple competitively awarded, funded agreements. This activity is referred to as Commercial Crew Development, or CCDev, and several companies have since been taking advantage.
�It�s a complicated issue. The previous vision of NASA was focused on the moon and it was not very realistic in its implementation and funding,� Messier said, referring to NASA�s now cancelled Constellation program. �The vehicles they were building were too expensive, weren�t going to get us to the moon very fast and there would be so much money going into a lunar base, we wouldn�t have enough money left to do anything with it. Hence, the private space industry.�
With the space tourism industry about to take off, literally, the economic effects, according to Messier, could be significant, with thousands of new jobs and careers made available to the public.
�The impact of building space stations and rockets could have a major impact on the market,� he said. �Bigalow has talked about 20 or more flights per year to sustain its space stations.�
But will the price for a trip stay the same, or will it drop? Messier says prices should fall. Ticket prices between companies vary, even now, roughly 16 months before Virgin Galactic launches its first flight. Virgin is selling tickets for $200,000 and XCOR is about $95,000, with a different flight model. Armadillo is selling its seats at about $102,000.
�Virgin Galactic is talking about radically bringing down costs to about $50,000 once commercial operations begin and the market is proven,� Messier added.
But what is it about space that causes people to throw down such cold, hard cash for a few minutes above the Earth? Does being in space change the average person�s perspective on what it means to be a human on this planet? Some say it does, but Messier, who has never been to space, isn�t sure.
�I don�t really know. That will be interesting,� he said. �Virgin has made the argument that by getting people up there, it will change our view on how fragile the earth is and things like that. And, it�s probably true. It�s going to make people put their money into either saving the rain forest or going back. Virgin would love to have repeat customers, so it�s in the company�s interest to have people come back again and again.�
Decades of waiting
Messier is part of a growing number of people keeping a close eye on an industry that was all but unfathomable to most people some 40 years ago, save for a relatively small group that possessed enough vision to see past the present and into the future of commercial space flight.
Many of those were youth caught in the mesmerizing current of wonder and excitement generated by the space race of the 1960�s. They have been quietly biding their time, waiting for their chance to climb aboard a spaceship bound for the outer reaches of Earth�s atmosphere.
The wait ended for a handful of hopefuls, beginning in 2001, when Dennis Tito hitched a ride with the Russians to the International Space Station at a cost of $20 million. A few more tourists followed in Tito�s footsteps over roughly a 10-year period.
But things have changed: the fact that millions of dollars are being spent on constructing spaceports all over the world is a very tangible sign this space tourism thing truly is for real.
Going to space is not cheap and if the money that is being poured into space tourism is any indication of the industry�s future, the idea of people traveling to space will one day be as common as an overseas flight to Paris.
Log on to http://www.newspacemagazine.com for more on space tourism and travel.


Philip A. Janquart was raised in Boise, ID, graduating from Boise State University with a B.A. in English Literature. He has worked for several newspapers and magazines including The Idaho Statesman, The Kuna Melba News, Warbird Magazine (Experimental Aircraft Association) and Warbird Digest. He currently freelances for The Independent News in Eagle, ID and works for Abruzzo Productions, a movie production company.

Read more »

Posted in: space

Rational development of underground space

?? Qinhuangdao Urban Underground Space Development and Utilization of
Abstract: The rapid development of cities has become a trend, according to the traditional mode of development of the city will inevitably lead to urban development and land conflicts, how to resolve this contradiction has become a concern. In this paper, Qinhuangdao City, try the urbanization process, the reasonable development and utilization of urban underground space and urban intensive development, sustainable development of some shallow.
Keywords: urban underground space in the proposed Land
1, rational development of urban underground space is a necessary requirement for urban sustainable development
Urban population, geographic size and the urban living environment in the 21st century urban development in China face enormous challenges. From one dimensional to three-dimensional, from flat to three-dimensional, the development of human living space inevitable choice. Urban spatial development in our city should follow this trend, there are plans to have focus to science and development of underground space. Now, this work is especially important. 1.1. Rational development of urban underground space, urban development can ease the outstanding contradictions and improve the urban ground environment and expand the urban development space for the city to build a modern port city of economic, ecological garden garden city, civilized rule of law, laying a solid foundation for a harmonious city. 1.2. Rational development of urban underground space to ease the conflicting demands of urban traffic. In the core area of Old City in particular, tensions over land surface parking lot with built in difficult circumstances, to fully tap the use of underground space resources and space for ground transportation, be a relieve traffic congestion and parking pressure and effective move. 1.3. Rational development of urban underground space in urban intensive development, sustainable development. Simple high-rise buildings and elevated highways, the city marked up development model, not the expansion of urban space in the most reasonable model, take the combination of surface and underground construction of the road for the coordination of urban development inevitable.
2, city development and utilization of underground space
And our other cities, city development and utilization of underground space in the late 60th century, special domestic and international situation started, the system construction began in 1987, the establishment of civil air defense sector to the civil air defense construction projects as the main. The end of 2004, the city civil air defense construction projects in 25, reached a total of 81,400 square meters. End of this year, coupled with completed projects under construction, the project project is expected to reach 90,000 square meters, in addition to about 10% of the command works, the other development and utilization of space available. From the use of situation, the city overall utilization of existing underground space is not high, nearly 50%; from the use of view, mainly in the urban core areas, residential areas and underground parking Hualian Commercial Building, Downtown International Trade, Silver Valley and other public place of business; from the development of the depth of view, are the negative layer. This is Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing and other cities far from the economy strong. Such as Dalian, total construction area of 120 thousand square meters of "never sleeps", the underground business part of the three layers, parking part of the 5 levels.
3, further development and utilization of underground space of a few suggestions
3.1 out organizational plan, build a blueprint for development and utilization of underground space. Related departments should stand on the height of building a modern medium-sized cities, as soon as possible the preparation of underground space development plan. Planning should be coordinated with the urban master plan, combined with "air defense project in Qinhuangdao city planning," according to "a long-term, service current, practical, modest advance" principle, development and utilization of urban underground space size, focus, layout, development to make provisions for the order. 3.2 highlights the efficient use of a scientific and rational and orderly development and utilization of underground space. One underground parking garage (games). The city's air defense projects currently in use nearly 40,000 square meters, can accommodate more than 2000 vehicles; if the 81,400 square meters of air defense works all the development and utilization, can accommodate 4070, can greatly ease the difficulties of urban parking problem. However, the current usage of parking spaces in underground car park is not satisfactory, usually less than 60% utilization rate, and many vehicles are parked on the sidewalk and lawn. On the other hand, to increase the residential areas, downtown lots, new construction of urban underground parking efforts.


The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as SDH Multiplexer, 4E1+1Gigabit PDH Multiplexer, and more. For more, please visit TDM over IP today!

Read more »

Posted in: space

Educational Disciplines: Astronomy and Amateur Astronomers

 Astronomy is one of natural sciences directed at research of henomena of the surrounding world. The primary domain of this study concentrates on celestial objects, like stars, comets and planets. One more important problem is study of natural phenomena originated outside the Earth (such as cosmic background radiation or historical development of the galaxy). Being one of the oldest sciences, Astronomy encompasses a lot of scientific theories plus hypotheses and also the recent improvements of contemporary researchers.

Learners are interested in the theme of space and current attempts to learn it. Though the professional Astronomy is typically determined with Astrophysics, teachers might include aspects of Astrometry and Astrology into the programs. In addition to reviewing the present literature and professional scientists, this academic discipline gives numerous opportunities for practical implementation of the acquired knowledge. The learners might look at the stellar sky and watch the celestial objects in a telescope. It allows combining the useful with the pleasing.

Widening one’s perspectives

Understanding of Astronomy is a necessary portion of person’s general literacy. Knowledge of various special phenomena is beneficial for widening one’s perspectives and explaining significant Earth procedures. Taking a program of Astronomy, a student might choose to deepen one’s knowledge in the future and become a professional astronomer. The other student community, staying only amateur experts of celestial objects might benefit from their knowledge using it in other associated sciences:

1.Understanding of Astronomy is anticipated to broaden one’s scope. Different astronomical issues may be an exciting topic for conversation under different circumstances.

2.Knowledge of this academic discipline is helpful for a more comprehensive understanding of the related sciences.

3.Taking a program of Astronomy, a learner is anticipated to develop one’s observation abilities as well as conception

Learn About The Moon And Its Phenomena With This Interactive Moon Atlas And Astronomy Software Tool.

please....Click Here!

Read more »

Posted in: space

Space Tourism: Will it go far or fizzle out?

Space Tourism: Will it go far or fizzle out?
By Philip A. Janquart
NewSpace Magazine
There are six spaceports in the United States alone and others around the globe. Spaceport America, located in Upham, New Mexico, is the world�s first commercial spaceport, Sir Richard Branson�s Virgin Galactic the world�s first self-proclaimed �spaceline� and the facility�s anchor tenant.
Bigelow Aerospace, a Nevada-based aerospace engineering company, recently approached the Canadian government about building a facility in their country. Orbital facilities are being marketed to governments as an alternative to the International Space Station, one reason Bigelow has approached the Canadian government about a ground facility.
When it comes to space tourism, it turns out there are several companies in varying degrees of planning and development of spaceships and spaceports. Other companies are selling and marketing tickets to go to space.
�I think the future of space tourism is going to depend on a lot of different factors, and how successful these companies are at launching things,� said Douglas Messier, owner of the blogsite Parabolicarc.com.
Messier�s site focuses on space commercialization and tourism. He has a master�s degree in science, technology and public policy from The George Washington University. He studied at the university�s Space Policy Institute and graduated from the International Space University. (He also holds a bachelor�s in journalism from Rider University.) The Institute is a place where scholars, policy analysts, practitioners and students come together to study and evaluate the future of space.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into the space tourism industry, but the question that seems to persist is whether space tourism is for real. Messier suggests it may be, as long as certain components fall into place. The biggest is money and right now companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace and Armadillo Aerospace are the current frontrunners in the effort to send �citizen astronauts� into space.
The two companies, especially Branson�s Virgin Galactic, are fueled by lifelong visions and a belief there is both the money and the interest to fuel the industry. Then there is what could be called the �X� factor, a type of manifest destiny-based momentum that is carrying forward our natural compulsion as humans to gravitate beyond what we already know. That gravitation has now become a race.
Companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, Blue Origin Aerospace, Armadillo Aerospace, Excalibur Almaz, Bigelow Aerospace and, just recently, Boeing are all waist deep in a mini space race, each eagerly positioning themselves to become the first company to begin sending spaceships filled with private tourists on suborbital and, eventually, orbital flights.
Virgin Galactic seems best positioned in terms of suborbital flights, having performed several successful test flights of its SpaceShip Two.
�Virgin has a lot of money and prestige behind it,� Messier told NewSpace Magazine. �They are, kind of, the Goliath of the industry right now. They just completed another test flight. It�ll be interesting to see how fast they can move with the aggressive schedule they have. One question is their engine: they still need to do a lot of testing.�
Which brings up an entirely new subject � safety.
But, if Virgin Galactic is Goliath, XCOR and Armadillo are the �Davids� of the story.
�XCOR is a small, scrappy company,� said Messier. �XCOR is the expert at engines and I think they have a workable design and their funding now seems solid. They are looking at initial test flights by the end of 2011. There seems to be a lot of people interested in doing this (visiting space). The issue will be how good are the flights, reliability and a lot of other factors. But I think there is a market. Companies are also looking to the suborbital experiment market as part of their revenue stream�
There is also a sizable market developing for orbital flights. The Russians have been sending the very wealthy to the ISS (International Space Station) for years.
�It is a very interesting market,� said Messier, a communications expert who has spent the last 10 years involved in entrepreneurial start-ups. �The price has gone up to about $45 million for a 10-day to two-week mission. The Russians have had a monopoly, so the prices haven�t gone down.�
That will change once private companies catch up, finding viable, safe and cost-effective avenues for putting paying customers into orbit. One of those avenues includes buying technology from the Russians themselves. At least one company, Excalibur Almaz has already don that. The company, based on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, has purchased Soviet-era military space station hardware it is refurbishing.
Former Excalibur employee and current Boise State University Professor Clay Morgan has intimated the company may intend to eventually send tourists around the moon and back.
Other ventures currently in the works include the Bigelow-Boeing CST-100 crew module � they have a marketing deal with Space Adventures � and SpaceX�s Dragon spacecraft. Orbital Sciences Corporation may also convert its Cygnus freighter for human missions.
�These vehicles are being designed to serve multiple facilities (ISS, Bigelow space stations) and fly on multiple rockets,� Messier said.
These ventures, and others, are vying for funding under NASA�s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program.
�The missing link is a commercial transport to low-Earth orbit,� Messier added. �It�s only about 250 miles up, but right now governments have a monopoly on it. Break that stranglehold, and you could see an explosion of commercial development in low-Earth orbit. In ten years, the space industry could be totally unrecognizable.
In some ways, space tourism has no choice but to succeed and prosper, especially considering the fact the current Presidential administration has nixed NASA�s plans to return to the moon. NASA is now relying on the private sector to continue development efforts from the Earth to the moon while it tries to adjust to a new mission mandate.
NASA�s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, as defined on http://www.nasa.gov, aims to stimulate efforts in the private sector to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities. The efforts are intended to foster entrepreneurial activity leading to job growth in engineering, analysis, design, and research, and to economic growth as capabilities for new markets are created. The Program intends to solicit proposals from all interested U.S. industry participants to mature the design and development of commercial crew spaceflight concepts and associated enabling technologies and capabilities. In 2009, NASA used its Space Act authority to invest up to $50 million dollars in multiple competitively awarded, funded agreements. This activity is referred to as Commercial Crew Development, or CCDev, and several companies have since been taking advantage.
�It�s a complicated issue. The previous vision of NASA was focused on the moon and it was not very realistic in its implementation and funding,� Messier said, referring to NASA�s now cancelled Constellation program. �The vehicles they were building were too expensive, weren�t going to get us to the moon very fast and there would be so much money going into a lunar base, we wouldn�t have enough money left to do anything with it. Hence, the private space industry.�
With the space tourism industry about to take off, literally, the economic effects, according to Messier, could be significant, with thousands of new jobs and careers made available to the public.
�The impact of building space stations and rockets could have a major impact on the market,� he said. �Bigalow has talked about 20 or more flights per year to sustain its space stations.�
But will the price for a trip stay the same, or will it drop? Messier says prices should fall. Ticket prices between companies vary, even now, roughly 16 months before Virgin Galactic launches its first flight. Virgin is selling tickets for $200,000 and XCOR is about $95,000, with a different flight model. Armadillo is selling its seats at about $102,000.
�Virgin Galactic is talking about radically bringing down costs to about $50,000 once commercial operations begin and the market is proven,� Messier added.
But what is it about space that causes people to throw down such cold, hard cash for a few minutes above the Earth? Does being in space change the average person�s perspective on what it means to be a human on this planet? Some say it does, but Messier, who has never been to space, isn�t sure.
�I don�t really know. That will be interesting,� he said. �Virgin has made the argument that by getting people up there, it will change our view on how fragile the earth is and things like that. And, it�s probably true. It�s going to make people put their money into either saving the rain forest or going back. Virgin would love to have repeat customers, so it�s in the company�s interest to have people come back again and again.�
Decades of waiting
Messier is part of a growing number of people keeping a close eye on an industry that was all but unfathomable to most people some 40 years ago, save for a relatively small group that possessed enough vision to see past the present and into the future of commercial space flight.
Many of those were youth caught in the mesmerizing current of wonder and excitement generated by the space race of the 1960�s. They have been quietly biding their time, waiting for their chance to climb aboard a spaceship bound for the outer reaches of Earth�s atmosphere.
The wait ended for a handful of hopefuls, beginning in 2001, when Dennis Tito hitched a ride with the Russians to the International Space Station at a cost of $20 million. A few more tourists followed in Tito�s footsteps over roughly a 10-year period.
But things have changed: the fact that millions of dollars are being spent on constructing spaceports all over the world is a very tangible sign this space tourism thing truly is for real.
Going to space is not cheap and if the money that is being poured into space tourism is any indication of the industry�s future, the idea of people traveling to space will one day be as common as an overseas flight to Paris.
Log on to http://www.newspacemagazine.com for more on space tourism and travel.


Philip A. Janquart was raised in Boise, ID, graduating from Boise State University with a B.A. in English Literature. He has worked for several newspapers and magazines including The Idaho Statesman, The Kuna Melba News, Warbird Magazine (Experimental Aircraft Association) and Warbird Digest. He currently freelances for The Independent News in Eagle, ID and works for Abruzzo Productions, a movie production company.

Read more »

Posted in: space

Space Tourism: What About Health Standards?

Space Tourism: What About Health Standards?
By Philip A. Janquart
NewSpace Magazine
Want to play football? Sure, no problem. But before you turn junior loose on the field, your prospective future Hall of Famer must first pass a comprehensive physical in order to qualify.
Why, you may ask? Well, when it comes to safety, everyone has standards, even Pee-Wee football leagues. Small, young players are subjected to relative and proportional forces, just like when a rocket blasts off into space.
Astronauts endure a great deal of force and although there is no need to develop a 4.6-second, 40-yard dash, there are certain physical requirements astronauts must meet in order to be selected for a mission.
�You don�t have to be in super human shape, but you have to be in good physical condition,� retired NASA astronaut Barbara Morgan told NewSpace Magazine when asked about the physical requirements of traveling into space.
Morgan participated in the Teacher in Space program in the mid-1980�s and was chosen as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the STS-51L mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apart over the Atlantic 73 seconds after takeoff in 1986.
Traveling into space is no small matter, a fact that, besides certain physical requirements, also comes with psychological ramifications. Morgan likened the emotional environment inside a space capsule to being a deep-sea diver or serving on a Naval vessel.
�You are in a pretty hostile environment,� she said. �You are in the vacuum of space, in a small craft, and you want to make sure everyone does their job. You are tested for things like Closter phobia � you don�t want anyone trying to open the door. In that kind of situation (being on a craft in space) it would be like being in a submarine with a handful of people.�
A Brief History
Prospective NASA astronauts undergo rigorous psychological testing before being accepted, but, historically, the physical requirements have also been fairly rigorous. The first humans to travel into space were selected on their resistance to extreme physical and mental strain. It was necessary, considering the first rockets were actually ballistic missiles designed for maximum acceleration. In addition, astronauts had to be able to pilot their spaceship back to Earth in case of emergencies, which meant they were selected from the best U.S. Air Force pilots, ones that possessed the manual skills, physical constitution, stress tolerance and health needed for the job.
The advent of the space shuttle changed the physical requirements for human space flight with the reduction of G-forces, but the psychological and educational requirements remained on a high level and even increased.
The physical and psychological requirements are changing again with the introduction of space tourism, space tourists only required to meet minimal physical requirements, for which no standard seems to have been set. Part of the justification most likely lies in the fact that there is no need for a standard since tourists won�t pilot the vehicle and will not perform complex tasks on board.
So, what does this mean? It means almost anyone can go.
The Argument Against a Standard
In an article written for The Space Review, Dr. Petra Illig, MD sites an FAA document titled �Human Space Flight Requirements for Crew and Space Flight Participants: Final Rule,� published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2006. The document states that crewmembers with �safety-critical roles� (pilots) must hold a Class II FAA Medical Certificate.
�There are currently no other medical requirements for commercial space pilots, and certainly none at all for the passengers,� Illig said. �The referenced FAA rule states only that the prospective space flight participants (SFPs) be informed of the risk profile of the prospective space flight, that they sign a waiver of claim against the U.S. government, that operators must train each SFP before flight how to respond to emergency situations (including smoke, fire, loss of cabin pressure and emergency exit), and to implement security requirements to prevent passengers from bringing explosives and weapons on board. Just as in the airline industry, the FAA does not have a legal mandate over the commercial space industry to regulate passenger health�only safety.�
As it stands, physical and psychological requirements for space tourists seem lenient. It�s a fact Illig says is rooted in the health of the prime industry movers and shakers themselves.
�(Proposed) standards would likely disqualify a significant portion of prospective SFPs,� she said. �Current demographics indicate a significant rise in the older proportion of the population, many of whom have the wealth to afford a ride into space but are likely to have a variety of medical problems associated with increasing age. An interesting insight into this group of people was provided at a Commercial Human Spaceflight workshop at the 2008 Aerospace Medicine Association Annual Scientific Meeting, where representatives from Virgin Galactic shared information regarding the medical conditions found among their founders. (The founders are the first 100 prospective SFPs that pre-paid the full fare of $200,000 for a suborbital flight with Virgin Galactic.)�
Medical conditions among that group included hypertension, heart disease and spinal symptoms, all of which are problems that can be aggravated by space flight. According to Illig, 33% admitted to taking regular medications and 12% had a �significant� illness within the past 5 years. Seven percent currently smoked, 64% currently drank, and 20% admitted to being heavy drinkers.
�All of these situations could be problematic for space flight and would therefore need further evaluation, but to disqualify them because they do not meet unrealistically high standards is not likely to be a viable option for the space tourism industry,� Illig added. �To create standards that would disqualify a significant segment of the customer base is too high of a threshold to be able to sustain the industry. Without sacrificing safety, it must be kept in mind that these are essentially passive passengers who in general do not need to have a mission-critical role and therefore should be medically evaluated according to well-thought out principles, rather than standards that seem to come out of professional astronaut training manuals.�
Morgan, who took a teaching job at Boise State University in 2008, supports the idea of space tourism and doesn�t seem to feel people should be excluded.
�I think space tourism is great,� said Morgan who, 12 years after serving in the Teacher in Space program, was selected as a mission specialist and trained at the Johnson Space Center, making her a full-time astronaut. She completed two years of training and evaluation, and worked at mission control as a prime communicator before being selected to the crew of STS-118 in 2003, where she worked as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project.
�We are in the very beginning stages of it (Space tourism),� She continued. �Space is a remarkable environment and the human race has figured out how to get off the planet and live in that environment. There are many benefits to doing that. I feel, as many people who want to do that, should. Right now, it is much more accelerated than it has ever been up to this point. I�d love to see it when it�s just not for the wealthy. There are challenges though. People should know it�s not like hopping in a plane and going to South America or any place like that. Every human being should have the opportunity at looking back at our amazing planet.�
Log on to http://www.newspacemagazine.com for more on space tourism and travel.
SIDEBAR:
NASA Physical Requirements for Astronauts
� Ability to pass the NASA long-duration space flight physical, which includes the following specific requirements:?? Distant visual acuity - must be correctable to 20/20, each eye??. The refractive surgical procedures of the eye, PRK and LASIK, are now allowed, providing at least one year has passed since the date of the procedure with no permanent adverse after effects.
� Also, blood pressure cannot exceed 140/90 measured in a sitting position??.
� Standing height is between 62 and 75 inches.



Philip A. Janquart was raised in Boise, ID, graduating from Boise State University with a B.A. in English Literature. He has worked for several newspapers and magazines including The Idaho Statesman, The Kuna Melba News, Warbird Magazine (Experimental Aircraft Association) and Warbird Digest. He currently freelances for The Independent News in Eagle, ID and works for Abruzzo Productions, a movie production company.

Read more »

Posted in: space

Importance of Space Commercialization

Importance of Space Commercialization
Due to the advancement of space technologies the possibility of space commercialization has not only become probable, but extremely feasible and profitable. For the past 60 years the Space Race has been a competition solely between governments. It has only been recently that private companies and large organizations have been able to produce space technology independently. The largest promoter and supporter of privately developed space technology is the X-Prize Foundation. A non-profit organization oriented toward educating the public, the Foundation was created by Dr. Peter H. Daimandis to spur competition in the private sector for developing creative breakthroughs in space technology.
Basing his beliefs on examples in history, Dr. Daimandis believed that if one company or person was capable of achieving or creating something new or something formally believed impossible, other persons would follow. One of his examples was the first crossing of the Atlantic by a single person, Lindbergh in the Spirit of St. Louis. After Lindbergh did "the impossible" applications for pilot licenses increased by 300% and the passenger count of the (limited) airlines of the time increased by a factor of 30! Without developing any new technology, Lindbergh simply showed what was possible through determination and stubbornness.
The X-Prize Foundation was not the only organization to believe in the future of space commercialization, in 1998 the American government created in the Department of Commerce the Office of Space Commercialization to oversee policy creation concerning space commerce and industry in the U.S. commercial space industry.
Robert Goddard, in March 1926, created and launched the first liquid fueled rocket giving him the moniker "the father of modern rocketry". Only 21 years later the Soviet Union successfully launched and placed into orbit the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. Although the size of a basketball its place in history is enormous, the beginning of the Space Race.
Thirty two years later the United States government created the National Space and Aeronautics Administration, the precursor to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Beginning with a budget of only $100 million and 8,000 employees, within the first year of operation they created and launched America's first orbital satellite, the Pioneer III. Three years after the creation of NSAA, President John F. Kennedy gave his historical speech announcing the intention of landing men on the moon.
Ten years after the beginning of NSAA, only 22 years after the world's first artificial satellite, Apollo 8 brought mankind to moon. But unfortunately it was only 4 years later in 1972 that humans stopped walking on the moon. The Space Race has since carried on to developing the International Space Station (ISS), Space Shuttles, and exploring other planets in the Solar System through satellites and robots. All of this advancement and research has been funded by various national governments.
But now private companies are entering the space competition. The X-Prize Foundation's challenge to private companies was for the development of a reusable spacecraft; with a turnaround faster than the government funded Space Shuttle. SpaceShipOne entered into the history books on October 4, 2004 as the first privately built and manned spacecraft to achieve orbital height twice within a two week period.
The Space Shuttle's primary design was developed during the 1970's, and 30 years later the same basic design is still being used, with upgrades in computers and hardware of course. The biggest difference between the Space Shuttle and SpaceShipOne is SpaceShipOne takes off and lands like an airplane, instead of taking off vertically like a rocket. This makes it cheaper to produce and maintain, and allows for a faster turnaround between flights.
SpaceShipOne, a combined effort by Virgin Group of Companies and Scaled Composites, led the way for the proposal of a privately operated spaceport. The New Mexico Spaceport is being built by Virgin Galactic (a subsidiary of Virgin Group) and will allow for private individuals the chance to travel into space.
Today we have improved medicines, faster computers, plastic composites, metal alloys, and toys that seem to have originated in science fiction novels, all thanks to space technology. Space technology has helped shape our current society in subtle ways too, enough for someone to write a book about it, The Hidden Revolution by Jim Schefter.
The development of SpaceShipOne was funded by Paul Allen, Microsoft's co-founder. For the developments to be kept privately owned, all funding must come from the private sector. This creates a problem for the general public. It takes a lot of money to develop space technologies, money that comes from the profits of commercial companies. These profits are derived from the spending habits of the general public. To have more profits to put into research, profits must be increased. This is done (generally) by decreasing production costs and/or increasing prices on products or services.
But is the public ready to pay for a privately funded space program when they already are funding government programs through taxes? There may not be a choice in the matter. Already private companies are researching and developing for the next X-Prize, the Lunar Lander Challenge with a prize of $2.5 million. No one has been on the moon in 35 years; it just might be time for a private organization to return us to the moon.
Why is it so important for mankind to return to the moon? With the low gravity of the moon, scientific research that is not possible here in Earth's gravity well would be possible. The range of technological advancements that could be possible would require a book to list.
For 61 years the governments of Earth of competed in a race for new space technology. Space technology has been proven unequivocally useful and important in the advancement of our society. Government funded research is a pitfall of red tape, secrecy, and is sometimes overseen by ill-experienced or non-qualified people.
Attempting to predict the impact space technology would have on our society in the future would almost be impossible to forecast, as would any new innovation. Maybe we shouldn't be concentrating strictly on the predictable benefits of space technology, but go the route as said by President John F. Kennedy; "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
It's not that hard to support the development of a private space industry. Simply support the corporations and organizations that provide the funding, support their ideas and decisions. The Space Race is already integrated into our society, cell phones, all communications, GPS, weather forecasting, ecological sciences, medical science, etc. Any knowledge acquired is never a waste of time. Do not allow government regulations and red tape stagnate the future development of our society, support space commercialization.


I work primarily in AutoCad and Engineering, with a Bachelor Degree in something completely unrelated after 3 years as a Engineering Physics major.Commercialization of Space by Private Companies

Read more »

Posted in: space