• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Space Tourism

Full story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19901386

British singer Sarah Brightman is to travel as a space tourist to the International Space Station.

The classical recording artist, once married to Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, will be part of a three-person crew flying to the ISS.

After completing a tour in 2013, Ms Brightman will embark on six months of preparation at the Star City cosmonaut training centre in Moscow.

She will be the seventh space tourist to visit the ISS.

Once there, she says she intends to become the first professional musician to sing from space.

"This voyage is a product of a dream, my dream. Finally it can be a reality. I am more excited about this than anything I have done in my life to date," she told a news conference in Moscow.

She added that the schedule for her flight would "be determined very shortly by (Russian federal space agency) Roscosmos and the ISS partners."

Alexey Krasnov, head of the ISS programme at Roscosmos, said Ms Brightman had passed the required mental and physical examinations to fly into space...
Click to expand...

From losing her heart to a starship trooper to actually becoming one, that's some kind of emancipation in action.

See here for exclusive footage of Sarah in training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Tkx6BgRFE
 
Camp, cheesy and...sexy!
I admire her for having the guts to be up for a trip into space.
 
Vid and images at link.

Balloon Test Shows Space Tourism on the Horizon
http://www.space.com/18648-robot-balloo ... urism.html
Jeremy Hsu, TechNewsDaily Senior Writer
Date: 27 November 2012 Time: 01:51 PM ET

Human space tourists could soon enjoy this view of the sun and Earth as seen from a Zero 2 Infinity balloon test on Nov. 12.
CREDIT: Zero 2 Infinity

Not all space tourism is rocket science. A newly successful test of a balloon could allow paying human customers to enjoy stunning Earth views and the weightless astronaut experience by 2014.

The test balloon carried a humanoid robot up to an altitude of almost 20 miles (32 kilometers) on Nov. 12 — just a few miles shy of where skydiver Felix Baumgartner leaped from during his "space dive" in October. Startup Zero 2 Infinity wants to eventually offer hours of flight time for space tourists to do whatever they want in a near-space environment.

"Some people will want to tweet," said Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales, founder and CEO of Zero 2 Infinity. "Some will want to put down a carpet and pray to mecca. Some people will want to eat their favorite buffalo wings while they're up there."



The Spanish company already has waitlist customers who paid an early deposit of almost $13,000 (10,000 euros) as the first installment out of a total ticket price of $143,000 (110,000 euros). It has also attracted funding from the world's second-largest balloon manufacturer, Spain's third-largest bank, and several angel investors by proving its concept step-by-step and by relying on proven helium balloon technologies.

Flight testing took place at an Air Force base near Virgen del Camino in Spain. But Lopez-Urdiales envisions future flights launching from many other locations in the country.

The balloon experience

A typical predawn flight would take several hours to reach maximum altitude, so that passengers could enjoy seeing the sun rise against the blackness of space and see the curvature of the planet Earth. Luckily, the balloon would not need to get anywhere near the 62-mile (100 km) altitude that marks the official edge of space for its riders to enjoy stellar views.

"You would spend two hours at the floating altitude of 36 kilometers (22 miles)," Lopez-Urdiales told TechNewsDaily. "We could do it higher, but it would not make any difference, because you already see the same visual cues at 39 kilometers or even 100 kilometers." [Video: Near-Space Balloon Soars in Flight Test]

Getting back down would mean cutting the cord between the balloon and the enclosed passenger capsule. Passengers could experience about 40 to 60 seconds of weightlessness during free fall, before parachutes and a parafoil carried them safely down to Earth.

The recent test flight gave Zero 2 Infinity its first successful test of a balloon capsule large enough to carry humans, but only if the two people spent the entire trip lying down. An earlier flight test scheduled in May was canceled after wind gusts damaged the test balloon.

Robot test pilots

Future versions of the balloons, called "bloons" by the company, would have donut- or bagel-shaped capsules with plenty of standing room for two pilots and four passengers. But the test capsule proved just right for the humanoid robot named Nao — made by Aldebaran Robotics — that stands at knee-height compared to adult humans.

The robot rode as a passive passenger, but could someday become an active pilot that tests the controls and life-support technologies meant for humans.

"Little by little, we're teaching it how to pilot, but that's at a very early stage," Lopez-Urdiales explained. "The idea in the future is to have humanoid robots testing future complex aerospace vehicles."



A small humanoid robot made by Aldebaran Robotics got a ride aboard a balloon intended for space tourism on Nov. 9, 2012.
CREDIT: Zero 2 Infinity

The company has almost finished building a bigger test balloon that could comfortably carry two people standing up. That larger balloon could make an attempt at breaking the manned high-altitude balloon record set in the 1960s — a record that requires the pilot to take off and land in the balloon. (Space diver Baumgartner intentionally disqualified himself by leaping out of his high-flying balloon.)

The inner journey

But Zero 2 Infinity doesn't just want to make money. Lopez-Urdiales envisions his balloons carrying scientific experiments or scientists high into Earth's atmosphere. His inspiration for creating the startup company came from his dad, an astrophysicist who worked on an experiment that went with the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn's moon Titan.

"I was growing up around balloons, rockets and telescopes," Lopez-Urdiales said. "My dad tested a Huygens scientific instrument on a high-altitude balloon."

The balloon space tourism's relatively more affordable price tag could also open the eyes of many more people through the "overview effect," Lopez-Urdiales said. Frank White, a communications director at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, coined the term to describe how astronauts gained a better appreciation of global and environmental issues after seeing the Earth surrounded by the darkness of space.

"That's probably the biggest benefit private spaceflight will offer to civilians and members of the public," Lopez-Urdiales said. "The overview effect is personal experience, but then you share it. I think it goes a much longer way than bragging rights."

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to SPACE.com. You can follow TechNewsDaily Senior Writer Jeremy Hsu on Twitter @jeremyhsu. Follow TechNewsDaily on Twitter @TechNewsDaily, or on Facebook.
Click to expand...
http://www.space.com/18648-robot-balloo ... urism.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Space bigwigs offer billion-dollar private moon trips
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... trips.html
19:22 06 December 2012 by Devin Powell, Washington, DC

Robots aren't the only ones heading to the moon. The first private company offering regular trips to the lunar surface plans to start flights in 2020, shuttling people two at a time on exploratory missions. However, with an expected price tag of $1.4 billion per flight, or around $750 million per person, the trek would likely be out of reach for all but the wealthiest moonwalkers.

Today's announcement, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC backs up recent rumours that Alan Stern, a former administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, had founded a company called Golden Spike in Colorado to run commercial moon trips.

Named for the final spike driven into the first US transcontinental railroad line, Golden Spike plans to market to governments, corporations and individuals to routinely send people to the moon for scientific purposes, to mine for resources or simply for prestige.

"Why the moon? Because it's close, because it's enormous, and because we think that there's going to be a strong market for it," says Stern. No tickets have yet been sold. But preliminary talks with space agencies in Asia and Europe are underway, he adds. "We see our main market as selling expeditions to foreign space agencies."

In 2010 President Barack Obama scrapped NASA's Constellation program for sending astronauts to the moon. Shortly afterwards, Stern convened a secret meeting of heavy-hitters in the space industry in Telluride, Colorado, to discuss the possibility of a private lunar mission. A four-month feasibility study led to the company's quiet founding later that year.

Beyond robots

Golden Spike now has several experienced directors and advisors, including Gerry Griffin, former director of NASA's Johnson Spaceflight Center, and Wayne Hale, former chief of NASA's space shuttle programme. It also boasts some colourful characters: Newt Gingrich, a former US presidential candidate who previously championed a lunar colony, and Mike Okuda, a set designer for the Star Trek franchise, are also on the advisory panel.

"One thing you can say about Stern is that he knows the game," says William Whittaker, CEO of Astrobotic Technology, one of many teams competing to put a robot on the moon and win the $20-million Google Lunar X Prize. "As NASA's former science director, he had a favoured insider's perspective. He knows people."

Although several of the firm's directors have NASA experience, Golden Spike will be a purely private enterprise that will not seek government funding, Stern says. The plan is to purchase a rocket and a crew capsule from one or more of the other private space enterprises that have sprung up in recent years, such as SpaceX or Blue Origin.

Golden Spike has signed contracts to begin development of a lunar lander and space suits. Its first lunar mission is expected to cost the company between $7 and $8 billion. To help cover expenses, the company plans to merchandise each mission, for instance, by selling the naming rights for their spacecraft.

Meanwhile, Space Adventures of Arlington, Virginia says it is on track to send people on flights that would circle the moon starting in 2016 or 2017. The price for each flight is $300 million, or $150 million per seat. There are two seats available for the maiden voyage, and one has already been sold, spokesperson Stacey Tearne told New Scientist.

Fred Bourgeois, head of FREDNET, another Lunar X Prize team, worries that the idea of sending people to the moon on private ships is premature. "We need to prove some things with robotic systems first, so we don't put lives at risk," he says. "I would not get on a private mission to the moon today, even though I would love to go."

But Stern says he's confident that robots will get to the moon's surface long before the first Golden Spike flights at the end of the decade. Human beings, he says, will then be needed for activities beyond the capabilities of a robot – from doing field geology to maintaining mining equipment. Says Stern: "We need to start now in order to be ready for the next phase."
Click to expand...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... trips.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ramonmercado said:
Asteroid miners to hitch a ride with Virgin Galactic
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... actic.html

12:30 13 July 2012 by Paul Marks

Billionaire-backed Planetary Resources, the company that in April announced ambitious plans to mine space rocks for minerals, will hitch a ride with space tourism company Virgin Galactic.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

New venture 'to mine asteroids'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21144769
By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website

Advocates hope asteroid mining could turn into a trillion-dollar business; others are sceptical

A new venture is joining the effort to extract mineral resources on asteroids.

The announcement of plans by Deep Space Industries to exploit the rare metals present in the space rocks turns asteroid mining into a two-horse race.

The other venture, Planetary Resources, went public with its proposals last year.

Advocates of asteroid mining hope it could turn into a trillion-dollar business, but some scientists are highly sceptical of the idea.

Deep Space Industries wants to send a fleet of asteroid-prospecting spacecraft out into the Solar System to hunt for resources.

These spacecraft, which the company has dubbed "Fireflies", would use low-cost CubeSat components and benefit from discounted delivery to space by ride-sharing on the launch of larger communications satellites.

The Fireflies would have a mass of about 55 lb (25 kg) and be launched for the first time in 2015 on journeys of two to six months.

The company then wants to launch bigger spacecraft - which it calls "Dragonflies" - for round-trip visits that bring back samples.

These expeditions would take two to four years, depending on the target, and would return 60 to 150 lbs of material from target asteroids.


Planetary Resources was the first firm to announce asteroid mining proposals
"Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford permanent space development," said the company's chief executive David Gump.

"More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every year. They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit car industry last century - a key resource located near where it was needed. In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-space industries of this century."

Asteroids could yield precious minerals such as gold, platinum and rare-Earth metals. But some are also thought to harbour water ice, which could be used as a raw material for the manufacture of rocket propellant or even breathable air.

The other firm in the mining race, Planetary Resources, has backing from several billionaire investors, including Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, software executive Charles Simonyi and filmmaker James Cameron.

That company wants to start by launching orbiting telescopes that would identify suitable asteroid targets for mineral exploitation.

However, some scientists struggle to see how cost-effective asteroid mining could be, even with the high value of gold and platinum.

They point out that an upcoming Nasa mission to return just 60g (two ounces) of material from an asteroid will cost about $1bn.

[email protected].
Click to expand...
 
First space tourist plans independent Mars mission
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/short ... ement.html
15:21 21 February 2013

(Image: Sipa/Rex)

An organisation led by Dennis Tito, the first ever space tourist, has announced its intention to launch a mission to Mars in 2018 - though just who or what will be on board remains to be seen.

Tito paid $20 million to be the first paying guest of the International Space Station in 2001, marking the start of the space tourism industry. Now he has formed the Inspiration Mars Foundation, which plans to launch "an historic journey to Mars and back in 501 days", according to an announcement in advance of a press conference next Wednesday.

The announcement does not give many more details of the mission, but other speakers lined up for the press conference give some clues. Jonathan Clark of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute in Houston, Texas, a former NASA crew surgeon and recent advisor on Felix Baumgartner's supersonic skydive from near the edge of space, will probably speak about the health risks of a long-term space mission, which hints at the possibility of a crewed mission.

Also speaking are Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum of Paragon Space Development, a company with expertise in life support in extreme environments. The pair were both members of the Biosphere 2 mission, a controversial attempt at simulating a space colony two decades ago, and have previously proposed landing a greenhouse on the moon to grow flowers there.

Speculation ahead of the announcement is rife. Wired reckons the mission will aim to be crewed. NBC is more cautious, suggesting that the plan might be to put plants or animals on board instead, as pulling a crewed mission together in five years would be expensive and risky. The 2018 date is particularly favourable because the orbits of Earth and Mars will be closely aligned, but NASA recently scrubbed a launch that year in favour of a 2020 sequel to its successful Curiosity rover. Bottom line: it's hard to get to Mars in a hurry.

We also don't know whether the mission is meant to land on Mars or merely orbit the planet. Space Adventures, which booked Tito's ISS trip, has been selling moon fly-bys since 2005, though none has taken place so far. But even an uncrewed return mission to the surface of the Red Planet would make history if it brought Mars rocks back to Earth.

Also to be announced is just how Tito plans to get to Mars. The obvious answer is to use Space X's Red Dragon craft, a planned variant of the Dragon capsule that has already serviced the ISS. Space X founder Elon Musk has promised to deliver humans to Mars within a decade, so five years might be slightly short notice. We'll find out more on 27 February.
Click to expand...
 
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceship ignites engine in flight
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News

The spaceplane being developed by UK billionaire Sir Richard Branson has made its first powered flight.
The vehicle was dropped from a carrier aircraft high above California's Mojave Desert and ignited its rocket engine to go supersonic for a few seconds.

Sir Richard's intention is to use the spaceship to carry fare-paying passengers on short pleasure rides above the Earth's atmosphere.
His company Virgin Galactic has already taken hundreds of deposits.

The rocket vehicle is known as SpaceShipTwo (SS2).
Although it has been in the air on more than 20 occasions, this was the first time its hybrid motor had been ignited.
It was only a short burn lasting about 16 seconds, but it propelled SS2 beyond the sound barrier to a speed of Mach 1.2. Future outings should see progressively longer burn durations, enabling the plane eventually to reach sufficient velocity to climb more than 100km into the sky.

Monday's mission began at the Mojave Air and Space Port at just after 07:00 local time (14:00 GMT). Test pilots Mark Stucky and Mike Alsbury were reported to be at the controls of SS2.
It took off slung beneath the WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, which does the job of lifting the rocket plane to its launch altitude - some 45,000ft (14km).

A little under an hour later, SpaceShipTwo was released, dropped a short distance to get clear of WhiteKnightTwo and then lit its engine, which burns a combination of a solid rubber compound and liquid nitrous oxide.
After shutting down its motor, the vehicle then glided back to the Mojave runway, touching down just after 08:00 local time.

Sir Richard said in a statement: "For the first time, we were able to prove the key components of the system, fully integrated and in flight. Today's supersonic success opens the way for a rapid expansion of the spaceship's powered flight envelope, with a very realistic goal of full space flight by the year's end."

The entrepreneur is reluctant these days to say precisely when SpaceShipTwo will enter commercial service.
Projections for a start date issued in the early days of the project in the mid-2000s have long since passed as engineers have grappled with the complexities of developing the world's first spaceliner.

The delay appears not to have dissuaded prospective passengers, however.
More than 500 people, including celebrities such as physicist Stephen Hawking and former Dallas actress Victoria Principal, have put down a deposit for a ticket that will cost them about $200,000.

The initial service will be run out of a purpose built facility in the New Mexico desert known Spaceport America. Each flight will accommodate two pilots and six passengers.
Sir Richard says he will take his family on one of the first outings to demonstrate his faith in the vehicle's safety.

The rocket plane itself is a derivative of SpaceShipOne, which became the first private manned vehicle to fly to the edge of space and back in 2004.
It was the brainchild of aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, whose Mojave company, Scaled Composites, then designed the current prototype passenger version for Sir Richard.
The pair formed The Spaceship Company to manufacture future vehicles.

There are other companies hoping to offer sub-orbital flights in the near future.
XCOR Aerospace, which also has an operation in Mojave, is developing a smaller rocket plane called Lynx. This would carry one pilot and one ticketed passenger to 100km.
Neither it nor SS2 can achieve the speeds needed to go into orbit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22344398
 
Bob Geldof set to travel into space

The singer and campaigner Bob Geldof is to travel into space as a passenger on a commercial space flight.
Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) is hoping to launch 100 people into space in 2014 at the cost of $100,000 (£64,000) per ticket.
The first astronauts will travel 100km (62 miles) into space launching from Curacao in the Southern Caribbean sea.
Others who have already signed up include DJ Armin van Buuren and Victoria's Secret model Doutzen Kroes.

Mr Geldof said: "Being the first Irishman in space is not only a fantastic honour but pretty mind-blowing.
"The first rock astronaut space rat! Elvis may have left the building but Bob Geldof will have left the Planet! Wild! Who would have thought it possible in my lifetime." 8)

The passengers will travel on the Lynx X2 privately built spacecraft. which has a two-crew cockpit offering the passenger a "a true co-pilot astronaut experience".
Mr Geldof will be undertaking his first step of training in the space flight simulator based in the Netherlands this coming weekend.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24031979
 
A DJ in Space! Dennis Publishing should send Carlos as a publicity stunt.

Mandla Maseko: The first black African heading into space
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25844863

Mandla Maseko with his spacesuits

A 25-year-old DJ from a South African township is set to become the first black African to go into space. Mandla Maseko is one of 23 people who won a seat on an hour-long sub-orbital trip in 2015. He explains how he beat one million other people to the prize.

I first saw an advert for the competition on television and then heard another ad on the radio. I had to send a photo of myself jumping from anywhere, so I chose to jump off a wall and my friend captured me in mid-air.

I had to answer a couple of questions and explain why I wanted to go into space. My response was: "I want to defy the laws of gravity, and go down history as the first black South African in space."

I was chosen to go to the local space camp in Parys in Free State - there were 30 of us there. I had to go through three challenges - two of them were compulsory. One was to skydive to earth from 10,000 feet, and the other was the vomit comet.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

I'm a typical township boy and I was taught to face all the challenges thrown at me head on”

The vomit comet is a room where you stand up against the wall and it starts spinning, and at some point the floor disappears so you end up being pushed against the wall by G-Force. The challenge in there was to pick up five flags from beneath your feet and put them above your head.

I nailed that one, and the group was narrowed down to six people and we had to do what we called the plane stunt.

We were taken up to about 3,000 or 4,000 feet in a plane and the pilot did all sorts of acrobatic manoeuvres like loops, turns and the Cuban 8.

When we got off the plane with all that adrenalin rushing around, we had to calm ourselves down very quickly, and do a written test answering questions about the flight.

Illustration showing the Lynx Suborbital Vehicle in space
The Lynx Suborbital Vehicle will take Maseko and the other winners into space
I made it to the top three, and we flew to Orlando in Florida on 1 December where there were 109 competitors from around the globe.

We did more challenges which were very, very, very tough, but I'm a typical township boy and I was taught to face all the challenges thrown at me head on, and I did. We had to do air flight simulation, air combat, the zero gravity flight, the assault courses - you name them. I completed them all successfully.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

Next time I want to go to the moon, to plant the South African flag there”

When they announced the winners and called out my name I wasn't prepared, so the minute I realised that it was my name that got called out, my body ignited - it was an out of body experience. It still hasn't really sunk in yet. I think it'll sink in the minute I launch into space.

I will take my South African flag that has a map of Africa on it. I also want to take a song by PJ Powers and Ladysmith Black Mambazo called World in Union. "If I win, lose or draw, it's a victory for all. It's a world in union, the world as one. As we climb to reach our destiny a new age has begun" - those are the words that really speak to me in the song.

I will also play my national anthem as I go into the space craft - that goes without saying, I have to play my national anthem.

My family and friends are all excited and happy for me. I was born and raised in Mabopane and Soshanguve townships, so I'm a Pretorian to the core. Thanks to my Dad, I've never gone to bed without having eaten or without having a roof over my head.

And my Mum - I would go for an interview and then come back and not get the job and she would be like: "Ah don't worry, something bigger is coming for you - this one was not for you."

I would be like, "Ah you're my Mum - you're supposed to say such things." But then when something happens, like me going to space then it's like wow, my Mum really said it: "This is big."

The winners of the competition with Buzz Aldrin
The winners of the competition with Buzz Aldrin, who has walked on the moon
Usually we hear about these kinds of achievements being accomplished by people who are not from our own surroundings, but then when it happens to someone that you can relate to, it becomes an overwhelming feeling, so people who live near me are happy.

I get stopped and people say: "We are proud and we are behind you all the way."

Now space is reachable - it was a far-fetched dream for us township people. Now it is achievable and I am hoping and praying that people will be interested in it more.

Continue reading the main story
Find out more

Mandla Maseko spoke to Newsday on the BBC World Service.
More from Newsday
More from the BBC World Service
I wanted to do something out of the ordinary - I like to explore things and this was a great opportunity for me.

I wanted to do something that will motivate and inspire the youth of South Africa and Africa as a whole, and hopefully to some extent, the youth worldwide, and show that it doesn't matter what background you come from, you can have whatever you want as long as you put hard work and determination into it.

After I go into space I am hoping to finish my civil engineering studies. I had to put them on hold before the competition because I didn't have enough money to fund them.

I would also like to study aeronautical engineering and hopefully qualify as a mission specialist, and then next time, go to the moon to plant the South African flag there.

Mandla Maseko spoke to Newsday on the BBC World Service.

Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook
Click to expand...
 
Government backs UK launch site plan for space tourism
By Pallab Ghosh, Science correspondent, BBC News

The government has backed plans for a four-fold expansion of the UK space industry to £40bn by 2030.
It is also considering developing the necessary legal framework to permit a spaceport to be set up in the UK.
It is hoped that this might see the growth of new space tourism companies to start operating services in Britain.

There will also be a simplification of regulations and greater coherence to spur the creation of new space firms.
The government made the announcements in response to an industry report published last year called the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy Action Plan.

The industry grew by 7% per annum during the recession. Space technology requires ultra-high precision engineering, which is a UK strength with a background in defence technology companies.
This, coupled with British strength in space science, makes it ideally placed to take advantage of the projected rapid expansion in low-cost satellite launches and space tourism. Space is already a multi-billion-pound industry.

The science minister has been a supporter of the UK space industry and has fostered closer links with the European Space Agency (Esa).
He was closely involved in negotiating the selection of Esa's first "official" UK astronaut, Tim Peake.
Major Peake will be going into space next year to conduct experiments on the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Willetts said that the space sector could "propel" UK growth.
"Space industries already support 95,000 full-time jobs and generate £9.1bn for the economy each year, and our response to the Growth Action Plan shows our commitment to secure its future growth and realise ambitions to develop a viable UK spaceport for commercial space flight," he explained.

Dr David Parker, chief executive at the UK Space Agency, said that government was working "shoulder-to-shoulder with industry to exploit the full potential of the space sector to grow the economy, deliver more efficient public services and inspire the next generation".

"At the UK Space Agency, we are particularly focusing on helping the rest of government make best use of the huge increase in real-time data from the Galileo and Sentinel satellites, looking at exciting opportunities such as a UK spaceport, and leading an export drive for UK space products and services.
"Our vision is to make the UK the most attractive location for space businesses to set up and prosper - and I'm convinced we are on our way."

The chief executive of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), Dr Matt Perkins, told BBC News that "the space sector has huge potential and I believe the strong government endorsement of this strategy provides a pathway to achieving increased economic benefit for the UK and growth for SSTL."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27222077
 
What I would be worried about is throwing up. You hear first hand accounts of astronaut training where they take a ride on the "Vomit Comet" plane in zero gravity to get them used to the sensation, and they all say it made them sick. So will the new space tourists be dodging big floating blobs of the contents of the other passengers' stomachs?
 
Umm... The Emperor has no clothes?

Firstly, what do we even mean by "going into Space"? Where is this "Space"?

You've gone into Space if you're orbiting around the Earth? Actually, no. You're tied to Earth in the same way that you are when you're standing on the ground. You're just a little higher up. (Scienticians call this phenomenon "Gravity". It's on Wikipedia and everything...)

Secondly, it's apparently "inspiring" to be the first Irishman/African/Person-called-Keith to go into "Space"?

No, it isn't. If you climbed on a rocket and you took a ride, then you're essentially a passenger. Does anyone here remember the first Irishman/African/Person-called-Keith to hail a taxi, or to hitchhike on the M1?

(Oh, but it's different! In "Space" you might throw up! Dude, I take that risk every time I take a taxi home from my local....)

But hey, it's always so inspiring when the Mega-Rich get to live their dreams, isn't it?
 
graylien said:
Does anyone here remember the first Irishman/African/Person-called-Keith to hail a taxi, or to hitchhike on the M1?
Click to expand...
Well, I believe it's illegal to be on the M1 unless you're driving an allowed class of vehicle, so such a hitch-hiker might well make it into a small news story! ;)
 
Virgin Galactic signs spaceflight deal with US authority

Virgin Galactic has signed a deal with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which will allow it to charter space flights from its base in the US state of New Mexico.
The agreement lays out rules for how the flights will be integrated into US air space.
In a statement, Virgin Galactic said the deal brings it "another step closer" to commercial space flights.
The firm hopes to launch its first flight by the end of 2014.

The agreement with US authorities outlines how the FAA's air traffic control centre in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the state's Spaceport Authority, will work with Virgin Galactic to make sure there is safe airspace for Virgin Galactic's space plane, the SpaceShipTwo.

Virgin Galactic, which is co-owned by Richard Branson and Abu Dhabi's Aabar Investments, also has agreements with the US state of California to allow test flights.

-----------------------------------------------------------

In a separate development on Thursday, the FAA found that Virgin Galactic rival SpaceX's plans to build a spaceport in Texas would not have adverse consequences on the environment.
SpaceX has proposed launching 12 rockets per year from a site near Brownsville in southern Texas, but has not promised to build there just yet.

US regulators found that while the proposed site would create noise for residents of a nearby neighbourhood and alter the landscape, most other environmental impacts could be mitigated.
The firm, which was founded by serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, is set to unveil the latest model of its Dragon ship, which is designed to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27628476
 
Company successfully tests space-tourism balloon

Launched from Roswell.

Company successfully tests space-tourism balloon

This artist rendering provided by World View Enterprises shows the World View Voyager balloon carrying a pressurized space capsule that will be transported to the edge of space. AP Photo: World View Enterprises

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Arizona company says it has successfully completed the first small-scale test flight of a high-altitude balloon and capsule being developed to let tourists float 20 miles above the earth.

World View Enterprises of Tucson said Tuesday that it launched the flight last week from Roswell, New Mexico.

CEO Jane Poynter said the system broke the world record for highest parafoil flight, lifting a payload to 120,000 feet.

"It went really, really, really well," Poynter said. "Actually, the guys hit the ball out of the park. We're thrilled."

The system uses a balloon similar to that used in 2012 to lift Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner 128,000 feet to make a world-record breaking 24-mile sky dive. That flight also launched from the Roswell airport.

Poynter said that last week's flight was the first testing all the components together. It used a balloon about third the size of that planned for passenger flight to lift a payload of about one-tenth of what will be used to carry passengers.

The company is still planning to begin its $75,000 per-person flights in 2016, she said. The balloons will lift a capsule carrying six passengers and two crew members 20 miles up, where they will float under a parafoil for about two hours before floating back down to earth. The capsule will be big enough for the passengers to walk around.

The selling point is the view of the Earth and seeing its curve, the company says. Other space-tourism ventures under development will rocket passengers the full 62 miles into space but on much shorter flights.

In filings with the Federal Aviation Administration, World View said it planned to launch its flights from Spaceport America in New Mexico. But Poynter Tuesday said that no final decision has been made on where to base the flights. ...
Click to expand...
http://news.msn.com/science-technology/ ... sm-balloon
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Scotland could be base for spaceport, says UK government

Scotland could the base of the UK's first dedicated spaceport, according to new government plans.
Ministers are set to confirm a plan to establish a UK space port by 2018 - the first of its kind outside of the USA.
Eight sites have been shortlisted and Scotland could be home to a number of locations identified.

The Scottish government said only independence would lead to a greater development of the country's space industry.
[Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?! ;) ]

The UK government believes the creation of a dedicated spaceport would help increase commercial trade but also make the country more appealing to new tourism initiatives from specialist operators such as Virgin Galactic and XCor.

Ahead of the announcement, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander hinted that Scotland could become a key player in the UK government's future plans for developing commercial space travel.
He said: "I am delighted that the government is pushing forward with its ambitious plans to open a spaceport in the UK by 2018. Spaceports will be key to us opening up the final frontier of commercial space travel.
"Scotland has a proud association with space exploration. We celebrated Neil Armstrong's Scottish ancestry when he became the first man on the moon and only last week an amazing Scottish company was responsible for building the UK Space Agency's first satellite.
"The UK space industry is one of our great success stories and I am sure there will be a role for Scotland to play in the future."

Earlier this week the The UKube-1, a satellite built by Glasgow-based technology firm Clyde Space, successfully launched during a test flight in Afghanistan.

Figures from the government show that the space sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK.
Last year it generated £11bn for the economy and employed 34,000 people, an increase of almost 9% on employment figures from 2011.

Ministers hope to capitalise on these figures and capture 10% of the global space market by 2030, which could mean the creation of 100,000 additional jobs.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... s-28276525

Scotland would be fine for 'up and down again' tourist flights, but it's really too far north to get the most benefit from the Earth's rotation when launching heavy loads into permanent orbit. Might I suggest Goonhilly in Cornwall as the best UK option? 8)
 
Newquay hopes to host UK spaceport

Newquay Airport is aiming for the stars as it hopes to be chosen as the UK's spaceport for satellite launches and space tourism.
Ministers want to establish the UK spaceport by 2018.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said Newquay Airport had been identified as one of eight possible locations.
An announcement on spaceport options is expected to be made at the Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday.

Newquay is believed to be the only potential spaceport site in England, but there are six possible sites in Scotland and one in Wales.
Such a facility would house rockets and spaceplanes which would carry satellites, astronauts and even tourists into orbit.

Last week, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the government was "pushing forward with plans to open a spaceport in the UK by 2018".
For ministers and the space industry, the major interest in a UK spaceport is as a facility to enable satellite launches, but hopefully it would also become a centre for the new tourism initiatives from specialist operators such as Virgin Galactic and XCor.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills refused to comment ahead of Tuesday's official announcement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-28291392
 
rynner2 said:
Newquay hopes to host UK spaceport

Newquay Airport is aiming for the stars as it hopes to be chosen as the UK's spaceport for satellite launches and space tourism.
Ministers want to establish the UK spaceport by 2018.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said Newquay Airport had been identified as one of eight possible locations.
An announcement on spaceport options is expected to be made at the Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday.

Newquay is believed to be the only potential spaceport site in England, but there are six possible sites in Scotland and one in Wales.
Such a facility would house rockets and spaceplanes which would carry satellites, astronauts and even tourists into orbit.

Last week, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the government was "pushing forward with plans to open a spaceport in the UK by 2018".
For ministers and the space industry, the major interest in a UK spaceport is as a facility to enable satellite launches, but hopefully it would also become a centre for the new tourism initiatives from specialist operators such as Virgin Galactic and XCor.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills refused to comment ahead of Tuesday's official announcement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-28291392
Click to expand...

If this happens then it will be very exciting. Combined with Skylon it could be economically extraordinarily valuable.
 
Our local MP took part in an ice-bucket challenge recently. Now she's promoting Newquay as a space port:

From Cornwall to space and beyond! MP pushes for Newquay 'space port'
First published Monday 22 September 2014

Truro and Falmouth MP Sarah Newton has this week been lobbying ministers at the Department for Transport to make the case for Newquay Airport to become the UK’s first ‘space port’.

Earlier this year the Government announced plans to invest in a space port to establish the UK as a leader in the rapidly-expanding space market.
The space port, which could be up and running by 2018, would act as a hub for further investment and technological innovation.
The UK space sector already contributes £11.3 billion to the economy each year, supporting nearly 35,000 jobs Newquay Airport is one of eight possible locations being considered by ministers.

Mrs Newton said: ‘‘As a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee I am excited by the prospect of a UK space port and am even more excited that it could be located within Cornwall.
"The well paid jobs generated by the space port would be beneficial for Cornwall and I will continue to make the case for Cornwall, as befits a historic crucible of innovation, to play host to Britain’s launchpad to space.

etc...

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/tr ... t_/?ref=ec
 
rynner2 said:
Our local MP took part in an ice-bucket challenge recently. Now she's promoting Newquay as a space port:

From Cornwall to space and beyond! MP pushes for Newquay 'space port'
First published Monday 22 September 2014

Truro and Falmouth MP Sarah Newton has this week been lobbying ministers at the Department for Transport to make the case for Newquay Airport to become the UK’s first ‘space port’.

Earlier this year the Government announced plans to invest in a space port to establish the UK as a leader in the rapidly-expanding space market.
The space port, which could be up and running by 2018, would act as a hub for further investment and technological innovation.
The UK space sector already contributes £11.3 billion to the economy each year, supporting nearly 35,000 jobs Newquay Airport is one of eight possible locations being considered by ministers.

Mrs Newton said: ‘‘As a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee I am excited by the prospect of a UK space port and am even more excited that it could be located within Cornwall.
"The well paid jobs generated by the space port would be beneficial for Cornwall and I will continue to make the case for Cornwall, as befits a historic crucible of innovation, to play host to Britain’s launchpad to space.

etc...

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/tr ... t_/?ref=ec
Click to expand...

I think you are an ideal spacer Rynn.
 
SpaceShipTwo: On a Flight Path to Space Tourism

SpaceShipTwo is a spacecraft that is intended to one day take tourists on brief trips to suborbital space. Manufactured by The Spaceship Company, the vehicle is currrently in the testing stage, with commercial operations expected to begin sometime in 2015.

The technology for SpaceShipTwo was forged in competition for the $10 million Ansari X Prize, which was created to spur the development of private spaceflight. After predecessor SpaceShipOne won the prize in 2004, two companies, Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic, formed The Spaceship Company to work together to commercialize the technology.

Developing SpaceShipTwo has come with its share of setbacks, both privately and publicly. Scaled Composites experienced a fatal explosion in 2007 that delayed development of the rocket engine. The date for the first spaceflight has been pushed back repeatedly. ..

http://www.space.com/19021-spaceshiptwo.html
Click to expand...
 
Virgin SpaceShip Two crashes

News just breaking

[/quote]Virgin SpaceShipTwo destroyed in test
Breaking news Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

Virgin Galactic: Space could finally be getting closer
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism craft has crashed in a California desert after experiencing what the company described as "a serious anomaly".

The firm says the status of their pilots is "unknown at this time". The craft was undergoing manned testing.

Television images shot from a helicopter area showed what appeared to be wreckage bearing the Virgin logo.

SpaceShipTwo is carried aloft by a jet, then launched into sub-orbit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29857182
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top