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Orbital Ecstasy - welcome aboard!
Dec 13, 2004 18: 04 EST
Previously published Oct 27, 2004 18: 10 EST
Pythom is not even one month old, and already we've discovered that there's plenty of action in private space travel. Rockets are built by internet billionaires, launches are routinely delayed, and money are propelled to propulsion speed.
In a survey, 80% of Americans under 40 said they wanted to travel to space. 10% adding that they would be willing to pay at least one years salary for it.
And they already do
Using Russian facilities, Space Adventures, founded in 1998 by Eric Anderson, previously the co-founder of Starport.com, are accepting deposits, currently totaling over $2,000,000 (USD).
Richard Branson is pouring $135 million into 5 private space crafts, scheduled for 2008. More than $1.45 billion in tickets has been pledged already. 7,000 people have lined up to pay $210,000 for the trip.
Pay-Pal founder Elon Musk has teamed up with Robert Bigelow, owner of Las Vegas-based Budget Suites of America Hotel Chain, to build a 2 stage rocket that will undercut payload prices by two thirds and carry Robert's inflatable space hotel to Orbit.
Top Secret Blue Origin and Iranian Ansari
Paul Allen of Microsoft invested in SpaceShipOne and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com runs the top secret Blue Origin. The Ansari XPrize got its name from financial contributor Anousheh Ansari; a female Iranian-born electrical engineer who made a fortune at the height of the Internet bubble, selling start-up Telecom Technologies to Sonus Networks for an estimated $440 million.
The Hilton sisters in 'Orbital Ecstasy'
So why are the rich kids spending their money on Space? "Because they are positioning themselves to be leaders - the Walt Disney and Baron Hilton of the space tourism industry; an industry destined to be the largest, most prestigious, and profitable industry off-world," writes The Space Tourism society on their website.
"Private enterprise designs and builds the fleets of orbital access vehicles, orbital super yachts, and space and lunar cruise ships with names such as 'Orbital Ecstasy,' 'Ambrosia,' or 'Lady of the Stars,' which will eventually serve tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands of space tourist. Many of those going will have won international lotteries for their dream vacation."
Space Architect
The society has published a book on the space tourism theme: "Written and designed by one of the world's leading authorities and pioneers in the growing field of space tourism, space architect, John Spencer. Founder and president of the Space Tourism Society, (STS).
In it he premieres his vision, the 'Destiny' orbital super yacht design and master development industry plan for expanding the space tourism movement and creating the long-term space tourism industry. His plan offers opportunities for non-rocket scientists to participate today, to make a difference, and to have a wonderful time in the process."
The Space Tourism Society (STS) is a new non-profit society specifically focused on space tourism, with the goal to: "Conduct the research, build public desire, and acquire the financial and political power to make space tourism available to as many people as possible as soon as possible."
An impressive Board of Directors states their agenda as: "STS is clearly focused, with a long term overall view, and is evolving a strategic plan to introduce many new industries to realistic space tourism. These include the travel and tourism industry, the financial community, the cruise ship and resort industry, and the entertainment industries. STS believes that space tourism is the most logical endeavor for private enterprise to pursue towards the goal of expanding humankind into space."
Image of a "Space cruise", courtesy of The Space Tourism Society.
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