Space Tourism

Last week’s test of the Ares 1-X from Florida saw me ruminating on the future of space travel again. Is this the dawn of a new age? Will we be back on the moon by 2020? Will we be visiting and living on the moon by 2030? No.

It will be the private sector and/or the Chinese that will get us back into space again. But there has to be something in it for them i.e. profit. A big fuss was made over the Ares, but that appears to be heading dangerously towards being seen as something to give workers to do in order to safeguard jobs; that nothing may ever come of it except re-election for certain politicians.

Meanwhile, over in the Mojave desert, the private sector in the form of Virgin Galactic are working steadily (and relatively quietly) towards achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of sending the wealthy on sub-orbital trips. Exotic materials require big wallets. Therein lies the issue; that space tourism will never be accessible like air travel is because it will only ever be fantastically expensive, and that it is, in a sense, totally pointless; like the ultimate fairground ride for the bored rich.

Most travel these days seems to be geared towards box-ticking and treating the world like a theme park to be kept at arm’s length. Something to be consumed and acquired. Space tourism may end up going the same way. I, for one, hope not.