* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Space tourism

Blobrana · L

The economic downturn has not dampened rich people's enthusiasm for space tourism, the world's first commercial space flight company says.

"Business is good" - Eric Anderson, chief executive of privately owned Space Adventures.

Read more

Blobrana · L

Russia's space chief says there won't be any more tourists headed to the international space station after this year.
Anatoly Perminov told the government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta that there will be no room for paying tourists because the space station's crew is expanding from three members to six.

Source

Blobrana · L

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) seems to be in an expansive mood, the way it proposes to take potential space tourists on short duration sojourns in low earth orbit. The Isro Chairman, G. Madhavan Nair, thought aloud on this the other day and reportedly told the media that well-heeled tourists read immensely rich wannabe astronauts could go for week-long spins on board an Isro spacecraft in eight years time. The idea apparently is to use the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to loft a couple of space tourists into a 400-km orbit around Earth. The capsule would later be brought down in the Bay of Bengal. It is good for Isro to dream big in this manner, considering other space agencies are gearing up to open up the final frontier to space tourism.

Read more

Blobrana · L

The boundaries of interplanetary space exploration have been given a major shove into new territory by the Stevenage hub of one of the worlds leading space systems manufacturers, Astrium.
The £2 billion company, which is grabbing the headlines with its catchy design for a tourist space jet, has also been contracted to undertake the next stage of development for the ExoMars rover a tool helping to pave the way for human exploration of the red planet.
Astriums landmark plans for a new space jet capable of take-off from regular European airports such as London Luton and Stansted allows for four passengers to travel 60 miles up into space giving more than three minutes of zero G or weightlessness.

Read more