Introduction
Today there is a hot debate regarding the future of space tourism because resent research findings indicate that the phenomenon mostly involves the wealthy corporate or individuals like Dennis Tito: the Californian Multi-Millionaire. Space tourism especially hotel and catering services is one of the main goal of large developing space ship companies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Scaled Composites, Blue Origin, and SpaceX.
The main detractor in this industry is the costs involved. Millionaires such as Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Anousheh Ansari, Charles Simonyi and, Greg Olsen have spent approximately $20 million for a couple of days tour to space. In line with Laliaberte Guy (1, 2009), the seventh private client to take a space adventure in September 30, 2009 in a poetic special mission to create public awareness regarding the “ONE DROP” foundation, the costs are quite high and therefore the characterized with the rich.
Probably the future aspiration of the investors is to make space tourism available at affordable rates with the aim of capturing the middle class. Some year back, people anticipated the emergence of space tour, today the goals shifts to space tourism thus the high growth expectations and experiences.
Background information of the space tourism predicament
The capability for space transportation has had very little advancement over the years to facilitate solutions to the big obstacle of space development. New programs and equipments are essential requirements to facilitate space development and access. The reasons why people suffer from high space tourism costs links to the availability of resources.
This means that companies launch space ships that are highly volatile and thus the disposals after only a few usages. Today, there is urgent need for an approach that will move to a more rational and affordable space visit program. The biggest challenge is the ability to come up with a more robust, highly reliable but frequently reusable space ship.
Thesis/Problem statement
The basis of this paper is on the future expectations of space tourism; it is an analysis of patterns and available perspectives into the key themes of the proposed innovative developments concerning infrastructure, technological advancement, and reusability of resources.
What is the partnership between the government and private sector? Does existence of collaboration enhance capabilities to make the development affordable and available to more willing participants? Hypothetically, the proposal takes the assumption that the future for Space tourism is a program for the rich and one of its key contributors on development advances.
The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the consequences and key concepts involved in the development of space tourism and eventually offer suggestions from the research findings on ways of reducing or eliminating the social, economical and emotional challenges behind the tourism sector.
Objectives of the study
The proposal will lay out needs for researching the background as well as future expectations of space tourism. It will specify the impact to the society as well as those involved in the assessment over the importance of the future endeavours and possible policy recommendations.
Significance of the study operations
The key topics to be covered in the research entails the focus over commercial architecture and the funding required for fostering implementation. The possibility to lower requirement for the developing space tourism and its drive towards lower transportation cost to avail the next generation of efficiency over operations.
What are the challenges faced by the International Space Station (ISS) with regards to cost overruns in facilitation of the key elements for starting the developmental phase? Which are the possible next-generation systems?
The Procedure of the Study/Research Methodology
The literature reviews of the research will enable better understanding of the topic and the research proposal enhances and quantifies the research as a study topic and prepares for respondents. Information collected will equally tabulate and assist in ranking the findings form broad areas and help to narrow the scope to the objectives of the study analysis. The analysis will then draw the conclusion from generally analyzed data in the literature review.
The research findings will entail data collected through websites of the concern companies as well as marketing companies in the study area, observation of the proceedings over the specified data collection period. For the study analysis, the collected data and studies conducted will discern patterns and formulate principles that might guide future action of the study subject.
In this case, study of space tourism the research checks the background information, progress, surveillance and examination of current state of matter and the involvement with other related cases.
The analysis of records regarding internal as well as external consequences is equally important. Comparison of various space tourism vehicles manufactured today offers better understanding and analysis results. Correlation-prediction will involve statistically correlation and prediction of coefficients between aspiring and involved tourists. The term paper will therefore attempt to find or describe space tourism principles and explain existing status or competitions and propose future direction for the industry.
Literature Review
The main issues prohibiting the launce of more available and affordable space shuttle for potential clients entail costs and markets. Considering production, initiating the new reusable space vehicles would be expensive considering there are only a small number of reusable units.
Secondly, the current technologies are equally expensive. Would large SRB reusable boosters for commercial purposes be economically justifiable? Would the system lower the cost? Is there a compromise over technology? Other major problem includes ability to pay up developmental and production costs in the aim of making a profit. Can the current markets economically justify the cost of space vehicle?
It is easy to imagine the exotic and elegance of the outer space comfort and cruise experience but in these orbital technologies and lifestyles, what markets are better to engage? In line with the Space Tourism Society (1, n.d), the marketing strategies would require knowledge over the facilities to include in the space such as hotels, and the products and services to sustain in such an awkward environments.
According to Futon Corporation (2005), an industrial leader for forecasting the markets related to space tourism, people like travelling and having fun and thus will be willing for the same in spaceships. Currently, the race over space tourism is between commercial enterprises.
Upon the first commercial trip by Dennis Tito aboard a “Soyuz TM-32,” (Shayler, 1), in 2004 “British aviator-financier Richard Branson announced the launch of Virgin Galactic, a company which aimed at use of Spaceship One technology, with hopes of launching sub-orbital flights by 2008”. This race for space tourism was evident with the launch of the “Virgin Galactic’s space vehicles.”
This is a positive step since it has hybrid rocket motor power for enhancing reusability due to high amount of control it avails the pilots over landing. According to Virgin Galactic, for the size of such a space ship, it has the ability to perform by manoeuvring over great heights (Virgin Galactic, 1).
Today most governments fail to recognize the potential of space tourism investment as prospective “revenue generating tax base or a drive to greater market drive for next generation” (Whalen, 3).
However, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has greater initiative programs for generating reports over procedures to reduce risks and availing architectural requirements that meet the future generation space vehicles. The aim for space advancement has been a race between the Soviet Union and United States since 1957 when Soviet launched “Sputnik 1” (Siddiqi, 1).
Nations such as China are in a position of increasing competition over exploration of space tourism. Their funding may be excessively low in comparison to ESA and NASA but they have a success basis concerning “Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6.”
Conclusion
The space tourism industry is similar to the past airline history. There are many potential passengers willing to venture the sector or participate and the governments should therefore consider this as an eminent opportunity to solve the current costly space access inconveniences.
If the corporation between the private sector and the government is able to drive admission charges to a lower level with the aim of encouraging rebirth of a new arena that encourages commerce and industry, then there will be a great utilization of the space opportunities for growth. The space tourism is an identified market niche that might catalyze utilization of infrastructure in space especially due to future discoveries.
Work Cited
Futron Corporation. “Space Tourism Market Study orbital space travel & destinations with suborbital space travel.” Wisconsin, Bethesda, Maryland, MD. 2002. Web.
Shayler, David J. “Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft.” Rex Hall Associates Limited, London, 2003.
Siddiqi, Asif A. “Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge.” Florida, FL. University Press Publishers. 2003.
Space Tourism Society. “The Orbital Lifestyle.” A non-profit visionary space experience research and design organization. (n.d). Retrieved from <http://spacetourismsociety.org/>.
Virgin Galactic. “Spaceships: Virgin Galactic’s Vehicles.” (n.d). Retrieved from <https://www.virgingalactic.com/>.
Whalen, David J. “Communications Satellites: Making the Global Village Possible.”
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 2007. Retrieved from <https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/satcomhistory.html>.