Welcome to Space Future. This site is for everyone who wants to go to space.
Learn about Space Tourism, see some of the proposed Space Vehicles, find out about the legal, medical, and environmental aspects of our Space Habitat, or discover the potential of Space Power.
Visit the Archive of papers and publications or browse the Space Future Journal for current news and features.
About Space Future
Radio interviews with Space Future's founders and correspondents:
- Patrick Collins
The Space Show #1000
August 2008 [MP3] - Patrick Collins
The Space Show #300
January 2005 [MP3] - Gail Leatherwood
The Space Show #245
August 1 2004 [WMA] - Patrick Collins
The Space Show #100
March 2003 [WMA] - Peter Wainwright
The Space Show #98
February 2003 [WMA] - Patrick Collins
The Space Show #1
June 2001 [WMA]
Here are some key documents from the archive to get you started:
- What the Growth of a Space Tourism Industry Could Contribute to Employment, Economic Growth, Environmental Protection, Education, Culture and World Peace
- Space Tourism Market Demand and the Transportation Infrastructure
- General Public Space Travel and Tourism
- Artificial Gravity and the Architecture of Orbital Habitats
- Prospects of Space Tourism
More Documents
| Published: | February 2007 |
| Author: | |
| Origin: | The Aeronautical Journal , February 2007. Paper No. 3102. Manuscript received 31 May 2006, revised 24 October 2006 accepted 29 January 2007. This is the latest in a series of invited survey papers focusing on a specific aspect of the aerospace industry. |
| Editor: | |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses new commercial opportunities in space. The main conclusion is that spaceplanes can reduce the cost of human transport to orbit sufficiently for large new commercial markets to develop. Combining the reusability of spaceplanes with the high traffic levels of space tourism offers the prospect of a thousandfold reduction in the cost per seat to orbit. The result will be airline operations to orbit involving dozens of spaceplanes, each capable of one or two flights per day. These low costs will make possible a rapid expansion of space science and exploration.
The prototype of a small orbital spaceplane, needed to trigger this line of development, could be developed in about six years at a cost comparable to one or two flights of the Space Shuttle. It might be possible to progress from this prototype to airline operations within ten years, given a massive development effort. |
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| Keywords: | Tourism:Economics , Vehicles:Economics |
