The Space Transportation Association based in Washington DC is one of the organisations putting most effort into changing official attitudes to space tourism, having been responsible for such historic steps as initiating and realising the historic NASA/STA joint study: General Public Space Travel and Tourism and holding the first space tourism conference in the USA (see below).

Much of the STA's activities are described in the 2 Newsletters that it publishes, and these have recently been put on-line - thereby greatly increasing their accessibility.

The Newsletter of STA's Space Travel & Tourism Division "Excelsior" (forever upward) is here.
The contents of the first three issues, edited by the Division's Executive Director Bob Haltermann are as follows:

Volume 1; Number 1; September 30, 1998
- Editorial, "The First Step To Human Expansion Into Space On A Large Scale"
- First Six Months Activities
- Policy Advisory Statement Regarding Tour Operator Customer Deposits

Volume 1; Number 2; March 31, 1999
- Winner of "Name the Newsletter" Contest
- Rotary Rocket Donates Future Seat to ST&TD
- Marketing Report

Volume 2, Number 1; September 30, 1999
- A Proposal to Make Space a Main Stream Public Issue Again
- Report on the First US Space Tourism Conference
- Space Tourism Presentation Given to Adventure Travel Society's World Congress
- The Need for Additional Division Funds

The STA's main newsletter "SpaceTrans" which covers STA's activities other than space tourism is now also online here.
Both are well worth reading!