Space Future has been on something of a hiatus of late. With the concept of Space Tourism steadily increasing in acceptance, and the advances of commercial space, much of our purpose could be said to be achieved. But this industry is still nascent, and there's much to do. So...watch this space.
Right now, there are two types of people who go to space, astronauts and tourists. They're easily differentiated in one respect: tourists pay for their journey. But when you consider how hard these tourists have to work before merely setting foot on the
International Space Station (
ISS), you realize the word “tourist” is an oversimplification of the process that these adventurers currently undergo.
The International Astronautical Academy (IAA), the research arm of the
International Astronautical Federation (
IAF), is holding its first conference on private human space flight from May 28-30, 2008, in Arcachon, Bordeaux, France.