The 3rd annual Space Medicine Conference will be taking place on 30 September and 1 October 2006 in the UK National Space Centre in Leicester. Topics will include the medical implications of space tourism and surgical care in space.

by Carol Pinchefsky

A Business Week article describes what Italian space tourism advocate Dr. Pierluigi Polignano has written about space tourism.

According to the below press release, a Japanese entrepreneur will be heading toward the International Space Station some time in September; no word on the exact date. A woman, Anousheh Ansari, has joined the backup crew. There is also no news on if she will be traveling in her own right at a later time.

The New York Times has written an article about space fashion (registration required). In brief, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Rocketplane Ltd. are sponsoring a zero-gravity fashion competition "for clothes that look good in zero gravity. The best designs will appear in a fashion show in Tokyo this fall."

According to this CNN article, "The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing proposals from New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to be gateways for private space travel."

According to Business 2.0 magazine via CNN, even though suborbital tourism and space hotels do not currently exist, "[a]ll, however, have the potential to generate astronomical returns during the next decade."

by Carol Pinchefsky

Arlington, Va. – February 17, 2006 -- Space Adventures, Ltd., the world’s leading space experiences company, announced today its plans to develop a commercial spaceport in Ras Al-Khaimah (the UAE), with plans to expand globally. Other potential spaceport locations include Asia, specifically Singapore, and North America. The total estimated cost of the glob! al spaceport development project is at least $265 million (USD) and will be funded by various parties, along with shared investments by Space Adventures and the government of Ras Al-Khaimah. The company, which organized orbital flights for all of the world's private space explorers, also announces that His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al-Khaimah, along with the UAE Department of Civilian Aviation, have granted clearance to operate suborbital spaceflights in their air space.

According to a CNN article, NASA is looking to privatize its flight service to the International Space Station.