The space station is for research not for joyriding. Russia has lost its credibility as a partner on the International Space Station.
I think it’s great. I would love to go into space. I’m fairly certain that I’m not going for any legit reasons. This gives me hope that if I play my cards right and make enough money, maybe it can happen, and that’s a wonderful thing. Lucky Tito.
This is perfect – Can anyone really think of a <i>better</i> way to fund the space program?
As far as I’m concerned, they should send up a tourist module and put 2 or 3 billionaires on every trip, at $20 million a pop. What a great way to accelerate the whole endeavor!
Going into space has got to top the list of things I would hate to do. I can barely take the NY-Washington shuttle flight as it is. Airsick, phobic, the whole nine. Perhaps Russia should look into finding wealthy people who feel the same way I do, and then threaten to send them into space unless they cough up $20 million. It would be groundbreaking in terms of both fundraising and extortion.
Having met SmackFu (and by the way, are you coming to the next NYC Dopefest? - a shameless plug for all you New Yorkers to check out the thread in MPSIMS), I would get a big charge out of having him in space. Do you think there’s a way for civilians to use the technology on board the station to send messages to the SDMB?
The more I think about this, the better I feel about it. I still don’t think it’s a great idea, but consider two positive effects:[list=1][li]The space program has become rather routine; shuttle launches and landings barely make the evening news or the front of the paper these days. Tito’s little joyride has brought what I think is much-needed press attention to the whole endeavor, and woken people up to the exciting possibilities ahead of us.[]Second, the routine nature of space work has made it seem to be not that difficult. People forget that hundreds and hundreds of people work their tails off for weeks and months to make each flight possible. Putting Tito on the station has real risks and serious dangers, and the fact that this has been an element of the press coverage has, in my opinion, emphasized a much-neglected element of the program: just how complicated and dangerous it really is.[]Yeah, hi Opal, yada yada.[/list=1]So, like I said, I don’t think it’s the best idea in the world, especially at this early stage, but it has some positive peripheral results.[/li]
(And I like meara’s idea of a tourist module. Instead of a flat $20M rate, they should simply say, “Two seats to the highest bidder, and you fully indemnify the space program.” They could seriously offset a large portion of the costs of the station, assuming $40M or more once a month. I mean, yeah, they’d run out of billionaires eventually, but soak 'em while you got 'em.)
I agree with Cervaises’ points. Furthermore, I think this as great moment in space history, one whose true importance is going unappreciated in the midst of the NASA/Russia rancor about the event.
-Tito is the first of (hopefully) many space tourists.
-He didn’t have any reason to go up except that he wanted to and had the dosh to do it. Enough to pay his way. This challenges the assumption that all people who will travel to space will be specially trained engineers and scientitsts doing boring research.
Indeed, if I was wealthy enough, I would gladly pay my way into space. Maybe the cost will come down enough that I actually could, without having to be a 32 year old NASA test pilot with several engineering degrees!
-He is, by all accounts, having a great time, and, barring some disaster, will become an evangelist and advocate for manned space travel when he returns to earth.
-Other tycoon types will want to follow his lead, decreasing the cost per human lifted into space, and increasing space travel’s popularity. The best thing I think could happen is to make a market for this kind of activity. If manned space travel becomes a money-making possibility, no matter what the reason, some company or country will fill the gap.
Good for the Russians for insisting on Tito’s trip, good for Tito for being bold and making it happen, and good for all of us who see another hurdle crossed on the path to human exploration of space.
Well, he’s back down, and he didn’t accidentally push the “Blow Up Station” button while he was up there or anything.
And, did anyone find John Glenn’s comments to be just a bit much, in light of Senator Glenn’s second space mission?
Ok, Johnny, thanks for sharing. AS long as someone worthy like you can go for a second mission, but everyone else has to stay on the planet, that’s alright.
If I had cash like Tito,i would pay for a trip in space like Tito’s, and no hot dogs on my menu, thanks!
Several people have said that space tourism is a good idea because it can help fund scientific missions. Can it really? I don’t have any numbers with me, but I wouldn’t think that one guy a month at 20 million a pop would really be a tremendous boost for NASA. Does someone have figures for Space Program budgets?
Total NASA Budget for FY 2002 is about $14.5 billion; human spaceflight accounts for just under $7.3 billion of that. $20 million would pretty much pay for the Inspector General’s office.