So You Want to Be a Space Tourist? Here Are
Your Options
by Adam Mann / Jul.21.2017 /11:30 AM ET
Though we’ve been living in the Space Age for more
than half a century, going into space remains an extreme
rarity. Fewer than 600 people have gone above the Kármán
line — the point, about 62 miles above Earth, that marks the
beginning of space — and all were put there by the U.S. or
another nation's government.
But the rise of private spaceflight companies like Virgin Galactic
and Space X means that the final frontier may soon
be within reach of a great many more of us. The firms have
announced plans to put private astronauts, a.k.a. space tourists,
on orbital or suborbital flights within the next few years.
Initially, the cost of a ride on one of these rockets will be
hundreds of thousands of dollars at a minimum. That puts
the experience within reach of only the wealthiest people.
But advances in rocket and capsule design are expected
to lower the price to the point that people of more modest
fortunes are able to afford a ticket.
Some projections put the global space tourism market at
approximately $34 billion by 2021.
What Space Tourists Can Expect
What exactly is in store for space tourists? The excitement
of a rocket ride and a chance to experience weightlessness,
for starters. And the bragging rights are hard to beat. But
some say the biggest benefit of going into space is getting
a dramatic new outlook on life on the fragile blue marble we
call home. It’s a perspective shift that could have profound
implications not just for individuals but also for society at
large.
“I personally believe the planetary perspective is going to
be crucial to solving humanity’s biggest challenges over the
next century,” says Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides.
“I’m inspired that we’ll take people up so they can experience
that view, which is said to change your world view in a
fundamental way.”
Adapted from: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/so-you-want-be-space-tourist-here-are-your-options-ncna784166
Glossary
weightlessness: ausência de peso; bragging rights: direito
de gabar-se; to afford: poder comprar.
According to the text (paragraph 3), advances in
rocket and capsule design technology are expected to