Text by:Bruce Khan

No longer limited to astronauts, space travel is moving from science fiction to reality for those who have seen it all on Earth, Bruce Kahn writes

Text by:Bruce Khan

Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars ….” are the opening lyrics of a popular song made famous by American entertainer Frank Sinatra. It was published when the thought of going to the Moon was a dream, purely science fiction. However, as technology advanced, the dream became a reality in 1957, when Russia launched the first artificial satellite orbiting the Earth. On July 20, 1969, U.S. astronauts landed on the Moon.

During the last 60 years, unmanned probes have been sent toward all of the planets in the Solar System, as well as to many satellites, asteroids and comets. Spacecraft have soft-landed moon land rovers and have driven over the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. More than 500 people have also flown in space, 20 people have travelled to the Moon, and 12 of them have walked on its surface. Space stations have been built, and astronauts have learned to live and work in space for months or years at a time.

For anyone who grew up in the late ’50s, early ’60s, and ’70s, space exploration was the hottest topic in the news and school science classes. Many students, boys and girls alike, wanted to become astronauts when they grew up. Many still have a secret desire to fly in space. My own intense desire to travel has always included going up into space. So when I heard about “Space Tourism,” the wanderlust from within began to surface again and it gave me itchy feet.

Yes, the tourism industry has invaded outer space. “Space Tourism” describes the new industry in which ordinary people can buy tickets to travel to space and back. Over the past few years, a growing amount of professional work has been done on the subject, and it’s now clear that setting up commercial space-tourism services is a realistic target for business today. There are tour companies that not only provide flights but also will take reservations for hotels that are expected to be built in 20 to 30 years and will also sell you travel insurance.

The most prominent of the new space tourism companies is Virgin Galactic, owned by British businessman and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Virgin Galactic is offering flights just beyond the space barrier on a rocket ship it has built. The flight features five minutes of weightlessness during a two-and-a-half-hour flight into space. Before Virgin Galactic, other companies offered flights, but they were limited to the ultra- wealthy who paid tens of millions of dollars for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket. With Virgin Galactic, which charges a “mere”$200,000 a seat, the flight is open to far more people.

More than 500 people have already placed reservations on a Virgin Galactic flight that will take them 62 miles out of the Earth´s atmosphere. It is expected that as other business tycoons invade this new market, competition will cause ticket prices to drop. There are more than 50 accredited space travel agents worldwide who can take your reservation in one of several different types of programs. And just like any other trip you can also purchase travel insurance, just in case you encounter any unexpected circumstances.

While the first flights have not formally taken off, research, test flights and program development is moving at a galactic speed. At the same time Space Agents are accepting reservations with $20,000 deposits (refundable), and the waiting list for a flight into space is growing. .

While it´s not for everybody, a flight into space is the gift for the person who has everything!

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