Space Tourism: Adventures in Earth Orbit and Beyond

Michel van Pelt

Springer Science & Business Media, Mar 9, 2005 - Science - 217 pages

Many scientific papers and popular articles have been written on the topic of space tourism, describing everything from expected market sizes to the rules of 3-dimensional microgravity football. But what would it actually feel like to be a tourist in space, to be hurled into orbit on top of a controlled explosion, to float around in a spacecraft, and to be able to look down on your hometown from above the atmosphere?

Space tourism is not science fiction anymore, Michel van Pelt tells us, but merely a logical step in the evolution of space flight. Space is about to be opened up to more and more people, and the drive behind this is one of the most powerful economic forces: tourism. Van Pelt describes what recreational space travel might look like, and explains the required space technology, the medical issues, astronaut training, and the possibilities of holidays to destinations far, far away.

This is a book for everyone who has ever dreamed of traveling to space: a dream which, according to van Pelt, may not be so far from becoming a reality.

Contents

• BEFORE THE FLIGHT: 11
• THE EXPERIENCE BEGINS: 12
• SELECTION FOR SPACEFLIGHT: 15
• WHEN CAN YOU GO?: 28
• SAFETY FIRST: 37
• RADIATION: 42
• BACK IN THE ATMOSPHERE: 44
• LANDING: 45
• GETTING READY: 47
• SAFETY: 49
• SPACEFLIGHT THEORY: 53
• MEDICAL ISSUES: 54
• THE THIRD DAY: 57
• EVA TRAINING: 62
• CENTRIFUGE AND WATER LANDING SURVIVAL: 64
• ASTRONAUTS AT SCHOOL: 69
• TRAINING PROGRAM: 71
• PREPARING THE SPACECRAFT: 73
• LAUNCH: 83
• THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT: 91
• MAKING IT AFFORDABLE: 99
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPACEPLANES: 102
• REUSABILITY: 107
• FINANCING THE FUTURE: 112
• NUCLEAR ROCKETS LASER CRAFT AND SPACE ELEVATORS: 114
• IN ORBIT: 121
• EARTH ORBIT: 123
• ACTIVITIES IN MICROGRAVITY: 126
• THE FREEDOM FLYER: 131
• GOING OUTSIDE: 135
• SPACE STATIONS GIANT CANS AND WHEELS IN THE SKY: 139
• HOTELS IN SPACE?: 145
• Checking in at a 2040+ space hotel: 147
• MICROGRAVITY SPORTS AND RECREATION: 149
• SPACE LOVING: 152
• SPACE FOOD: 154
• SWEET DREAMS: 159
• PETS IN SPACE: 162
• THE END OF THE TOUR: 165
• RETURNING FROM SPACE: 171
• SPACEDIVING: 175
• PUTTING YOUR FEET BACK ON THE GROUND: 177
• SOUVENIRS: 179
• TO THE MOON MARS AND BEYOND: 181
• FLY ME TO THE MOON: 182
• Lunar activities: 184
• Reaching the moonbase: 187
• MARS VACATION: 189
• SPACE COLONIES: 192
• MORE DISTANT WORLDS: 193
• Venus: 194
• Asteroids and comets: 195
• The constraints of distance: 196
• THE ROAD AHEAD: 201
• COST AND SAFETY: 203
• BE A SPACE TOURIST NOW: 205
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 207
• INDEX: 213

Popular passages

Page 5 - With all the arguments, pro and con, for going to the moon, no one suggested that we should do it to look at the Earth. But that may in fact be the most important reason.

Page 5 - To fly in space is to see the reality of Earth, alone. The experience changed my life and my attitude towards life itself. I am one of the lucky ones.

About the author

Michel van Pelt is involved in studies on future reusable spaceplanes, vehicles envisioned to be used for future space tourism businesses.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Space Tourism: Adventures in Earth Orbit and Beyond; Copernicus Series
• Author: Michel van Pelt
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media, 2005
• ISBN: 0387402136, 9780387402130
• Length: 217 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Sky Observation; Science / Astronomy; Science / Physics / Astrophysics