Space Future has been on something of a hiatus of late. With the concept of Space Tourism steadily increasing in acceptance, and the advances of commercial space, much of our purpose could be said to be achieved. But this industry is still nascent, and there's much to do. So...watch this space.
It seems that space tourism is becoming a topic of interest in the mainstream press. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times 'Gearing Up for the New Race to Space' discusses the X-Prize and how it's competitors will soon allow anyone to fly into space:
Recently Alcestis "Cooky" Oberg wrote a great opinion editorial piece on space tourism and commercial space which got national visibility in USA Today newspaper (read by many business travelers). She allowed Keith Cowing at NASA Watch to reprint the article on his web site:
Georgia pilot determined to rocket into aviation history
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article about the pilot for Advent Launch Services. Vaughn Cordle holds 44 world aviation records, all from passenger planes. He wants to be the first civilian pilot to fly into space. Advent's launch vehicle will be named the Mayflower II.
Platforms International Corporation Joins the Growing List of Private Launchers
A new commercial launch contender, Platforms International Corporation, has just put out a press release announcing their new space division. It was mentioned in Yahoo's Business Wire:
Until recently pointedly ignored by the "space establishment", the subject of space tourism continues to get discussed more and more seriously and frequently. In the February 9-15 issue of
Space News it appeared in two separate articles.