WASHINGTON -- The Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy has not dampened
the enthusiasm for the potential of space tourism, according to the
head of a company that has already sent one tourist to space.
"We have several people interested in going and several people
who will go," said Eric Anderson, president and chief executive of
Space Adventures, an Arlington, Va.-based tour company that
advocates space tourism.
In 2001, Anderson's company booked businessman Dennis Tito
aboard a Russian orbiter for a trip to the ultimate tourist
frontier. Tito spent seven days with U.S. and Russian astronauts
orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station.
Although first-space-tourist Tito's leisure excursion raised the
ire of NASA, by most accounts, it was a success, demonstrating that
space might no longer remain the sole realm of astronauts and
scientists.
Several aeronautics companies are developing next-generation
orbiters, which in several years could open the door to more space
tourism, Anderson said.
That's not as far-fetched as it might seem.
According to a 1998 report commissioned by NASA and the Space
Transportation Association, space tourism could be a $10 billion
industry.
The report noted that companies offering space travel vacations
would have to clear significant insurance hurdles, as well as
medical concerns such as counteracting the space sickness
vacationers might experience.
The report also emphasized that the space tourism industry could
be short-lived if there was a major disaster in space, particularly
if tourists were aboard.
The tragic explosion of the Columbia Space Shuttle on Feb. 1
claimed the lives of seven astronauts in a fiery blast that was
broadcast live on television to viewers around the world. It was a
terrible reminder that, while space travel had become a familiar,
almost non-event, it nevertheless carries significant risks. Risks
professional astronauts are fully aware of and accept. The question
remains whether an ordinary tourist would do the same.
In the wake of the Columbia explosion, Anderson said he
contacted several clients that had either booked or intended to
book passage to space.
"I was worried. I thought they would be scared," Anderson said.
"I spoke with them all and they are even more passionate about
completing their journey than they were before."
Regarding upcoming journeys, Travelers Advantage, a Norwalk,
Conn.-headquartered membership club that's affiliated with Cendant,
recently ran a promotion for an Edge of Space trip through partner
Space Adventures. The winner is to fly on a Russian MiG-25 "to the
edge of space" -- namely "above 99% of Earth's atmosphere."
"We have contacted the winner of the Travelers Advantage Edge of
Space sweepstakes and, within the next month, expect to set the
date for the winner's trip," a Travelers Advantage spokesman said.
"We have not changed our plans nor made any changes to the Edge of
Space trip offered by our partner, Space Adventures, as a result of
the Columbia accident."
"To date, [neither] Space Adventure nor the Russian Air Force
has made any changes in this flight," the spokesman said. "As
Americans, the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its
crew of seven has saddened all of us at Travelers Advantage. But we
do not feel it will dim the allure of space travel."
Meanwhile, space tourists, Anderson said, share astronauts'
passion for space travel.
"The kind of people that want to do this aren't scared," he
said. "They are early adapters. They are innovators" willing to pay
the $20 million it costs to follow in space tourist Tito's
footsteps.
Similarly, Anderson said his own enthusiasm for the potential of
space tourism also hasn't been dampened by the Columbia
tragedy.
"I was touched by [the statements made by] the families of the
astronauts that they knew the risks they were taking and the
greatest justice we can do them is to continue exploring space,"
Anderson said. "This is a reminder that space flight is risky. It
is a reminder in some of what we do. But that doesn't mean it is
not worth doing."
Space Adventures, co-founded by Anderson, was established in
1997 with travel experts and several former astronauts, including
Buzz Aldrin and Norm Thagard to "open the space frontier for
private explorers." In addition to its Arlington, Va.,
headquarters, Space Adventures has a Moscow office. It offers "edge
of space" flights, cosmonaut and space flight qualification
programs, and flights for private individuals into space.