positive space travel

18 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Space Exploration

President Donald Trump announced his desire in 2018 to create a sixth branch of the U.S. military that he colloquially called the Space Force. Although Congress has yet to act on this desire to take the armed forces beyond the atmosphere of our planet, in February 2019, Trump signed Space Policy Directive 4 to have these forces organize underneath the umbrella of the U.S. Air Force.

The directive formally allows the Air Force to organize, train, and equip a corps of military space personnel for actions that take place in space. “Today I’m thrilled to sign a new order taking the next step to create the United States Space Force,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “It’s so important. When you look at defense, when you look at all of the other aspects of where the world will be some day. I mean, this is the beginning. This is a very important process.”

The initial version of the Space Force will be overseen by a civilian undersecretary and a four-star general serving as the Chief of Staff. Although this structure is not as ambitious as having a separate branch of the military, space exploration experts feel like this is a step in the right direction.

The pros and cons of exploring space are complex simply because we have limited knowledge of what lies beyond our solar system. There are still mysteries to discover about our own planet! These are the key points to consider when we begin to look at what life might look like in the vastness of space.

List of the Pros of Space Exploration

1. It is an opportunity which is available to anyone. If you have a telescope, then you have an opportunity to start exploring space. For more than 300 years, we have looked to the stars with this technology as a way to learn more about our planet and ourselves as a species. When the Hubble space telescope was launched in 1990, it gave us our first views without atmospheric interference on what the vastness of our universe was like.

With millions of images taken and tens of thousands of papers written based on the observations made from simple telescope technologies, we have learned more about the structure of our universe, its age, and the composition of our solar system in the last 20 years than our ancestors would have ever dreamed was possible.

2. It gives us an opportunity to foster genuine cooperation. Because we are a world of nation states, the investments that we make in space exploration tend to have a patriotic feeling to them. Some efforts in this scientific area are still nationally-based, but for most projects there is a spirit of cooperation between the countries of the world who have made this realm of science a top priority. We work together as the human race to operate the international space station, fund research projects, and look outward beyond the stars to see what is there. It is one of the few areas in our lives today where we set aside our boundaries to work together toward a common good.

3. It is an effort which requires us to become innovative. The 100-year Starship Program has the ultimate goal of creating a technology that will allow us to explore space. No idea is off-limits with this project. What we have found in our quest to achieve specific goals in this area of science is that there are numerous discoveries which become possible to improve our lives here at home. Everything from athletic shoes to water purification systems came about because of our push to look beyond our planet. By tackling the technological needs to stay safe in space, we can make life better for everyone down on our planet at the same time.

4. It is an opportunity to explore something new. Although there are still regions of our planet that we rarely study because of technology limitations, the vastness of the universe is a much more significant prize. Only the Voyager spacecraft have gone beyond the first boundaries of our solar system. The information they provide us nearly four decades after their launch continues to enlighten our knowledge of the universe. There are so many unanswered questions when we think about space, especially now that scientists can determine which stars have planets orbiting around them.

Is there life somewhere else in the universe? If so, would those beings look like us? There are numerous technological barriers we must cross before we could travel for long distances in the vacuum of space, but we are getting one step closer every day.

5. It creates numerous employment opportunities in a variety of fields. There are more than 18,000 people employed in the United States by NASA, along with countless contractors, freelancers, and specialists not counted in those figures. The private company SpaceX provides about 7,000 full-time high-skill positions that support the economy. Then there are the astronauts, engineers, and flight specialists who manage the actual mechanisms of space flight to consider.

Numerous indirect employment opportunities are possible because of our efforts at space exploration too. We need caterers, designers, nutritionists, personal trainers, astronomers, scientists, and many other positions to support these activities. Even though the budget for NASA is $21 billion for FY 2020, the economic returns can be five times greater because of these activities.

6. It allows us to understand our planet better. When we can observe the full scale of our planet from a high orbital position, then we can see changes that are not always possible from the ground. It gives us a way to track the changes to our environment, study ozone depletion, and measure the impacts of a warming planet. We can provide accurate prediction models for weather patterns, observe troop movements, and install safety equipment that guards against an attack. When we take full advantage of this benefit, it becomes possible to create a place in the universe that is healthier for many years to come.

7. It gives us a new perspective on our place in the universe. It took several centuries for the scientific world (back by religious zealots) to accept the fact that the Earth was not the center of the universe. When we saw that first picture from a distance of what our planet looks like from a distant point in our solar system, it became clear to see that a small, pale blue dot in the middle of the vastness of our universe puts our daily issues into a new perspective. Until we discover otherwise, this is the only home that we have. It is up to each of us to share resources, reduce conflict, and work toward a common good.

8. It allows us to identify potential dangers before they strike. The asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars is only one source for these deadly rocks in our solar system. There may even be threats that travel through the universe to interact with our region of space from time-to-time. It would only take one significant impact to change life on our planet forever, which is why space exploration makes threat identification a top priority. If we can locate and move threatening asteroids or comets before they threaten an impact, we could stop the apocalypse before it ever gets a chance to begin.

9. It would give us access to new minerals, precious metals, and other useful items. Thanks to the asteroids which occasionally make it to the surface of our planet, we know that many of them contain iron and carbon. We also know that there is nickel, cobalt, silicon, magnesium, calcium, and several other elements present. Some might have water or oxygen contained beneath their surface. There may even be gold, platinum, and other precious metals there. We might even discover something that we’ve never encountered before.

Space exploration gives us an opportunity to access new mineral resources, allowing for the privatization of this venture. It would also give us an opportunity to start building in space because the raw materials are easy to haul and transport.

10. It gives us an opportunity to see what lies beyond in the final frontier. Unless circumstances change somehow, there will come a point in time when our species will outgrow our planet. We must begin to look for colonization opportunities in our solar system and beyond to help support the future of our race. As our scientific and technological discoveries begin to open up opportunities to visit distant stars, we can start to discover even more mysteries that will help us to answer the meaningful questions in life.

11. It could change our approach to medicine. Discovering new organic elements in space could help us to discover cures for some of our worst diseases. We really don’t know what is possible in our universe beyond the scope of basic physics. There could be untold treasures just waiting beyond our solar system to discover. Although there is always an element of risk to any exploration venture, there are great rewards often waiting for those who embrace their courage to start pressing forward. At the rate of development that we’ve seen in the 21st century, we could be looking at a very different human race in our children’s lifetimes based on the possibilities of discovery.

List of the Cons of Space Exploration

1. It could cause us harm or provide harm to other species in space. We know from experience what happens when one group of humans comes into contact with another group after generations of isolation. The diseases that transferred back and forth between Europe and the New World devastated some cultures. There were times that smallpox would kill over 90% of the local population by itself. If we encounter life on a different planet (or if they visit us), the threat of disease transmission is real. Their viruses, bacteria, and potentially unknown invaders could do as much damage to us as we could to do them. First contact would be an exciting experience, but it could also be a deadly one even though no one has any ill intent toward the other.

2. It creates high-level pollution events. We must consume fossil fuels when we launch rockets into space, which means we’re creating a significant level of pollution every time we expend fuel for exploration purposes. Even on a light load, it costs about $300,000 to fuel a rocket. Larger models could hold a half-million gallons of fuel that would be used during an entire mission. That means we are creating roughly 4 million pounds of carbon pollution with every action that we take to reach space. Then we must find a way to place these fuels safely into orbit to make our exploration efforts useful, creating even further potential problems for our atmosphere.

3. It gives us more ways to be paranoid about what others are doing. There are only five treaties which currently govern how we operate in space. Our original goal as the human race was to make it so that no one could claim a territory in orbit or our solar system that could give one nation a distinctive advantage. The creation of a Space Force could work to upset the balance that we’ve worked to create for the last 50 years. We’re already using satellites to spy on one another, monitor communications networks, and potentially target cities with weapons.

This paranoia will only increase as we push further into the stars. The only real solution to this disadvantage is to start thinking of ourselves as a planetary nation instead of one that is built on nation-states alone.

4. It will create a large amount of garbage that we must manage. Did you know that NASA tracks over a half-million pieces of space junk that orbits our planet right now? Unless we physically remove these items in some way, this garbage will linger until it falls into our atmosphere to burn up. Every item we leave behind creates a future risk for someone else. If we are going to start exploring space, then we must begin to look at ways to clean up our act before we get going. It’s bad enough that we’ve polluted our oceans with microplastics. Should a spaceship encounter that debris, it could be a deadly experience.

5. it may cause our planet to face unknown perils. A common theme in many science-fiction novels, shows, and movies is the idea that an alien race is hostile towards us. It is widely believed that water may be one of the scarcest commodities in the universe, but here we are with a planet that is more than 70% water. If we start venturing out beyond our solar system, it is entirely possible that we could encounter a species who decides that our resources are ripe for the taking. We assume that an advanced culture who could invent real-time space travel would be peaceful, but there are no guarantees. Exploring space could become an invitation for interstellar war.

6. It will always entail risk. Human beings were not meant to be in the vacuum of space. We must wear extensive protective gear to survive those conditions. Even one small leak or crack in a helmet or suit would be enough to create an adverse health condition. This issue applies to the planetary environments which we know of right now as well. Then there are the health issues to consider when the human body experiences a lack of gravity for an extended time.

NASA studied identical twins Scott and Mark Kelly when Scott took a long trip to space. Scientists monitored their bodies to see how being in a weightless environment could change the physical chemistry of a person. They discovered that genomic instability occurs, including gene expression changes, and spending a year in that environment caused a thickening of the carotid artery, DNA damage, and reduced cognitive abilities.

7. It is expensive to start exploring space. Even though the budget for NASA has not changed that much in recent years, we are spending about $200 billion per decade on our current space exploration efforts. Privatization of the industry has helped to reduce some costs, especially as SpaceX continues to work on a recoverable rocket. When you add in the costs from other countries and their space programs, our planet spends about $60 billion per year on this effort. In comparison, the United Nations suggests that it would only take half of that amount to end global hunger permanently. Should exploring space be our top priority if we’re struggling to take care of ourselves here at home?

When we examine these space exploration pros and cons, there is a certain nobleness to the idea of seeking what lies beyond the next horizon. Our society was built on the desire to explore the planet where we live. Now our culture has the itch to start pushing beyond the next boundary. Whether that means we colonize the moon, establish a community on Mars, or push toward Alpha Centauri, there is something waiting to be discovered. We’re closer than ever before to finding out what that might be.

Everything you need to know about ZED travel

Non-rev travel is the best job perk in the world. How can you not love the ability to jump on a flight whenever your airline has an open seat available ? Surely it would take years to visit every destination that your airline flies to, but you might eventually feel limited by your own network. 

Fear not, fellow nonrev! Today, we dive into the world of ZED travel where your standby privileges extend to other airlines besides your own (some that you have never even heard of before). 

What is ZED travel?

ZED, short for Zonal Employee Discount , is a set of agreements between hundreds of partner airlines that allow their employees to book discounted plane tickets on each other’s aircraft.

Put simply, an airline employee (and sometimes their guests) can buy discounted tickets on another airline as long as the two airlines have a ZED agreement in place. 

ZED ticket fares are broken into three fare buckets (Low, Medium, and High) to determine how large the discount will be. Depending on the agreements your airline has in place, these ZED tickets can be either standby or positive-space seating. For most U.S.-based airline employees, you can expect your ZED tickets to be NRSA only.

Why should you look for ZED fares?

So now that you know what ZED fares are, it is important to understand why you may need to utilize this type of ticket when traveling.

There are two main reasons why a non-rev might elect to book a ZED ticket on another airline:

• The airport they are heading to/from is not served by their own airline so they need to fly on a different airline to reach their destination
• The airport they are heading to/from does not have any open seats on their own airline so they need to fly on a different airline to secure a seat

My very first ZED flight was a fifth-freedom flight from SCL to EZE on Air Canada while I was hopping around South America on a wine-tasting trip. I have also had the pleasure of flying legs on Iberia & Alaska to visit airports that I couldn’t get to on my own airline. US-based non-revs can take solace in the fact that many international airlines don’t oversell their flights, so open seats can be easier to come by.

No matter how large your airline’s route map is, ZED travel opens up a world of new possibilities for non-rev travelers. 

Which airlines have ZED agreements?

As of January 2021 , ZED MIBA reported a total of 222 member companies (with an additional 37 partial partners) in their network. Virtually every large- & mid-size airline around the world is connected by some sort of ZED agreement.

It is important to remember that being a member airline is just the first step. As an employee (or non-rev passrider), you will also need to confirm whether or not your airline has a bilateral agreement in place with any other airline you are considering flying with.

For example: Frontier Airlines has a very unique set of established agreements when compared with airlines like Southwest or American. A Frontier employee will have very different ZED options in their portal when compared with the airlines available to a Southwest employee.

Your airline should have a section in the employee site that clearly spells out which airlines are bookable in your ZED portal.

Where can I book ZED tickets?

Every airline has a different process for employees who want to book ZED fares. There is no one-size-fits-all solution here.

MyIDTravel is one of the most popular tools that airlines use for their ZED agreements. Many airlines still use this portal to allow their employees to buy ZED tickets. This is the service that my airline uses to support leisure travel on other airlines.

ID90Travel , a service that provides interline discounts to airline employees, recently added a ZED flight listing tool to their own app. A smaller number of airlines currently have agreements in place with this app, but it has a nicer interface (and more accurate flight load data) than myIDTravel.

Check your airline’s ZED travel policies to understand which website(s) are available to you.

How do I know if there will be an available seat on my ZED flight?

Both MyIDTravel & ID90Travel display recent load factor information. This helps users determine the likelihood of getting a space-available seat assignment.

Each of these portals displays the information in different ways. Here is a quick breakdown to help you better understand the information shared:

MyIDTravel , the most prevalent booking portal for ZED ticketing, uses a smiley face system to rate how open or full a flight is:

• Happy Green Face : flight loads are wide open
• Serious Yellow Face : there are some seats available
• Sad Red Face : there are little to no seats available

However, MyIDTravel’s smiley system is notoriously clunky. The good news is the site also allows you to see how many seats are available in each fare bucket. 

In general, airline fare classes fall under the following categories that you can see in the MyIDTravel screenshot below:

• Economy : Y , B, H, K, M, L, V, S, N, Q, O  
• Business : J , C, D, I,  Z
• First : F , R, A

In practice, most ZED travelers are really only worried about the bolded “Y” fare. Y is the industry standard for economy/coach class tickets. Since most ZED agreements default to space-available bookings in economy, the number of seats available in Y should give you an idea of if there are open seats.

Using this Iberia flight as an example, I can see that this LHR-MAD flight has at least 9 seats available in economy. MyIDTravel never plugs a double-digit number in this field, so we can interpret “Y9” to mean “there are 9+ seats available in economy class”.

MyIDTravel does not show users the standby list for each flight, but I would feel confident that I would get a seat assignment on this Iberia flight based on this screenshot. 

I D90Travel uses a different approach with their app-based interface. Instead of giving you a peek into the number of seats available by fare class, their app provides an estimated range of available seats in economy.

The below example shows a United ORD-IAH flight that has “5% or fewer [seats] available” in economy class. ID90Travel also provides a link to show you the Stand-by List (although I have never found this feature to populate data).

How much do ZED tickets cost?

The ZED agreement negotiated between your airline & the airline you want to fly determines the price you will pay for your ticket. ZED pricing is split into three fare tiers: low, medium, and high. ZED Low fare is your cheapest option and is often reserved for alliance/strategic airline partners.

Additionally, ZED tickets are priced by segment. A nonstop JFK-MAD ticket is cheaper than a JFK-MAD routing with a DUB layover (assuming both tickets are priced within the same ZED fare bucket).

After taking the ZED fare bucket, the airline’s base fare & any taxes/fees (like those imposed by governments or airports) determine your ticket price. For reference, a one-way ZED Medium ticket from the west coast of the US to Europe currently costs no more than $200. 

Seasoned non-rev travelers may know that there is open proposal to update the ZED ticketing buckets with 2 new “super” fare classes:

• Super Low Fare : 25% less than ZED Low fare
• Super High Fare : 125%-250% cost of MT fare (increases on a scale of flight segment length)

These ZED fares were proposed in early 2021, so keep an eye out on these in the future.

How do I travel once I have purchased a ZED ticket?

Because every airline has unique ticketing & listing policies, it is important to look up the latest info on http://www.flyzed.info/ each time you want to travel. In addition to the FlyZED site (which is updated by individual airlines), your own employee portal may have airline-specific guidelines as well.

In my experience, getting ticketed is just the first step. Making your actual flight listing may require an online (or in-person) check-in process. Here are a few examples from my ZED travel adventures:

• Iberia (MAD-GRX): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and presented my e-ticket number to the IB ticket counter in Madrid where I was immediately assigned a confirmed boarding pass.
• Alaska Airlines ( SJC -DAL): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and checked in at the ticket counter to receive my standby boarding pass.
• Air Canada (SCL-EZE): I booked my ZED ticket through MyIDTravel and presented my e-ticket number to the AC ticket counter in Santiago where I was handed a standby boarding pass.

Make sure to read your ticketing airline’s directions carefully so you don’t miss a step! 

Final Thoughts on ZED Travel

ZED travel is an amazing way to expand your non-rev possibilities. Whether you want to travel to an international destination that isn’t in your airline’s network or just need an alternative route because your own flight filled up, ZED travel gives non-revs a ton of flexibility.

Learning your own airline’s rules & policies can take some time, so it’s no wonder that ZED travel is intimidating. Don’t let that discourage you from trying! If you need additional help, the airline’s ticket counter staff are a wonderful resource. Just make sure to announce that you are an airline employee who wants to list on a ZED fare so they know exactly what you need!

Have you flown on a ZED fare before? Let us know what tips & tricks you have for fellow airline employees who want to take their first ZED flight!

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68 thoughts on “Everything you need to know about ZED travel”

As you mentioned on MyIDTravel in case it displats “Y9” there 9+ seats available….would this be the same logic used for Business Class Zed tickets as well?

Exactly right! For business class, you will want to check the J fare class. “J9” would indicate that there are at least 9 open seats in business class.

do you happen to know what XC means through southwest?

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Which zed airlines offer business or first class listings?

It depends on what agreements your airline has signed other other carriers, so it will vary for a lot of people. That said, we have heard plenty of stories of nonrevs getting upgraded by crew after boarding!

If there are business open seats can you ask for that seat or do you just go where the ticket agent places you?

how about Southwest X9? 9+ seats?

Hey Scott at SWA the X class of service is our non-revenue class. Like a companion pass ticket in which someone just pays the taxes.

If there is an option on ID90 to list for 1st class and coach can you list for both and get a refund on the one you don’t use?

i am American airline employee, booked ticket on Turkish airline through myIDTravel. It says no listing required on Turkish Airline, first come first serve on the day of travel at Turkish airline counter at the airport. When I showed my ticket Turkish employee told me there is no information in their computer. I showed them my booking on myIDtravel but still they could not found it. Later they handover to their supervisor and he printed my boarding pass. On the way back at Istanbul I faced same problem and after talked to many related people they said they don’t have any information. I have to come back so I bought full price ticked at the airport. I called american airlines and they told me my booking is good and it is in AA system, while Turkish airlines said there is nothing.

Do you have any idea why it happened and how to solve this problem in future.

This one is easy. Sabre does not generate a pnr in the unique TK CRS. Once you have your ticket issued , all you need is the ticket number. In Istanbul there is a special counter for staff travel.In smaller airports approach the more knowledgeable staff at the business class counter. Once you give them the ticket number , The agent builds the TK pnr right there and issues the boarding pass.That is why there is no listing with TK and the PNR used to issue your AA 001 ticket is a ghost PNR which does not generate a PNR with TK. Good luck next time!

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Hello, I would like to know the actual costs an airline has to pay to be part of myID service and how they can be part of it. The current company I work for has no such agreement and I wondered how they could apply. Thank you

For 1 st coupon -no seats, i bought a tkt for this segm. Can i use 2 nd coupon with OK status of 1 st coupon? Thank You

What ZED fare should I purchase for standby on premium economy on LX. I checked the availability and there is only few business class seats left but plenty premium economy seats are available. Should I purchase ZED business or should I purchase ZED economy?

Hi there. What is the best way to handle exceeding baggage weight limits with ZED? I am flying DFW-EZE-AEP-PSS with AA on the international and AR on the intra-Argentina flight. My 2 bags will not meet the 1 bag 33 pound request. Any help to forego a huge fee?

Hi could you advise if you can raise a baggage claim on a ZED fare my bags went to DFW and we weren’t able to board the flight due to loads ! AA are refusing the claim as a ZED fare but we didn’t get bags for 3 days so stuck in LAS with no luggage and needed essential items? Any advice would be great thanks !

Hi. I’m an IATA member airline retired person. Does any airlines gives zed ticket for employees children.

Southwest X9 what does this mean?

Can my children, age 19-22, travel by themselves on a ZED fare?

Hi, I am retired from an airline . I have a question. I have a son age us 23 years old. I could get ZED ticket from other airlines for my son . But this year because of get 23 years old his rights finished. My question is if my single brother or sister has rights to get ticket from other airlines without any age of limitation. Why my son not rights to have ZED ticket. It doesn’t make sence . And is there any airlines give ticket over 23 years old son or daughter. If you answer my question I’ll be appreciated.

question regarding proposed change to zed fare buckets. I’m with ua and present we have zl with several carriers that allow us to purchase business zed fares at a higher rate. Would those rates dramatically increase under the 2 bucket proposal?

Hello, I am allowed to book ticket in business class. Would I get refund of fare difference if I end up travelling in economy due to lack of availability?

Is Philippine airline standby policy first come per serve?

If we have purchased a Zed standby ticket, but don’t make the flight due to loads, is it possible to be refunded the ZED fare? (DL employee looking to Zed on UA out of Munich)

Yes! You should always get a refund for a ZED fare that you were unable to fly on due to flight loads.

Can we expect ZED fares to increase once the new 2 tiered system. I’m with UA and they said the ZED fare purchasing system would be down Oct 19-20 while they update it.

How do you cancel a Zed fare on ID Travel with KLM ?

Did anyone figure out the XC code on Southwest?

Hello, I will be flying ZED on China airlines from LAX to TPE. There are no coach seats open but plenty in economy Plus. Will they allow me to sit in economy plus or will they just not board me and fly the trip with empty seats in economy plus. What do airline normally do in these cases would be helpful hint as to what they will do.

Thanks Art Anderson

I am interested in traveling on Ethiopian Airlines. Next to seats available there is an N. I have also noticed on Turkish next to seats available there is an R. No other information is available. Does anyone have an explanation?

I am looking into flying via ID90 on AA from PHL to PLS. There are two non-stop flights 2 hours apart (0830 & 1030). If I list for the 0830 flight and it is full, can the ticket agent slip my pass to the 1030 flight? Or do I have to purchase two tickets and later seek a refund for the flight I did not take? Thank you.

I am retired staff with ZED ticket try to travel from DAC to DFW on QR but at ck-in counter DAC could not find my ticket number and finally bought full fare ticket. I don’t know what happened at DAC Airport. My outbound DFW-DAC on QR without any issue.

Hello, does anyone know how does the reservable ZED tickets work? Are you still on sby or do you get a full reserve. Thanks.

does the employee always need to travel in order for the companion partner or parents to fly? Or they the employee just get a ticket for them without employee flying. Thank you

The answer to this will vary from airline to airline. For example, my parents can fly ZED without me being with them.

Does anyone know what happens to a ZED fare if you book it, pay for it and then you end up leaving your airline? Do you lose the ZED booking?

If the flight is full will the agent roll the ZED non-rev ticket holder over to the next available flight or does this require a separate ticket for the next flight. Thanks

When traveling on Zed tickets what is my boarding priority code when using Silver Airways??? I am an AA employee traveling with spouse and children.

You’re right about TK……..PNR is worthless to them, but ticket number makes it all happen. Question……….their N followed by a number is always BOLD and their Y followed by a number (usually 9) is always un-BOLD. EX: Y9 N3 (BOLD). Which one is the more reliable number? In fact N is always BOLD on every myidtravel inquiry and always has a 1,2,3 number despite green smiley face, Thanks.

When we tried to fly to Honolulu from LAX we had trouble getting on the flights because they were all booked up, and all the nonrev were taken! Each flight had only one seat available, and my partner was not going to leave me (while pregnant), and I wasn’t going to leave him, since he needed me to book the flights for us (That’s what I call love, folks). Three days of waiting in an airport and I finally reached out my company’s travel expert who gave us this beauty of a trick: fly to a less popular destination on, and try an airline with bigger planes. So, we booked a flight through Hawaiian to Maui and took an island hopper to Honolulu. So, sometimes the quickest way to your destination is going to a different location first.

This is a great tip! Always keep an eye out for other airlines or airports if the nonstop flights don’t look good. Stringing together a standby trip on multiple airlines can be intimidating, but ZED agreements can offer you exponentially more options to get to/from your destination.

Hola ! puede volar un acompañante solo con los boletos Zed ?

Hello, how can I fly with ZED with my husband and his service dog? He has a medical condition, that requires him to have SVAN, will this be an issue withing ZED ?

I always wonder which airline does the upgrade for interlines. Is there such list. I have checked with my own airline (canadian airline) and none of that is existent. any 3rd party website such as this?

Whether or not you can get upgraded during interline travel will often depend on your specific airline’s agreement with each OAL. I wish I had a better answer, but your best bet is to check your airline’s policies.

Before how many days of travel, can I make the zed fare ticket. Suppose I make now for after 20 days and by that time the gets full. would the airline give me seat

Hello! Regardless of how far in advance you book your ZED far ticket, seats won’t be assigned to anyone on the standby priority list until the day of the flight.

Hi, I was checking Turkish ticket from HKG to IST, the loading page is an orange face and shows Y9, N0. In the Zed agreement i read TK economy class is N, so does it means it give no seat to ID travel even the flight is not full? Or I can still get the seat if the flight if the flight really not full?

Thanks a lot

Both Y & N are economy fare classes, so my guess is that you would receive a seat assignment on that flight (assuming no other changes) even if the N bucket happened to be full.

can i book zed once at the gate?

Have any having issue in booking flight on TK thru myidportal…. they keep rejecting my CC saying “Name Or Surname” mismatch

Is there a limited number times you can use ZED fares/interline?

How do you purchase a Zed Fare on Qatar. It is on the list of Zed airlines, but says you have to purchase a ticket for your flight first. Is there anywhere to get clarification.

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Interline Staff Travel Agreement – where can I get latest version. The last one I saw was 2019

Question: in Interline Staff Travel Agreement (ISTA) did definition of a retiree recently changed? 2016 ISTA version says: Retiree – a former Employee of a Member or its SAF who has retired from permanent full-time or part-time service under the retirement program of that Member or its SAF. It does not have any details on retirement program restrictions.

Hi, how far in advance can I purchase a zed fare? Is 6 or 8 months too far?

In my experience, ZED fares cannot be purchased for departure dates that are more than 90 days into the future.

Hello I have ZED tickets for me and my buddy with IBERIA, but I can’t really make the flight. Can my Body still travel without me? or is she going to be denied because I am a no Show?

We will by flying into LHR on DL from the US, and plan on a ZED flight on BA, out the same day. Can we purchase ZED tickets prior to our departure from the US and print out standby boarding passes that allow us to go directly to our connecting terminal without having to go through ticketing?

I see you and others mentioned “positive space” ZED tickets as a possibility, but no agreements mention positive space. I’m with a major airline- MyIDTravel has a selection for “R2 Standby” or “Bookable”. Is bookable mean positive space. It leads to an empty page. Has anyone actually booked a discount positive space ticket on another airline, and if so, was it worth it?

When flying ZED how to they prioritize seat assignments? who bought first, checked in first? Or my company hire date?

what happens if you book zed fares in economy but there is no seat left. do i get upgraded to business there is 7 seats left? currently on the emirates flight from DXB to HAN, J7 and O2

Most OALs that I’ve flown with won’t upgrade ZED fares, but you can probably expect that some of the revenue pax will be upgraded to a higher cabin (and therefore opening up Y seats).

AA says zed fare travel to and from Cuba is restricted. Does that mean banned.?

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Putting our minds to space travel

By sarah wells | january 2021, virgin galactic is getting ready to send its first paying customers to the fringes of space. nasa and european space leaders are talking about establishing a moon village for scientists, miners and tourists. elon musk famously wants to establish colonies on mars. what kind of psychological training will people need for these and other bold endeavors sarah wells spoke to psychologists and a space travel veteran to find out..

As the rockets underneath the Soyuz TMA-9 capsule began to warm and hum in anticipation of liftoff, Anousheh Ansari remembers feeling eerily calm. It wasn’t until the capsule had torn through Earth’s atmosphere and reached orbit that Ansari began to cry.

“It was overwhelming and a rush of emotions — excitement, extreme joy and wonder took over — and I went from crying to laughing to crying to laughing.”

Unlike the cosmonaut crewmates grasping her hands during liftoff, Ansari, who is now the CEO of X-Prize Foundation, had not spent years training for her flight. She made the journey to the International Space Station in 2006 after just six months of training and securing a $20 million ticket. She was the world’s fourth “space tourist.”

At the time, Ansari’s and other missions in the early 2000s looked like the start of a bright future for space tourism, but 14 years later that dream has yet to come to fruition, due in part to technical setbacks.

Now, suborbital flight companies Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are closing in on sending the first paying customers on jaunts to the fringes of space, developments that could serve as a springboard to even bolder space tourism endeavors, such as the orbital tourism plans of SpaceX and Axiom Space.

Courage and money alone are not all that these pioneering space tourists will need for these first flights and the journeys to orbit and deep space that could follow. They’ll need varying degrees of psychological preparation not only for safety but to get the most out of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they’ll spend on the experience.

“Psychological adjustment in many ways is harder to identify and can be something that people try to keep to themselves,” says space psychologist Raphael Rose, associate director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. For space travel, “psychological and physical preparedness are equally important,” he says.

With the chance to visit space — or even just graze the top of Earth’s atmosphere — comes an opportunity many wait a lifetime for, though the experience won’t be without its mental challenges.

For professional astronauts, such as the astronaut corps of NASA and the European Space Agency, tension can spring from the pressure to complete mission tasks as well as the reality of being confined in a cramped space with others for extended periods.

Astronauts sometimes release tension in the form of terse exchanges with ground control as a tactic to avert tension with fellow crew members during missions that can run days, weeks or months, says psychiatrist Nick Kanas, who has spent decades studying the impacts of spaceflight for NASA, and is now an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

For tourists on suborbital flights, Kanas expects that kind of tension to be minimal to nonexistent, given the brevity of the experiences. Blue Origin’s proposed time in the capsule will clock in at 41 minutes, including 30 minutes of boarding time and four minutes of weightlessness, while Virgin Galactic’s is approximately 1.5 hours with a similar amount of weightless time. At its worst, customers might feel like they are stuck in an elevator with work colleagues for an hour. This is a discomfort that Kanas suggests could be easily tolerated.

That said, with customers paying up to $250,000 for the experience of weightlessness and the view of Earth from an altitude of about 100 kilometers, a wild card remains the reactions of those customers should a mission not unfold exactly as planned. For example, last month’s Virgin Galactic suborbital test flight was cut short moments after the release of the VSS Unity spaceplane from the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, when Unity’s flight computer lost its data connection to its hybrid rocket motor, prompting the computer to end the ignition sequence. The two pilots maneuvered Unity for a glided landing at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Ideally, customers would be prepared enough through their training programs to adapt to any changing circumstances, but Kanas says that there’s always a risk — albeit rare — in space travel of having a negative reaction.

“You’re worried about somebody reacting with maybe palpitations or heart pressures, a heart attack of some kind or stroke [or] becoming acutely psychotic,” says Kanas. However, these are concerns associated more with orbital flights, which are further from reality, and are conditions that would hopefully be discovered by a psychological screening before the customer ever left Earth.

Also, tourists won’t have the stress of operating the vehicle. Rather, they’ll have to be comfortable trusting their fates to automated software. Unlike Ansari, who was involved in the ascent and descent procedure of her flight and completed science experiments on the ISS, suborbital tourists will just be along for the ride. Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket and capsule would complete flights autonomously, and instead of pilots onboard with passengers, ground controllers would intervene should the need arise. For a slightly more human touch, Virgin Galactic’s Unity will be operated by two professional pilots.

Orbital experiences would be a different matter. Such flights would not necessarily take tourists much higher than suborbital flights, but by going faster, 28,000 kilometers per hour versus 6,000 kph for suborbital flights, orbit could be maintained for days or weeks. Customers on those flights may include academics or visiting scientists who, like Ansari, would have a little more work to do when they’ve reached their final destination, such as Axiom Space’s proposed space station.

Kanas is still not too concerned about the mental impact of these longer flights, but he does stress that mental preparation — in addition to physical preparation — will be even more important during such flights to ensure tourists remain calm for the duration.

Mentally training

As far as I could learn, orbital tourism companies do not yet have concrete training plans, although Space Adventures, the spaceflight company that will run SpaceX’s orbital tourism programs, does say its training will likely be a few weeks long, and Axiom Space estimates its at 15 weeks. Kanas speculates that these programs may be scaled back versions of what NASA astronauts experience before flying to the ISS.

Tom Jones, a former NASA astronaut who spent a total of 53 days in space, tells me that when he was training for his space shuttle flights in the mid-1990s the crew spent extensive time training together in stress-inducing scenarios, like wilderness exploration, in order to learn how to work together in trying times.

“If you find out somebody has the personality where they become self-centered or withdrawn, it’s important to find that out back here on Earth in an analog situation so that you don’t send the person up to space for six months where they make life miserable for everybody else,” says Jones.

This preparation is why in the past 20 years of sending astronauts to ISS, the number of times an astronaut has exhibited such behavior can be counted on one hand.

A modified version of this NASA training might last a matter of weeks, just as Space Adventures and Axiom are planning. Training for suborbital flights would be much shorter. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have both clocked their training programs between two and three days. The exact preparation of each program varies but generally includes physical training in the form of zero-gravity experiences and familiarization with the cabin and automated procedures.

Virgin Galactic also plans to give its customers comprehensive medical evaluations to identify vulnerabilities that might put them or others at risk during the flight, which may include conditions like claustrophobia or poor stress management. But whether these conditions would ultimately disqualify tourists from flying is not yet certain.

Kanas speculates that space tourism companies will have softer guidelines when it comes to psychological screening than do government space programs. Instead of potentially grounding someone with bipolar disorder because they may have had a manic episode in the past, Kanas suggests that participants with otherwise disqualifying psychological disorders could be given care plans to follow that would ensure their safety and that of others on the excursion.

As a result, Kanas believes the risk of seriously causing harm to fellow tourists out of ignorance of zero-gravity procedures or poor stress management is unlikely for short suborbital flights.

If a passenger were to go rogue and attempt to, for example, pry open the spacecraft door, those actions still won’t put other tourists in harm’s way. Virgin Galactic tells me that because of pressure created against the spacecraft’s plug door, the term also applied to the doors on commercial airliners, it isn’t possible to open the spacecraft midflight.

Beyond orbital flight

Space tourists in the next five to 10 years will not be straying too far from home, but if the plans of government leaders and entrepreneurs come to fruition over the next 20, 50 or 100 years, the space tourism playground would expand far beyond Earth’s orbit. Both ESA and NASA have announced their concepts for establishing a Moon Village in the next decade that would function as a mining base and potential tourist destination, and — who knows? — maybe 200 years from now as a retirement destination for those who want to try low-gravity golf. In the far term, Elon Musk tweets regularly about establishing colonies on Mars with transportation provided by his Starship spacecraft, versions of which SpaceX engineers are building and flying at the company’s test site in Boca Chica, Texas.

And while today’s space tourists are unlikely to experience much psychological distress on their short trips, with longer flights such as a seven-month journey to Mars comes the heightened risk for negative psychological effects, such as depression, as a result of extended social isolation and loneliness, explains space psychologist Rose. For the past 12 years, Rose has conducted research with NASA on stress, resilience and behavioral health and is principal investigator on two ongoing NASA projects, one titled “Asynchronous Behavioral Health Treatment Techniques.”

Developing a therapeutic plan that can work even with the communications latency of deep space will be crucial for the well-being of these explorers, says Rose.

“We developed a stress management resilience training program that autonomously trains people to develop a tool set of skills they can use to deal with stressful situations,” explains Rose. He defines resilience as “a rebound and recovery” from stress, “not an elimination of stress.”

During these longer trips, Rose says individuals must be provided with tactics for managing their own stress when professional counselors can’t be on hand to help. Crew bonding activities will help, but connections must somehow be maintained with family and friends, perhaps through memories, when communications with Earth become intermittent.

“Thinking about their family or other things in their community that provide meaning to them can help them feel more connected,” Rose says.

Rose imagines that someday artificial intelligence and virtual reality software might simulate a traveler’s home and generate realistic and interactive projections of loved ones that they could communicate with. Solutions like this won’t eradicate the potential stress of the situation, but they can provide a better way to cope with it.

“Stressful reactions to stressful situations is expected,” says Rose. “There isn’t a magical way to do something that’s challenging and not feel stress — that’s not a bad sign. It’s more about how you cope with these situations that make a difference.”

Positive effects of space travel

Space tourists who have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime experience will likely want to maximize the positive psychological effects of this foray to space. In fact, Loretta Whitesides, the wife of Virgin Galactic Chief Space Officer George T. Whitesides and author of the book “The New Right Stuff: Using Space to Bring out the Best in You,” believes that someone who pays to go to space can return a new person. Whitesides herself is a “founder astronaut” at Virgin Galactic, meaning she will be one of the first several participants to ride in Unity when commercial service begins.

In her space training and consultation program, SpaceKind, Whitesides coaches space industry professionals about how to embrace vulnerability, humility and integrity in order to bring their best selves to their future space travels. Whitesides believes that leaving your personal baggage at home is crucial to fully experiencing the beauty of space and the fragility of Earth. Astronauts have widely described looking down on Earth as a spiritual and unique experience that transformed them into more charitable versions of themselves upon return.

This “overview effect” is something that Ansari and Jones both say they experienced during their travels.

“Being in space has made me feel the interconnectedness of us human beings with each other and our planet,” says Ansari. “As the world shrunk in front of my eyes in my ascent to orbit, so did the problems of the world. This new perspective has made me more hopeful than ever that we can solve the problems that seem so big and overwhelming.”

In the future, Kanas muses that the overview effect may even be prescribed as a form of treatment for Earthly ennui, similar to a therapeutic retreat today.

Whitesides believes that creating the right mindset for space travelers to receive this experience can enable space tourists, professional astronauts and everyone in between to return home with a new mission to be more generous on both a personal and community level.

SpaceKind is not likely to be mandatory for space tourists, says Whitesides, but she believes that programs like these could be offered as a la carte options that tourists can choose to take for their own benefit.

“Most of them are so passionate about space — like a lot of my fellow ‘future astronauts’ at Virgin Galactic [who do extra training] because that’s what we like to do,” says Whitesides. “I’m counting on the customers to go even beyond what’s required.”

Where we are now

When it comes to preparing future space tourists for the mental and physical rigor of spaceflight, Kanas and Rose say that the No. 1 mindset that must be imparted on trainees is a sense of familiarity with the spacecraft and mission plan, as well as assurance of its safety.

This is something that Virgin Galactic is focusing on heavily in its Astronaut Readiness Program in which its ticketed future astronauts will gain detailed information about Unity, even down to its sounds and smells. Separate from SpaceKind, this three-day program was announced in 2019 and is led by former NASA engineer Beth Moses.

The company also announced a contract with NASA last year to develop a separate “private orbital astronaut readiness program” to help NASA meet its goal of increasing commercial use of the ISS by finding and training private spaceflight participants.

Ultimately, says Kanas, regardless of what these training programs entail, this industry is going to continue expanding. Where space travel exists, there will never be a shortage of space tourists.

“There’s always some population that’s willing to do anything, so I don’t think that’s going to slow down things,” says Kanas. He says it is more a question of “the technology of getting this thing up safely and get it back down again.”

Staff reporter Cat Hofacker contributed to this report.

Related Topics

About Sarah Wells

Sarah is a science and technology journalist based in Boston interested in how innovation and research intersect with our daily lives. She has written for a number of national publications and covers innovation news at Inverse.

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Top 5: The US-Bound Lufthansa Routes With The Most Airbus A340 Flights This September

Double-decker airline seats: are they a realistic prospect, still going strong: what are the oldest active aircraft at each of the 'big 3' us airlines.

Travel perks are one of the most frequently cited reasons for working in the airline industry. With access to an airline's route network , standby travel makes the world much more accessible for airline employees and their immediate families. This article will focus on some of the nuances of standby travel and interesting considerations when traveling without a confirmed seat.

Non-rev or deadhead?

It's important to differentiate non-revenue personal travel from business travel. When crew flies for work ( whether positioning to fly or to commute to training ), pilots and flight attendants are considered "deadheaders." Work travel seats are confirmed in advance of the flight. This type of travel is known within the industry as "space-positive ticketing." Non-revenue travel only applies to other-than-work travel. Every airline has unique protocols and rules governing non-rev travel, so this conversation is general rather than specific.

Boarding priority

A frequently asked question is whether pilots can advance the status of their friends and family when they non-rev. The simple answer is that a non-revenue traveler, whether an airline employee or a family member, will never take priority over a paying passenger. Revenue standby passengers were discussed in a previous article , and these passengers likewise take precedence over non-rev airline employees. Airlines will always ensure that paying passengers take priority over "space available" non-revs. Depending on the airline, employees and their families can list themselves for a flight using a higher-priority booking code. People with access to non-rev travel have limited high-priority bookings available, so they are used sparingly. This high-priority listing only places the non-rev traveler atop the non-rev standby list but does not supersede any paying passenger, including a revenue standby.

Nuances of non-rev travel

Pilots (and other airline employees) can list themselves for non-revenue travel on airlines other than their employer. This type of travel isn't totally "non-revenue" because a nominal fee is required. The cost of listing oneself on another airline depends on whether the airline is a member of the same alliance , the distance of the journey, and the taxes imposed by the carrier's home country. Flying on another airline tends to be an even riskier proposition than flying on one's own. Employees and family members of the host airline take priority over other airline employees. The caveat is that pilots and flight attendants are allowed to ride flight deck or cabin jump seats if they are the only available options. As another alternative, pilots can catch a ride on cargo carriers which usually provides a much better chance of getting a seat.

Regarding onboard service, flight attendants usually know who the non-rev travelers are. Flight attendants have passenger manifest lists or mobile devices that indicate who is in each seat on the aircraft. Though non-revs blend in, offering them meal service after the revenue-paying passengers is customary. Particularly in premium cabins, it's essential that individuals who have paid to be there can make selections first while every food and drink option is still available.

Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here .

Employees purchase tickets outright if they need to be somewhere. Unless a flight is wide-open, non-revenue flying is a gamble. Even when a flight has many available seats just hours before departure, the cancelation of an earlier flight between the city pair can completely change the viability of non-rev travel. Airline employees generally have discounted ticketing when buying a confirmed seat, making them revenue-paying passengers with the protections that a confirmed ticket provides.

Non-rev standby travel is a phenomenal perk. It certainly takes time for employees to understand the system due to its nuances and uncertainty. Still, non-revving is nevertheless one of the best advantages of a job in any industry. In fairness, non-revenue travelers will always be behind those who have paid their way aboard. After all, paying passengers is the reason airlines stay in business.

• Flying Standby

Want to be a space tourist? Here are 6 things to consider first

The industry of space tourism could exist in the future. Image:  Unsplash/NASA

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Steven Freeland

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Stay up to date:.

• In July 2021, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos went up into space, accompanied by fellow passengers.
• These trips created vast amounts of media coverage and brand recognition for Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Bezos’ Blue Origin.
• This could indicate that a commercial space tourism industry is on the horizon.
• Before space trips become commercially available, important factors such as environmental and safety laws need to be considered.

It’s been a momentous month for space-faring billionaires. On July 11, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Unity “rocket-plane” flew him and five fellow passengers about 85 kilometres above Earth. And this week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard capsule reached an altitude of 106km , carrying Bezos, his brother, and the oldest and youngest people ever to reach such a height. Passengers on both flights experienced several minutes of weightlessness and took in breathtaking views of our beautiful and fragile Earth.

Both flights created an avalanche of media coverage and brand recognition for Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Bezos’s Blue Origin. There is renewed anticipation of a lucrative commercial space tourism industry that could eventually see thousands of paying passengers journey into space (or not quite into space, depending on your preferred level of pedantry).

This year marks 60 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Since then, almost 600 trained astronauts have gone into outer space, but very few people have become space tourists.

The first, US engineer Dennis Tito, paid a reported US$20 million to spend six days orbiting Earth in the Russian section of the International Space Station in April 2001, after three months’ training at Russia’s Star City complex. He was followed by a handful of other very wealthy “orbital tourists”, most recently Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberté in 2009, whose ticket reportedly cost US$35 million.

Unlike their predecessors, Branson’s and Bezos’ flights were suborbital – they didn’t reach the velocity needed to orbit Earth. Bezos’s entire flight lasted just over 10 minutes. Suborbital flights are much less technically complex, and in theory cheaper (although one seat on the New Shepard flight was auctioned for US$28 million ).

While they might quibble over billionaire bragging rights, there’s no denying that suborbital “space” flights have the potential to be less eye-wateringly expensive than going into orbital outer space and beyond.

But before you sign up – assuming you’re lucky enough to afford it – here are a few things to consider.

Where does space start, anyway?

Have you read, how many space launches does it take to have a serious climate impact, from space squid to saliva: what's inside nasa's cargo missions and why, the big space clean-up - and why it matters.

Despite assertions to the contrary , there is no legal definition of “outer space”, and thus no official boundary where airspace ends and outer space begins. In the past, the International Aeronautical Federation has looked to the von Karman line , but this does not coincide with the boundary of any of the atmosphere’s scientifically defined layers, and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space , which deals with such issues, has not yet resolved the question.

Conveniently for Branson, 80km has been proposed by some experts as an appropriate boundary.

Outer space is undeniably influenced by Earthly geopolitics. Essentially, the larger space-faring countries see no need to legally define a boundary that would clearly demarcate the upper limits of their sovereignty.

Will you be an ‘astronaut’?

The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty designates astronauts as “envoys of (hu)mankind in outer space”. Certainly, that seemed to be the case as the world watched the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing and prayed for a safe return of the stricken Apollo 13 capsule. However, the 1968 UN Rescue Agreement refers to “personnel of a spacecraft”, which may imply not everyone on board should be considered a fully fledged astronaut.

Of course, these legal niceties won’t deter space tourism companies from awarding “astronaut wings” to their passengers.

What laws apply when things go wrong?

The 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia shuttle disasters are stark reminders of the dangers of space travel. Human space travel has always involved determining acceptable levels of risk for trained astronauts. But commercial space tourism is different to state-sponsored space programs, and will need the highest possible safety standards.

Commercial space travel will also require a system of responsibility and liability, for cases in which a space tourist suffers injury, loss or damage.

Space tourists (or their families) can’t claim for compensation under the 1972 UN Liability Convention which, in terms of space, applies only to collisions between space objects such as satellites and space debris. While there may be scope to take legal action under national laws, it is likely space tourists will be asked to sign carefully worded waivers of liability.

The same is probably true of international air law , which applies to “aircraft” — a designation space tourism operators will understandably be keen to avoid.

Ultimately, we may need to develop a system of “aerospace law” to govern these suborbital flights as well as “transorbital” transport such as the keenly envisaged flights that might one day take passengers from Sydney to London in just a few hours.

What activities should be allowed in space?

The advent of space tourism will give rise to some interesting ethical questions. Should there be advertising billboards in space? What about casinos, or brothels? On what legal basis should these things be restricted?

How does tourism fit with the underlying philosophy of space law: that the exploration and use of outer space “shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries”?

Will space tourism harm the environment?

Space tourism will inevitably put pressure on Earth’s environment – there are claims that space vehicles may one day become the world’s biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. We will need to manage space traffic carefully to avoid disastrous collisions and steer clear of space debris .

If tourists go to the Moon, they may cause pollution or damage the heritage of earlier exploration, such as Neil Armstrong’s footprints .

Will tourism workers have to live in space?

If space tourism does become truly widespread, it will need infrastructure and perhaps even staff. People may end up living permanently in space settlements, perhaps having children who will be born as “space citizens”. What legal rights would someone have if they were born at a Moon base? Would they be subject to terrestrial laws, or some version of current international legal rules for outer space?

The World Economic Forum was the first to draw the world’s attention to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the current period of unprecedented change driven by rapid technological advances. Policies, norms and regulations have not been able to keep up with the pace of innovation, creating a growing need to fill this gap.

The Forum established the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network in 2017 to ensure that new and emerging technologies will help—not harm—humanity in the future. Headquartered in San Francisco, the network launched centres in China, India and Japan in 2018 and is rapidly establishing locally-run Affiliate Centres in many countries around the world.

The global network is working closely with partners from government, business, academia and civil society to co-design and pilot agile frameworks for governing new and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) , autonomous vehicles , blockchain , data policy , digital trade , drones , internet of things (IoT) , precision medicine and environmental innovations .

Learn more about the groundbreaking work that the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network is doing to prepare us for the future.

Want to help us shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Contact us to find out how you can become a member or partner.

These are obviously questions for the future. But given the excitement generated by the brief journeys of a couple of wealthy entrepreneurs, we should start contemplating them now. Outer space is the new frontier, but it is not — and must not — be a lawless one.

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1.29.22 – Positive Space Travel to Base for BOS, LGA and PHL Commuters

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Positive Space Travel to Base for BOS, LGA and PHL Commuters

The Company has notified APFA they will offer positive space confirmed travel for BOS, LGA, and PHL-based commuters, effective today, January 29th, through January 30th at 2359. This positive space travel to base is for trips or Reserve assignments and may only be booked on mainline American or wholly owned subsidiary (PSA, Piedmont & Envoy) flights.

Call the Crew Service Center at your base to book your confirmed seat. After hours, you may call Flight Service Daily Operations.

BOS, LGA & PHL Crew Service Center Contacts :

• BOS: 617-874-9275
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The Benefits and Drawbacks of Space Tourism – A 2021 Guide

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“Space travel is returning to where it started: with maverick pioneers dreaming of journeys to orbit and beyond, some carrying out rocket experiments in their own backyards. The rise of citizen astronauts has already begun.” Arthur C Clarke Forward to SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History 2008

Since private individuals first started visiting the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001 via the Space Adventures company, the dream of being able to travel into space for the masses is slowly becoming closer to reality.

So far seven space tourists have gone into orbit on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a week-long stay on the ISS 400km above the Earth and for the future that number will expand. During 2021 both Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin flew into sub-orbit “near-space”, with Branson reaching over 50 miles altitude in the “Unity” SpaceShipTwo vehicle and Bezos achieving over 62 miles height in the New Shepard capsule.

In the USA, 50 miles is the set definition of where “space” begins, whilst internationally it is considered to be at the 62 mile (100km) “Karman Line” height Others will be following as new orbital spacecraft come on-stream and the ticket price is gradually lowered.

In September 2021, Space X successfully flew the three-day “Inspiration 4” private orbital mission into Earth orbit. Paid for by the lead private astronaut Jared Isaacman, this $200m fund-raising and research flight sent four private astronauts, or “space participants” as some like to be called, into a 366 mile (590km) high orbit – this was well above the 250 mile (400km) orbiting height of the ISS.

Also, in late 2021 Blue Origin flew the actor William Shatner – “Captain Kirk” in the original Star Trek series – to sub-orbit space onboard the New Shepard rocket. This was followed by the “private astronaut” visit of Russian actress Yulia Peresild to the ISS on a Soyuz flight for movie filming –  for the future, US actor Tom Cruise has been mentioned as another possible visitor to the ISS for filming purposes.

The astronauts spent their time enjoying zero-g, fully experiencing the thrill of being in space and taking in the extraordinary views of the Earth through a glass-domed “cupola” positioned at the tip of their cone-shaped Crew Dragon spacecraft “Resilience”. One crew member, Hayley Arcenaux, at 29 yrs. old became the youngest US astronaut to go into space. The Crew Dragon spacecraft flew entirely automatically, although the crew and ground-control could have intervened if the flight was not proceeding nominally.

As the first purely private orbital spaceflight, this history-making mission has paved the way for future non-government-sponsored astronauts to go into space – it showed that normal “people in the street” can train for a few weeks, launch, and experience spaceflight safely. Similar to the way that the 1920-30s gradually saw the introduction of safer and more reliable airliner travel for ordinary citizens, so the coming decades will see an accelerating expansion of regular orbital “space tourism” with no essential requirement for outstanding fitness or advanced astronaut skills for the participants.

In the near future, thousands more private astronauts should be going into sub-orbital space too, traveling to 80-100km altitudes, via Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes and Blue Origin’s New Shepard rockets.

But what are the benefits and drawbacks of space tourism – is space tourism a good idea?

Significance of Space Tourism

A key benefit of space tourism is that it offers a new leisure industry service by meeting the pent-up demand of space travel for individuals. It allows aspiring private astronauts access to an “ultimate trip” beyond the Earth’s atmosphere – its economic and social consequences are comparable to those resulting from the development of civil jet airliners like the Boeing 747 which opened up mass and affordable international travel from the late 1960s.

Over sixty years of continuous human spaceflight, out of 7.3 billion people on the planet just over 600 have been into space. And apart from the seven Space Adventure “space participants”, almost all of these astronauts have been funded by governments as part of ongoing space program projects.

The 2002 book “Spaceflight Revolution” by David Ashford of Bristol Spaceplanes pointed out that the potential demand for human spaceflight is very large. He noted that market research in Japan and Canada in the late 1990s suggested that at that time approximately 7.5% of the industrialized population of the world apparently wanted to experience a spaceflight at least once in their lifetime. A resulting market demand estimate of at least one million space passengers flying per year could be concluded from those studies – this was assuming of course that this spaceflight could be affordable and was relatively safe.

The emerging new space vehicles , the Space-X Crew Dragon and the Boeing CST-100 Starliner for orbital access and the Virgin Galactic’s (VG) SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft for suborbital flights, will soon provide a long-anticipated breakthrough for aspiring astronaut explorers, scientists, and private “space participants”.

Interested in learning to fly a microlight? Check out this article, here .

Why is Space Tourism Important?

Why do so many people want to travel into space and where does that desire come from? Are there advantages and disadvantages of space research?

Many believe that space travel is ingrained into the human psyche, as part of a natural desire to explore and find out more about our surroundings in the wider Cosmos.

The private astronaut Anousheh Ansari, who flew to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-9 via the Space Adventures company in 2006, describes in her book “My Dream of Stars” how as a child she would sleep out under the stars on family camping trips in Iran – from that point she became gripped by the fascination, wonder and deep desire of traveling into the Cosmos. 

The desire for the “overview effect” of seeing the beauty and significance of the planet from space drives many aspiring astronauts. Frank White coined this phrase in the 1980’s  – it applies to the many astronauts who have noted this emotion, which for some is a transformative experience….Beth Moses, suborbital astronaut and  Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic describes this, saying:“ The view is the star of the show”.

Whatever the individual reasons for a personal spaceflight experience, many believe that the benefits of space tourism will be strong – there will be a significant lowering of the cost of access to space, enabling a more rapid and viable human space exploration process and possible eventual colonization of parts of the Moon , Mars and the Solar System, with significant benefits to the world’s economy, as well as to science research and technological progress.

How Much Is a Ticket To Space?

In terms of future prices, the emerging sub-orbital flights available with Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin will cost about £200-300,000 a ticket. This is obviously a low figure when compared to the high costs of spaceflight offered by the early days of the space program approach that government space agencies have established.

Private orbital spaceflights will be much more expensive, but they are reducing over time. These will soon be available in future years via companies like Axiom and Space Adventures on the new 4-7 seat Space-X Crew Dragon, or 4-seat Boeing CST-100 Starliner orbital spacecraft, as well as via the current Russian 3-seat Soyuz capsules.

Looking at space tourism facts and costs, the early orbital ticket prices in the 2000s were approximately £15m per 10-day mission, expanding to £25m for later flights. These flights included trips via Soyuz for Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen, Anousheh Ansari, Charles Simonyi who flew twice, plus Guy Laliberte. In 2008, UK-born Richard Garriott de Cayeux, son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, flew to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-12.

With the new Space X and Boeing spacecraft, access to orbital space is likely to be relatively cheaper than via Soyuz which is currently costing NASA about £70m per flight, though a price competition should evolve over time.

Bigelow Aerospace has booked four space participant slots on the Crew Dragon for about £40m each. Boeing’s Starliner prices are expected to be more costly though, perhaps running at £55m per seat. More recently, the US company Axiom Space signed a contract with Space X to fly three fare-paying private astronauts, plus a pilot astronaut, on a mission to the ISS as early as 2021. 

Space Adventures have suggested EVA possibilities for participants and lunar flights have been considered.

NASA are now more enthusiastic over “commercial astronaut” visitors using the ISS, with $35,000 a day accommodation prices being quoted, excluding flight access costs. Once the Crew Dragon and Starliner spacecraft provide a regular service with potentially seven crew per flight, so the ISS can be staffed by additional research crew and visitors, with additional accommodation pods being installed – the science research output will of course be boosted via easier crew access.

For the longer term, private human access to orbit and beyond should become even more affordable. An unknown for the late 2020s onwards is the Space-X “Starship” project – this is the 5,000 tonne two-stage reusable vehicle that Elon Musk expects may slash orbital access and deep-space flight prices. An early free-return lunar flight of the “Starship” is being proposed for Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, together with his intended crew of 6-8 “artists”. 

Clearly, private spaceflight is going to reduce overall costs to the benefit of both space agencies and tourism companies.

Flight Safety

In terms of the benefits and drawbacks of space tourism and the worry that some space vehicles will be lost during the initial period of private spaceflight, many would consider this in the same terms as early flying and airline development which saw some losses of civil aircraft before technology enhancements provided today’s flight reliability and good airline safety records.

Many will recall the sad loss of NASA’s space shuttle Challenger in 1986 when astronaut-teacher Christa McAuliffe together with her six other crew members was killed during the vehicle explosion shortly after launch.

Richard Branson, here seen with designer Burt Rutan in 2014, has been determined to minimise the potential dangers of flights on the emerging SpaceShipThree spaceplane, taking on-board the lessons of early flight testing. (Image Steve Jurvetson).

In Oct. 2014 the Virgin Galactic sub-orbital VSS Enterprise spacecraft broke-up during a drop test and rocket burn and one of the two crew members died. SS2 design modifications were subsequently made and the company is determined to maximise passenger safety and enjoyment.

Blue Origin also lost a sub-orbital vehicle in April 2015 during an uncrewed test flight.

Safety is clearly a key consideration to the emerging tourist spaceflight companies and it can be expected that a measured step-by-step approach to flight testing will minimize these dangers and potential losses during the early years of private spaceflight.

Scientist-Astronaut Suborbital Flights

Why is space tourism important?

Science will benefit from space tourism and the reduced cost of access to space. For example, NASA recently announced the formation of its new Sub-orbital Crew Office (“Sub-C”), with Scott Colloredo as its Head. This new approach should boost access to space for an enlarged group of both space-agency and private scientist astronauts.

The new grouping will seek agreements with VG and Blue Origin for both astronaut training and microgravity science experiment flights – both companies have flown automated NASA experiments on test flights to date and have designed their cabin interiors to flexibly allow for future experiment racks, instead of passenger couches.

Aspiring private or government scientist flight participants who are seeking relatively low-cost 3-5 minute microgravity periods will consider these two approaches as very appealing, being well ahead of the 20 second periods of microgravity offered by parabola flights in aircraft. (Image: ESA/ Novespace)

The scientific benefits of future private access to the orbiting ISS space station’s research facilities, plus one day the Moon and Mars bases, will be strong. The significance of space tourism is that it should accelerate the development of space exploration generally.

Disadvantages of Space Exploration

A possibility is that the potential CO2 output from regular launch vehicles for enhanced space tourism may be a drawback to address. Carbon offset policies will be the likely solution to this issue, combined with the possible use of rocket bio-fuels and eventually in-situ resources from asteroids, the Moon, and Mars.

Considering the benefits and drawbacks of space tourism, it appears that an increase in Earth orbit activity will have some limited negative impact on “space traffic” and increase to some extent the dangers of orbital debris collisions.

However, the increase in space “debris” from orbital access for space tourism can be countered by mitigation and rocket stage recovery – Space X is seeking to recover much of their Falcon and Starship launchers and Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are fully reusable systems, plus protocols on launch activity for the future will require more satellite and spacecraft recovery and de-orbiting measures.

Is Space Tourism a Good Idea?

Point to point high-speed rocket travel is a future benefit that will occur from sub-orbital space tourism – already Virgin Galactic is proposing a “SpaceShipThree” that will fly at high-speed/high altitudes for rapid intercontinental access across the globe, heralding a leap forward in rapid mass travel across the planet.

Disturbance from sonic booms resulting from space tourism will need to be limited for regular flight operations, as occurs for supersonic flights by civil and military aircraft over land.

If the early possible “teething” issues of flight safety, environmental, and traffic matters can be addressed and mitigated, the future of space tourism for a post-Covid world looks very promising. Economic benefits via reduced costs for space launchers, plus an acceleration of space technology development will be a very positive outcome from this tourism sector.

Images Jeff Foust, Robert Sullivan, Steve Jurvetson, David Creative Commons

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The Secret to 'Real Optimism' as Revealed in Space Travel

More insights from the worlds of sci-fi and space exploration..

Posted January 20, 2022 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• A lot of “optimism” out there is false optimism.
• Real optimism requires a solid foundation.
• NASA and sci-fi can both show how to build that foundation.

In my last post, I took readers on a mission to Mars and back—well, OK, not exactly. What I did do was explain the three most important personality traits for a mission to Mars, as tested and verified through NASA’s yearly HI-SEAS simulation . Of course, given the high- stress , high-stakes environment of a space mission, simulated or real, it makes a useful analogy for organizational life. Due to limitations of space (pun intended), I mostly focused on two traits last time: a thick skin and a long fuse . However, the third trait, an optimistic outlook , is just as important as the other two, which is why I wanted to come back and give this trait its due. It’s also a complex topic, with shallow or faulty understandings of optimism causing problems more than helping, which is another reason why this subject needs a full post devoted to it. And for any fans of sci-fi or space exploration, you’ll be happy to know that I will once again be drawing examples from those areas.

The Real Reason for the Controversy

Just to make my own position clear from the start, I myself am an optimist. I believe that optimism helps lead to more optimal outcomes, particularly in terms of what this blog is about: power and influence. But I also know that there is some disagreement on this topic, both in terms of the research on the subject as well as cultural attitudes. Notwithstanding some genuine differences in opinion and interpretation, I think a big reason for this disagreement is just that there are different understandings of what “optimism” actually is. As I see it, some of these understandings are not real optimism. I will call these incorrect understandings false optimism .

False optimism takes different forms. The first relates to what people nowadays call “toxic positivity,” or the tendency to ignore or dismiss legitimate types of stress (and distress) that people feel for legitimate reasons. Often, such dismissal is coupled with phony reassurances that everything will be fine without any of the hard examination or action needed to fix real problems. This is not real optimism.

Another type of false optimism is based on the idea that you always have to be happy and upbeat. This often goes together with toxic positivity , but whereas with toxic positivity you’re dismissing other people’s feelings, with the “always happy” brand of false optimism we’re often dismissing our own feelings out of the erroneous notion that if we let ourselves feel any kind of negative emotion we’re being pessimistic. That’s not being pessimistic; that’s called being human.

A third type of false optimism, one that many younger people may understandably fall for, is the idea that optimism will somehow ensure success. It doesn’t. It can increase the chances of success, yes, but it doesn't guarantee it. As I’ll explain more in a minute, with real optimism you understand that sometimes you’ll fail but you remain optimistic anyway because your eye is on the long game. This is where the harsher realities of life often separate the real optimists from the false optimists. False optimists, when faced with failure, will often ditch optimism because “it doesn’t work.” The real optimists, when faced with failure, remain optimists because they trust in their own or their team’s ability to learn from the failure and get it right next time.

The fourth and last type of false optimism that I’ll discuss has to do with the reason why people sometimes get tangled up in false optimism. The way the story usually goes is that a young, ambitious individual reads an overly simplistic article about how successful people are optimists, while the nuances of meaningful optimism are left undeveloped. This individual then adopts what they think is an optimistic outlook, but their lack of a deeper understanding leaves them only with a false optimism. The reason this tends to happen is that everyone wants to be successful but not everyone has the awareness, the drive, and the discipline to build a strong mental foundation for real optimism yet. Therefore, in their rush to be successful they often end up practicing false optimism.

But now that we’ve covered false optimism, let’s move on to the better part—explaining what real optimism is and how to practice it.

How to Practice Real Optimism

First of all, real optimism must come from a sincere belief in positive outcomes and in your and/or your team’s ability to bring about those positive outcomes. In other words, you can’t just force yourself to be an optimist, or pretend to be one, just because you read somewhere that optimism leads to success. There’s nothing wrong with success being part of the motivation , but then you should go about cultivating a solid foundation for your optimism. That means cultivating the right kinds of skills , taking the right kinds of actions , surrounding yourself with the right kinds of people , and reading the right kinds of blogs (perhaps this one, for example!).

Next, real optimism is real -istic. That means that when there are real problems, it acknowledges those problems instead of glossing over them with toxic positivity. And it takes the actions needed to address those problems. So acknowledgment and action are the two key components that distinguish real optimism from false optimism.

Finally, real optimism doesn’t put on a show of phony cheerfulness at all times. When the crew of Apollo 13 famously notified NASA’s Mission Control that they “have a problem,” the mood in the Missions Operations Room became fittingly austere. But thanks to the famously unremitting optimism and faith of Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz (depicted by actor Ed Harris in the film Apollo 13 ), the team was able to stay focused on the problems at hand and, more importantly, solving them. Though the situation was dire, and there were many new problems that kept arising, Kranz stayed cool and optimistic through it all. But it was real optimism—that is, he had a very acute understanding of the gravity of the situation and what was at stake, acknowledged them, and was willing to do what it took to solve them while trusting in the abilities of his capable team. In other words, he had done the work and built the foundation that enabled his optimism to be the crowning ornament of his leadership , and the combination of all these things brought out the best in everyone on his team. Without that foundation, his optimism would have been little more than false optimism and it would have surely toppled under the weight of reality.

In yet one last nod to the wondrous world of space exploration and science fiction, the final scene in the movie The Martian , starring Matt Damon, basically sums up realistic optimism in under a minute. If you’ve already seen it, rewatch this clip to see what I mean. If you haven’t seen it, don’t watch this clip yet because it’s the final scene. Go watch the movie first and then come back and rewatch this clip.

Get to work. “Do the math.” Solve one problem. Then solve the next. That is realistic optimism, that is one of the top three personality traits that NASA looks for, and that is the kind of optimism that can help you launch your own power and influence into orbit.

Craig Barkacs , professor of business law and ethics in the Master’s in Executive Leadership and MBA Programs at the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego.

Craig Barkacs, MBA, JD, is a professor of business law at the University of San Diego School of Business and a trial lawyer with three decades of experience as an attorney in high-profile cases.

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Everything you need to know about space travel (almost)

We're a long way from home...

Paul Parsons

When did we first start exploring space?

The first human-made object to go into space was a German V2 missile , launched on a test flight in 1942. Although uncrewed, it reached an altitude of 189km (117 miles).

Former Nazi rocket scientists were later recruited by both America and Russia (often at gunpoint in the latter case), where they were instrumental in developing Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) – rockets capable of carrying nuclear weapons from one side of the planet to the other.

It was these super-missiles that formed the basis for the space programmes of both post-war superpowers. As it happened, Russia was the first to reach Earth orbit, when it launched the uncrewed Sputnik 1 in October 1957, followed a month later by Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika – the first live animal in space.

The USA sent its first uncrewed satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit soon after, in January 1958. A slew of robotic spaceflights followed, from both sides of the Atlantic, before Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin piloted Vostok 1 into orbit on 12 April 1961, to become the first human being in space . And from there the space race proper began, culminating in Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first people to walk on the Moon as part of NASA's Apollo programme .

Why is space travel important?

Space exploration is the future. It satisfies the human urge to explore and to travel, and in the years and decades to come it could even provide our species with new places to call home – especially relevant now, as Earth becomes increasingly crowded .

Extending our reach into space is also necessary for the advancement of science. Space telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and probes to the distant worlds of the Solar System are continually updating, and occasionally revolutionising, our understanding of astronomy and physics.

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But there are also some very practical reasons, such as mining asteroids for materials that are extremely rare here on Earth.

One example is the huge reserve of the chemical isotope helium-3 thought to be locked away in the soil on the surface of the Moon . This isotope is a potential fuel for future nuclear fusion reactors – power stations that tap into the same source of energy as the Sun. Unlike other fusion fuels, helium-3 gives off no hard-to-contain and deadly neutron radiation.

However, for this to happen the first challenge to overcome is how to build a base on the Moon. In 2019, China's Chang’e 4 mission marked the beginning of a new space race to conquer the Moon, signalling their intent to build a permanent lunar base , while the NASA Artemis mission plans to build a space station, called Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway , providing a platform to ferry astronauts to the Moon's surface.

Could humans travel into interstellar space and how would we get there?

It’s entirely feasible that human explorers will visit the furthest reaches of our Solar System. The stars, however, are another matter. Interstellar space is so vast that it takes light – the fastest thing we know of in the Universe – years, centuries and millennia to traverse it. Faster-than-light travel may be possible one day, but is unlikely to become a reality in our lifetimes.

It’s not impossible that humans might one day cross this cosmic gulf, though it won’t be easy. The combustion-powered rocket engines of today certainly aren’t up to the job – they just don’t use fuel efficiently enough. Instead, interstellar spacecraft may create a rocket-like propulsion jet using electric and magnetic fields. This so-called ‘ ion drive ’ technology has already been tested aboard uncrewed Solar System probes.

Another possibility is to push spacecraft off towards the stars using the light from a high-powered laser . A consortium of scientists calling themselves Breakthrough Starshot is already planning to send a flotilla of tiny robotic probes to our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, using just this method.

Though whether human astronauts could survive such punishing acceleration, or the decades-long journey through deep space, remains to be seen.

How do we benefit from space exploration?

Pushing forward the frontiers of science is the stated goal of many space missions . But even the development of space travel technology itself can lead to unintended yet beneficial ‘spin-off’ technologies with some very down-to-earth applications.

Notable spin-offs from the US space programme, NASA, include memory foam mattresses, artificial hearts, and the lubricant spray WD-40. Doubtless, there are many more to come.

Read more about space exploration:

• The next giant leaps: The UK missions getting us to the Moon
• Move over, Mars: why we should look further afield for future human colonies
• Everything you need to know about the Voyager mission
• 6 out-of-this-world experiments recreating space on Earth

Space exploration also instils a sense of wonder, it reminds us that there are issues beyond our humdrum planet and its petty squabbles, and without doubt it helps to inspire each new generation of young scientists. It’s also an insurance policy. We’re now all too aware that global calamities can and do happen – for instance, climate change and the giant asteroid that smashed into the Earth 65 million years ago, leading to the total extinction of the dinosaurs .

The lesson for the human species is that we keep all our eggs in one basket at our peril. On the other hand, a healthy space programme, and the means to travel to other worlds, gives us an out.

Is space travel dangerous?

In short, yes – very. Reaching orbit means accelerating up to around 28,000kph (17,000mph, or 22 times the speed of sound ). If anything goes wrong at that speed, it’s seldom good news.

Then there’s the growing cloud of space junk to contend with in Earth's orbit – defunct satellites, discarded rocket stages and other detritus – all moving just as fast. A five-gram bolt hitting at orbital speed packs as much energy as a 200kg weight dropped from the top of an 18-storey building.

And getting to space is just the start of the danger. The principal hazard once there is cancer-producing radiation – the typical dose from one day in space is equivalent to what you’d receive over an entire year back on Earth, thanks to the planet’s atmosphere and protective magnetic field.

Add to that the icy cold airless vacuum , the need to bring all your own food and water, plus the effects of long-duration weightlessness on bone density, the brain and muscular condition – including that of the heart – and it soon becomes clear that venturing into space really isn’t for the faint-hearted.

When will space travel be available to everyone?

It’s already happening – that is, assuming your pockets are deep enough. The first self-funded ‘space tourist’ was US businessman Dennis Tito, who in 2001 spent a week aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for the cool sum of $20m (£15m).

Virgin Galactic has long been promising to take customers on short sub-orbital hops into space – where passengers get to experience rocket propulsion and several minutes of weightlessness, before gliding back to a runway landing on Earth, all for $250k (£190k). In late July 2020, the company unveiled the finished cabin in its SpaceShipTwo vehicle, suggesting that commercial spaceflights may begin shortly.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in May 2020 became the first private company to launch a human crew to Earth orbit aboard the Crew Dragon , plans to offer stays on the ISS for $35k (£27k) per night. SpaceX is now prototyping its huge Starship vehicle , which is designed to take 100 passengers from Earth to as far afield as Mars for around $20k (£15k) per head. Musk stated in January that he hoped to be operating 1,000 Starships by 2050.

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Pros and Cons of Space Tourism

People put space tourism in the same bracket as flying cars as little as twenty years ago. The starting point of space tourism can be traced back to 2001 and the first space tourist, Dennis Tito. However, this term didn’t become a buzzword until 2021, when two billionaires, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, set off to space in separate spacecraft in the same week. These two events marked the beginning of the new-generation space race.

Space tourism became available in February 2022, when Virgin Galactic started selling tickets for the next trip to space. While many people jumped on the space tourism bandwagon, others are beginning to wonder whether traveling to space as a tourist is a good idea.

This article will discuss the basics of commercial space travel, outlining its most essential advantages and disadvantages.

What Is Space Tourism?

A completely new level of sightseeing, it will become more widely available, you don’t need to be an astronaut to travel to space, new opportunities for space exploration, it will inspire more people to become astronauts, passengers will be able to experience weightlessness, it can boost scientific research, a new perspective of our planet, the possibility of finding additional resources, the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life, we may find other planets to colonize, more opportunities for employment, it could identify potential dangers to our planet, major technological advancements, endless opportunities, it contributes to global warming, few people can afford it right now, limited space, it’s not available for everyone, space tourism costs a lot of money, it’s not 100% safe, you pay a lot of money for a short trip, the issue with space junk, wasting natural resources, exposure to radiation, not going above the kármán line, out-of-date information, space sickness, all those resources could be invested elsewhere, it could put our planet at risk, space tourism – should we do it.

Before we go into the details regarding the pros and cons of space tourism, let’s talk about what this newest form of travel means.

Space tourism and space travel are not the same. What sets them apart is their purpose. Astronauts are sent to space to conduct various types of scientific research and experiments, and they go through rigorous training and preparation before they’re allowed to leave Earth. As a result, becoming an astronaut is incredibly challenging. Every year, NASA chooses a handful of people among tens of thousands of applicants.

Space tourism, or commercial space travel, refers to traveling to space for recreational reasons. People who want to become space tourists must satisfy three requirements: They must be 18 or older, physically fit, and rich. For example, one ticket for a 90-minute trip with Virgin Galactic costs $450,000, but we’ll get to that later.

There are three types of space tourism: orbital, suborbital, and lunar space tourism. The main difference between orbital and suborbital spacecraft is speed. Orbital space travel reaches an altitude of 1.3 million feet (400 kilometers), for which a spacecraft would need to travel at 17,400 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour).

Suborbital rocket ships can only fly to a certain altitude (330,000 feet or 100 kilometers) because they don’t have enough power to orbit around the planet. As a result, these spacecraft must fly at a minimal speed of 3,700 miles per hour (6,000 kilometers per hour).

Most people assume that space tourism is pioneered by NASA and other government agencies. However, privately owned aerospace companies are now leading the global space tourism market. The three most important are Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The first two companies offer suborbital space travel, both licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for passenger space travel.

On the other hand, SpaceX plans to introduce orbital space tourism to the public. SpaceX rockets can reach 120 miles above the Earth, while Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic can’t achieve half that distance. Aside from SpaceX, Space Adventures, an American space tourism company is another enterprise that plans to introduce tourism flights to Earth’s orbit.

The final form of space tourism is lunar space travel, which includes orbiting around the moon or even landing on it. Space Adventures wants to introduce circumlunar flyby tours, but one ticket will be estimated at $150 million. SpaceX will also organize a space trip around the moon, which will be reached via the Starship.

Space tourism isn’t only in the hands of privately owned aerospace companies. NASA announced that space tourists, formally called private astronauts, will be allowed on board the International Space Station. They’ll be able to get there with the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, which is currently being developed. Space tourists will be required to pay $35,000 for this trip to space.

Pros of Space Tourism

Many people are looking forward to the development of space tourism. In fact, the PEW Research Center surveyed the public’s opinion on space tourism in 2018. The survey revealed that 42% of participants stated they were definitely or probably interested.

It won’t only benefit people who want to be a part of this new era of space exploration but also space scientists. The advantages aren’t just limited to scientific and technological advancements. The dream will come true for many people who have always wanted to go to space.

Here are some of the most essential advantages of space tourism.

People have always been drawn to brand-new, unique experiences, and what could be better than viewing the Earth from a spaceship? Whether you’re a fan of science fiction or deeply fascinated by the endless wonders of our galaxy, traveling to outer space sounds like an unattainable fantasy. However, it’s closer than you might think.

People who said they were interested in space tourism in the 2018 PEW survey named three main reasons. Most participants (45%) said they wanted to experience something unique, while 29% of those surveyed wished to view the Earth from space. The others said they wanted to travel to space to learn more about our world.

Space tourists will be able to see the Earth, the Moon, the International Space Station, the Kármán Line, and many other parts of our solar system. Traveling to space will undoubtedly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

Since the beginning of space travel, only about 600 people have been to space. However, the development of space tourism will make traveling to space available for many people. According to a study by Northern Sky Research, there will be almost 60,000 space tourists by 2031.

There are currently long waiting lists for Virgin Galactic flights due to take place by the end of 2022. Although it’s nearly impossible to get a seat on this cutting-edge space vehicle right now, Virgin Galactic hopes to conduct 400 flights a year.

Even though prices for space tourism are currently going through the roof, it’s believed they will be significantly reduced when commercial space exploration becomes mainstream. One day, it may even become affordable for ordinary people.

You don’t need to be a trained astronaut to become a space tourist. Previously, the opportunity to fly to outer space was only available to astronauts. However, it will be possible for everyone who can afford it in the future.

Astronauts undergo years of preparation for a single flight, whereas space tourists receive the proper training a few days or even hours before the trip. If you want to fly with Blue Origin, you’ll only need one training day. On the other hand, Virgin Galactic’s training takes five days to complete.

The requirements for becoming a space tourist vary depending on the company. For example, if you want to fly with Virgin Galactic, you must be 18. Another important factor in traveling to space is physical fitness. You need to be relatively healthy for this adventure. People with heart problems or those who are overweight or underweight won’t be able to go.

Exploring outer space has been the goal of many government agencies and privately owned space companies ever since the 1950s. One of the most notable events of space exploration was the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This 20-year battle gave rise to many technological advancements and scientific achievements. It was also when the two nations sent the world’s first-ever satellites, rockets, and astronauts into space.

Space tourism and space exploration are inherently connected, where one directly influences the other. Therefore, increasing interest in space tourism will renew the global interest in space exploration, leading to more opportunities.

Many children want to be astronauts when they grow up. Kids usually start with sci-fi movies and space camps before pursuing educational opportunities in engineering, science, or technology. The chance to go to space when they grow up can inspire many young minds. Many people who have visited space as tourists have stated that the experience was life-changing.

Going to space will inspire many more people to become astronauts or contribute to the space industry in another way.

Other than being able to view our planet from outer space, passengers will also get a chance to experience weightlessness. Of course, zero-gravity simulators have already been developed on Earth, like the Zero G Experience , where people can experience weightlessness without going to space.

Space tourism allows people to sample the real thing. Once the spacecraft is launched, passengers will go through a similar experience to roller coaster rides. Space tourists who booked a flight with Blue Origin will be in zero-gravity for three minutes before the space vehicle descends to Earth.

Space tourism can help collect valuable research data. Such information will be essential in the development of space travel and space exploration. This kind of data wouldn’t be provided by space tourists but by people who organize the trip to space. Scientific research could encourage various innovations and solutions to problems.

Seeing our planet from space is a unique experience that will make us realize how small we are. We tend to think that we are the center of the universe and that the problems we face in life are insurmountable. However, going into space, even for a few minutes, puts things like conflicts and other issues that can be easily solved into perspective.

Another advantage of space tourism is the possibility of finding resources that are being depleted from our planet. If spacecraft take frequent trips to the moon or other locations in outer space, there is a greater chance of finding valuable resources that can be used for various applications.

For example, resources such as water, metals, minerals, atmospheric gases, and volatile elements can be found on various celestial bodies surrounding the Earth. For example, water was already found on the moon, Mars, and in some asteroids. Oxygen is another valuable resource that’s necessary for rocket propellants.

Not only can we use the raw materials to make life easier on Earth, but those resources can be put into improving aerospace technology. In other words, space tourism might pay off in the long run.

Space tourism brings us closer to finding extraterrestrial life. The subject of aliens has always been controversial, sparking many arguments about their existence. However, even though there is no solid proof of extraterrestrial life, many scientists agree that the odds of life on other planets are high.

The more money and resources that are invested into the commercial space travel industry, the further we will be able to explore. One of the goals of space exploration is discovering life outside of Earth, and space tourism can make this happen.

Space tourism may even bring us closer to finding new planets to colonize. But unfortunately, there haven’t been any discoveries of planets that are habitable and safe for human life yet. The planet closest to Earth in terms of habitability is Kepler-452b, which seems to be the most promising candidate.

The Mars colonization project is already on the way. Elon Musk plans to take SpaceX to Mars in five to ten years. So even though moving to a new planet seems like a plot from a movie right now, who knows what the future might bring? One thing is sure – space tourism will open new doors for us and allow us to explore more of the universe.

Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in the space industry, government agencies, and private companies. The growth of space tourism will open new doors for many individuals. As a result, the sector will likely see an increase in employment in the next couple of years.

Traveling to space lets us view the Earth from a different perspective. This will help us identify dangers to our planet and prepare for potential hazards. For example, if an asteroid or a comet is heading toward Earth, we would have more time to prepare. By exploring space, we could locate some of those hazards before they even come close and prevent a potential disaster.

As interest keeps growing in space tourism, more and more private companies will want to be a part of the new-generation space race. This will lead to significant technological advancements in the aerospace sector, facilitating space tourism even more. As a result, we can expect to see bigger, faster, and better rockets in the future, which will be made for suborbital space tourism and orbital space travel.

The future of space exploration through space tourism presents countless opportunities. The Northern Sky Research space tourism study suggests that the global space tourism market will be worth $20 billion in revenue.

Space tourism may replace long-air flights. Instead of traveling 16 to 17 hours from one continent to another, space travel will enable passengers to reach their destinations in under an hour.

One day, there might even be hotels in space, allowing space tourists to enjoy the wonders of space for a longer time. This is the goal of the Orbital Assembly Corporation. Their space hotels, the Voyager Station and the Pioneer Station, will orbit the Earth. Blue Origin and Orion Span are also working on building hotels in space called the Aurora Station and the Orbital Reef.

Cons of Space Tourism

Now that we’ve gone through all the advantages of space tourism let’s look at some downsides. Space tourism is extremely expensive and inaccessible, but it can also be dangerous in several ways.

Launching a rocket creates a significant carbon footprint. Spacecraft generate soot, a harmful substance of large amounts of carbon. Once it’s released into the atmosphere, the soot from a spacecraft is absorbed by sunlight, which increases the warmth in the atmosphere.

A spacecraft must burn excessive fuel to reach space and overcome Earth’s gravity. We’re talking hundreds of tons, which can leak through the rocket and spill into the atmosphere. The harmful chemicals, along with rocket fumes, harm the ozone layer.

It’s already possible to purchase tickets for space. However, it’s costly. One ticket for a ride with Virgin Galactic costs $450,000, and that’s only for a 90-minute trip. Now, becoming a space tourist is only possible if you’re a multi-millionaire. The only people who have become space tourists are billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sir Richard Branson. That’s why space tourism has been dubbed “the billionaire space race.”

Right now, both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have enough room for a maximum of six passengers. However, if we were to include the two pilots, they could only accommodate four more people. For that reason, those who wish to participate in the space exploration experience must book tickets several years in advance. More than 600 reservations have already been made for Virgin Galactic space tours.

In other words, if you were thinking about buying a ticket for a space trip that will take place this year, you can forget about it. That being said, SpaceX announced they were working on a spacecraft with enough room for up to 100 passengers.

As mentioned before, not everyone will be able to become a space tourist. Even if you have the money and you’re old enough, your health and physical condition could prevent you from participating in space tourism.

Those allowed to travel to space need to be in pretty good shape. Aerospace companies have different rules and requirements. For example, Blue Origin only lets you buy tickets if you can climb seven flights of stairs in under 90 seconds. People who fail to meet their requirements are automatically eliminated.

There are also different height and weight requirements. For example, you can’t weigh less than 110 pounds or more than 223 pounds to become a space tourist.

Space tourism isn’t only expensive for the passengers but for the private space company as well. For example, a return trip to the International Space Station with the Boeing Starliner or the SpaceX Crew Dragon will cost around $50 million.

The trips to the International Space Station carried out by Space Adventures from 2001 to 2009 cost $20 to $30 million for eight- to 14-day trips. The more recent trip to the International Space Station cost $55 million when Axiom Space sent the Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft in June 2022. The space tourists were there for 17 days.

Space tourism is still a generally new concept. In fact, Blue Origin has only carried out three space tourism launches so far, while Virgin Galactic went just once. Space travel continues to be dangerous due to many factors, such as inadequate safety protocols and lack of proper regulation. Traveling to space isn’t safe, so we must consider the worst-case scenario. If the spacecraft crashes, there won’t be a way to save any passengers.

Space tourists will be required to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a short time in space. For example, if you choose to travel with Blue Origin, you will only spend a few minutes in zero gravity, for which you would have to pay $200,000.

Other aerospace companies offer longer trips. For example, Virgin Galactic will send their spacecraft into space for three hours. Similarly, the New Shepard will be in space for approximately 11 minutes, while the Virgin VSS Unity flight takes two and a half hours.

Space junk refers to man-made debris and satellites that are no longer active and always orbit around our planet. While testing new rockets, launching them into space, and even on space missions, these rockets create a large amount of waste. In the 60 years of human space travel, we have generated over half a million items of space junk.

Space junk is another form of pollution that directly affects the Earth. Not to mention that space junk can also damage active satellites and spacecraft that might be close by. Space junk is dangerous because all those micro shards accumulate into larger piles of debris.

If the space mission is successful, all the investments and resources put into the project will pay off one way or another. However, if the experimentation fails, the resources will have been spent for nothing. The same applies to space tourism. If we were to look at a trip to space from that perspective, we would have to ask ourselves, is it worth spending so much money and resources just to send six people to space for three minutes?

One of the dangers of being an astronaut is constant exposure to harmful radiation from the sun, which leads to a greater risk of cancer and other health problems. Of course, space tourists who only spend a few minutes or hours in space shouldn’t have anything to worry about. But those who spend days or weeks in space might want to consider this factor.

The Kármán Line is a widely accepted border between the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. It’s roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level, located in the Earth’s thermosphere. Although no globally accepted law defines where space begins or ends, most regulatory agencies agree that the Kármán line is the closest we have to a border.

Suborbital spacecraft belonging to Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic won’t be able to cross the Kármán Line, which is considered “real” space. However, this may change in the future.

No matter how fast space technology might be developing, space scientists still use outdated information for some matters. Unfortunately, outdated information is useless and can also be dangerous and cause serious issues.

The problem with space research is that most of the celestial bodies that aren’t in our solar system are light-years away. Unfortunately, measuring time and distance in space is difficult, so we often receive inaccurate information.

Even for three minutes, exposure to zero gravity can affect the human body. To be more specific, passengers won’t have any side effects while they’re in space. The issues start when they return to Earth when space tourists experience space adaptation syndrome (SAS).

This is more commonly known as space sickness, like the space version of motion sickness. Space sickness manifests itself through loss of muscle power, bone resorption, loss of consciousness, and other short- and long-term effects. However, such symptoms are more likely to affect astronauts who spend months in space.

Space tourists may experience mild symptoms, like headaches, nausea, puffiness, temporary anemia, loss of appetite, and similar. They can even feel sick a few days after their journey to space. That’s why space tourism will only be available for passengers who are in good health.

Space tourism is a multibillion-dollar industry, and its revenue is only expected to grow. Since so much money is being invested, it raises many controversies. The Earth is in a lot of trouble, financially, politically, and environmentally. As a result, many politicians, humanitarians, and public figures have tried to highlight other matters that require our immediate attention. This includes poverty, global warming, world hunger, and many more issues that could benefit from these resources.

Last but not least, space tourism can be dangerous because it puts our planet at risk. This is another scenario that could be taken from a sci-fi movie. But in the future, traveling to space might have grave consequences.

Space tourism is a controversial topic. On the one hand, it can be a wonderful experience that allows us to view our planet and other celestial bodies from space. In addition, it opens up new doors for space exploration, inspires technological advancements, and boosts scientific research. But on the other hand, space tourism is extremely expensive; it accelerates global warming, is only available for a limited number of people, and can be very dangerous.

Whatever your opinion on space tourism, there’s no stopping its advancement. People will always be drawn to new things no one has experienced before, which is just one of the reasons the commercial space travel industry will grow. One day, we might even have hotels on the moon or other planets. There’s no telling what the future might bring.

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Positive Space Travel Program Implemented for DEN

Date: Mar 12, 2019

Source : Elines

As a result of significant weather events forecasted for Denver (DEN), a positive space travel program has been implemented for Flight Attendants commuting to/from DEN in order to be in position to operate trips starting today, Tuesday, March 12  through Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

If you are commuting to or from DEN to operate a trip, once you list for the flight on which you wish to travel your PNR needs to be authorized in order to complete the ticketing process. Have your PNR authorized by contacting FAST at 1-800-358-5463 (FLT-LINE) Option 4, then Option 2. Please advise the call representative that you are calling for IRROPS travel authorization. FAST will process the travel authorization while you remain on the phone. Once authorized, you will be able to select a seat and check in for your flight. This positive space authorization does not place you on must-ride status and flights will not be oversold to accommodate travel.

Be sure to book your travel as positive space, not space available . If the flight on which you wish to travel does not have availability, check back later to see if it opens up or choose a different flight. Do not book as space available because FAST will not be able to authorize the listing. If you need assistance with this positive space travel program or if you have further questions, please do not contact Crew Scheduling; contact your base supervisor or your Local Council office.

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The Future of Space Tourism Is Now. Well, Not Quite.

From zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps, reservations for getting off the planet — or pretending to — are skyrocketing. The prices, however, are still out of this world.

By Debra Kamin

Ilida Alvarez has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a child. But Ms. Alvarez, a legal-mediation firm owner, is afraid of flying, and she isn’t a billionaire — two facts that she was sure, until just a few weeks ago, would keep her fantasy as out of reach as the stars. She was wrong.

Ms. Alvarez, 46, and her husband, Rafael Landestoy, recently booked a flight on a 10-person pressurized capsule that — attached to a massive helium-filled balloon — will gently float to 100,000 feet while passengers sip champagne and recline in ergonomic chairs. The reservation required a $500 deposit; the flight itself will cost $50,000 and last six to 12 hours.

“I feel like it was tailor-made for the chickens like me who don’t want to get on a rocket,” said Ms. Alvarez, whose flight, organized by a company called World View , is scheduled to depart from the Grand Canyon in 2024.

Less than a year after Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson kicked off a commercial space race by blasting into the upper atmosphere within weeks of each other last summer, the global space tourism market is skyrocketing, with dozens of companies now offering reservations for everything from zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights. But don’t don your spacesuit just yet. While the financial services company UBS estimates the space travel market will be worth $3 billion by 2030, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to approve most out-of-this-world trips, and construction has not started on the first space hotel. And while access and options — not to mention launchpads — are burgeoning, space tourism remains astronomically expensive for most.

First, what counts as space travel?

Sixty miles (about 100 kilometers) above our heads lies the Kármán line, the widely accepted aeronautical boundary of the earth’s atmosphere. It’s the boundary used by the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale, which certifies and controls global astronautical records. But many organizations in the United States, including the F.A.A. and NASA, define everything above 50 miles to be space.

Much of the attention has been focused on a trio of billionaire-led rocket companies: Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin , whose passengers have included William Shatner; Mr. Branson’s Virgin Galactic , where tickets for a suborbital spaceflight start at $450,000; and Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in September launched an all-civilian spaceflight, with no trained astronauts on board. Mr. Branson’s inaugural Virgin Galactic flight in 2021 reached about 53 miles, while Blue Origin flies above the 62-mile mark. Both are eclipsed by SpaceX, whose rockets charge far deeper in to the cosmos, reaching more than 120 miles above Earth.

Balloons, like those operated by World View, don’t go nearly as high. But even at their maximum altitude of 18 or 19 miles, operators say they float high enough to show travelers the curvature of the planet, and give them a chance to experience the overview effect — an intense perspective shift that many astronauts say kicks in when you view Earth from above.

Now, how to get there …

Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which are both licensed for passenger space travel by the F.A.A., are open for ticket sales. (Blue Origin remains mum on pricing.) Both companies currently have hundreds or even thousands of earthlings on their wait lists for a whirl to the edge of space. SpaceX charges tens of millions of dollars for its further-reaching flights and is building a new facility in Texas that is currently under F.A.A. review.

Craig Curran is a major space enthusiast — he’s held a reserved seat on a Virgin Galactic flight since 2011 — and the owner of Deprez Travel in Rochester, N.Y. The travel agency has a special space travel arm, Galactic Experiences by Deprez , through which Mr. Curran sells everything from rocket launch tickets to astronaut training.

Sales in the space tourism space, Mr. Curran acknowledges, “are reasonably difficult to make,” and mostly come from peer-to-peer networking. “You can imagine that people who spend $450,000 to go to space probably operate in circles that are not the same as yours and mine,” he said.

Some of Mr. Curran’s most popular offerings include flights where you can experience the same stomach-dropping feeling of zero gravity that astronauts feel in space, which he arranges for clients via chartered, specialized Boeing 727s that are flown in parabolic arcs to mimic being in space. Operators including Zero G also offer the service; the cost is around $8,200.

You can almost count the number of completed space tourist launches on one hand — Blue Origin has had four; SpaceX, two. Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, on Thursday announced the launch of its commercial passenger service, previously scheduled for late 2022, was delayed until early 2023. Many of those on waiting lists are biding their time before blastoff by signing up for training. Axiom Space, which contracts with SpaceX, currently offers NASA-partnered training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Virgin Galactic, which already offers a “customized Future Astronaut Readiness program” at its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico, is also partnering with NASA to build a training program for private astronauts.

Would-be space tourists should not expect the rigor that NASA astronauts face. Training for Virgin Galactic’s three-hour trips is included in the cost of a ticket and lasts a handful of days; it includes pilot briefings and being “fitted for your bespoke Under Armour spacesuit and boots,” according to its website.

Not ready for a rocket? Balloon rides offer a less hair-raising celestial experience.

“We go to space at 12 miles an hour, which means that it’s very smooth and very gentle. You’re not rocketing away from earth,” said Jane Poynter, a co-founder and co-chief executive of Space Perspective , which is readying its own touristic balloon spaceship, Spaceship Neptune. If all goes according to plan, voyages are scheduled to begin departing from Florida in 2024, at a cost of $125,000 per person. That’s a fraction of the price tag for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, but still more than double the average annual salary of an American worker.

Neither Space Perspective nor World View has the required approval yet from the F.A.A. to operate flights.

Unique implications

Whether a capsule or a rocket is your transport, the travel insurance company battleface launched a civilian space insurance plan in late 2021, a direct response, said chief executive Sasha Gainullin, to an increase in space tourism interest and infrastructure. Benefits include accidental death and permanent disablement in space and are valid for spaceflights on operators like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, as well as on stratospheric balloon rides. They’ve had many inquiries, Mr. Gainullin said, but no purchases just yet.

“Right now it’s such high-net-worth individuals who are traveling to space, so they probably don’t need insurance,” he said. “But for quote-unquote regular travelers, I think we’ll see some takeups soon.”

And as the industry grows, so perhaps will space travel’s impact on the environment. Not only do rocket launches have immense carbon footprints, even some stratospheric balloon flights have potentially significant implications: World View’s balloons are powered by thousands of cubic meters of helium, which is a limited resource . But Ted Parson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that space travel’s environmental impact is still dwarfed by civil aviation. And because space travel is ultra-niche, he believes it’s likely to stay that way.

“Despite extensive projections, space tourism is likely to remain a tiny fraction of commercial space exploration,” he said. “It reminds me of tourism on Mt. Everest. It’s the indulgence of very rich people seeking a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the local environmental burden is intense.”

Stay a while?

In the future, space enthusiasts insist, travelers won’t be traveling to space just for the ride. They’ll want to stay a while. Orbital Assembly Corporation, a manufacturing company whose goal is to colonize space, is currently building the world’s first space hotels — two ring-shaped properties that will orbit Earth, called Pioneer Station and Voyager Station. The company, quite optimistically, projects an opening date of 2025 for Pioneer Station, with a capacity of 28 guests. The design for the larger Voyager Station , which they say will open in 2027, promises villas and suites, as well as a gym, restaurant and bar. Both provide the ultimate luxury: simulated gravity. Axiom Space , a space infrastructure company, is currently building the world’s first private space station; plans include Philippe Starck-designed accommodations for travelers to spend the night.

Joshua Bush, chief executive of travel agency Avenue Two Travel , has sold a handful of seats on upcoming Virgin Galactic flights to customers. The market for space travel (and the sky-high prices that come with it), he believes, will evolve much like civilian air travel did.

“In the beginning of the 20th century, only very affluent people could afford to fly,” he said. “Just as we have Spirit and Southwest Airlines today, there will be some sort of equivalent of that in space travel, too. Hopefully within my lifetime.”

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Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

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Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

A so-called hypervelocity object, which is either a low-mass star or a brown dwarf, is traveling through the Milky Way at around a million miles an hour. At that speed, it could be moving fast enough to break free from the gravitational clutches of the galaxy .

In 1924, a radio receiver built for the battlefields of World War I tested the idea that humans were not alone in the solar system, heralding a century of searches for extraterrestrial life .

NASA doesn’t say the Boeing Starliner astronauts are “stranded”  on the International Space Station, but it’s a word that a lot of people are using.

A study adds strong evidence to the hypothesis that the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs  came from a family of objects that originally formed well beyond the orbit of the planet Jupiter.

Is Pluto a planet? And what is a planet, anyway? Test your knowledge here .

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