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Inside of the craft

Passengers would experience several minutes of weightlessness
Another company has high hopes for space tourism

The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) has publicly announced plans to join the space tourism race by 2012.  The company believes the space tourism industry could be a multibillion-dollar industry in 20 years, especially as companies continue to develop technology to safely and easily take tourists up on trips.  EADS is currently Europe's biggest aerospace company, with the Astrium division being responsible for the space tourism endeavor.

Astrium is best known for creating the Ariane rocket, which is responsible for taking a large portion of commercial satellites into orbit.

The Astrium division plans on carrying space tourists on a suborbital ride higher than 100 kilometers above Earth.  The craft will use traditional runways and normal jet engines to take off and climb to 12 kilometers, then the rocket engines would be ignited to take the craft up another 60 kilometers in just 80 seconds.  The spacecraft will then coast the rest of the way until it's eventual 100 kilometer apogee.

The expected cost of one ticket will run roughly $267,000 per flight.  Due to safety precautions, only four passengers at a time will be able to enjoy the hour and a half-long flight. 

EADS already has already created specifications for a rocket plane, but now is seeking co-investors to help ease the cost of construction.  Most contributed funding should come from private investors, though several governments may become involved with the project.  Bavaria -- where the engines will be produced -- is a likely candidate of a for German participation in the project.

"We believe it is the will of human beings to visit space and we have to give them the possibility to do that, said Francois Auque, Astrium CEO.

The space jet is scheduled to become operational next year, with 2012 as the goal for commercial launch.

The space tourism sector is picking up -- for example, companies including Virgin Galactic, Benson Space, Space Adventures -- are all vying for the top spot of the budding industry.  Space Adventures remains the only company to successfully take a paying customer into orbit at a cost of $20 million per flight.

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We have discoverd a new country
By Rob Coops on 6/14/2007 9:07:09 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Bavaria -- where the engines will be produced -- is a likely candidate of a country that could get involved.


Since when is Bavaria a seperate country? I believe that you are trying to describe the locations status as one of the states that makes up a country called Germany.

If you cannot be bothered to get even these simple things right how can we trust the rest of your reporting.




RE: We have discoverd a new country
By Spivonious on 6/14/2007 9:22:30 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah, that's pretty bad. For the DT crew: Bavaria is a state in southern Germany. Its capital city is Munich. BMW and Volkwagon are headquartered there. BMW even has the Bavarian flag in their logo (blue and white checks).


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By Basilisk on 6/14/2007 9:38:42 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
BMW even has the Bavarian flag in their logo (blue and white checks).

Perhaps it's a coincidence, but they also have "Bavarian" in their name. ["Bayerische", for those preferring precision.] :P


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 6/14/2007 9:57:01 AM , Rating: 2
Bavaria is also where real beer is brewed. :)


By Spivonious on 6/15/2007 3:49:13 PM , Rating: 2
and it comes in liters :) Ahh the Hofbrauhaus...how I miss you...


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By umeng2002 on 6/14/2007 11:52:51 AM , Rating: 2
I don't mean to be a nitpick, but Volkswagen is headquartered in Wolfsburg, not in Munich.


By Spivonious on 6/15/2007 3:48:36 PM , Rating: 2
d'oh! :)


By zsouthboy on 6/14/2007 9:48:19 AM , Rating: 2
All I know is that I love their donuts.


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By Ringold on 6/14/2007 2:00:48 PM , Rating: 2
It's not quite a total screw-up in that individual states in Germany do actively invest in firms that they desperately want to keep located in their area. That's different than in at least some other countries; here in the US, that doesn't occur to my knowledge. I don't think it even happens at the federal level; states tend to prefer tax breaks rather than deal with the moral hazards of being part-owners in what ought to be a free market in order to draw companies. It also have the nice effect of making states compete for business versus who can merely amass stock holdings.

The only reason I happen to know Germany's different is because its states tends to make news when it increases, decreases, or actively makes use of its share holdings.


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By christojojo on 6/15/2007 1:38:45 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, like in Buffalo, NY were they give away land, power, tax breaks without seeing a cent of money back (excluding some taxes from sales and employees). Its a wonderful way to keep the tax rate up and bring a few businesses in at the expense of the establish ones (which, usuually leave). I would prefer investment with agreements to stay versus the tax breaks.


RE: We have discoverd a new country
By Ringold on 6/17/2007 5:06:34 AM , Rating: 2
The taxes from sales and employees are the entire point! Or, rather, part of the point.

Those employee's then spend money in the local area, which leads to more jobs, which can beget yet more local economic activity. I can't pull the numbers off the top of my head but I read about the whole multiplier effect as it occurs commonly in California and it's really rather amazing.

Some counties and states really take it a bit too far in their enthusiasm to bag a big name, but looking only at the foregone tax revenue directly from the firm itself is much too narrow.


By oTAL (blog) on 6/14/2007 2:28:02 PM , Rating: 3
Come on Michael!
The guy corrects your mistake and you replace it by:
quote:
Bavaria -- where the engines will be produced -- is a likely candidate of a for German participation in the project.


I don't like to nitpick but this could easily be (mis)interpreted as lack of commitment towards the quality of your own articles. You guys probably don't have a lot of time, but you can at least try to get it right on the second try.


By slacker57 on 6/14/2007 2:48:59 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
If you cannot be bothered to get even these simple things right how can we trust the rest of your reporting.


I very much agree with you about how bad their mistake was there. Definitely raises a red flag about proper editing. But hasty generalizations like these are just as irresponsible...


Tempting....
By Googer on 6/14/2007 6:12:16 AM , Rating: 5
As tempting as it may be for me to be the first to do this, I think I will wait several years until these new companies and this new means of travel has established a strong safety record before I consider plunking down my $20,000,000 of pocket change.
I'll let the early adopter take the all risks and be a guinea pig for me.




RE: Tempting....
By Lord 666 on 6/14/2007 8:24:04 AM , Rating: 2
It might be worth it if you only have to spend $200,000 - 266,000.

But if you have a spare 20 million dollars of pocket change, I can help.


RE: Tempting....
By dice1111 on 6/14/2007 12:27:23 PM , Rating: 2
As tempting as it may be for me to be the first to do this, I think I will wait several years until I save up 20,000,000 to go...


This is only the beginning...
By Xavian on 6/14/2007 9:05:52 AM , Rating: 2
With space-travel (even in this primitive form) slowly being capitalized, its only a matter of time before space travel explodes with popularity.

Capitalism does great things for new markets.

I'm sure that if only governments went into space it would be hundreds of years before it became popular, but with capitalism, i wouldn't be surprised if there is a space port of somekind on the moon by 2020 created by a company (Virgin Galactic or whatever).




RE: This is only the beginning...
By P4blo on 6/14/2007 10:53:48 AM , Rating: 2
Totally agree. If I was an entrepreneur with a couple of billion in the bank I would immediately start a space tourism company. With the exception of those that are too scared or have medical conditions what person wouldn't want to go into space and gaze at the earth and crystal clear stars? The industry is going to explode during the next decades. Constant demand will eventually push the prices down, new vehicles will carry more people etc. Short stays at space 'hotels' will begin. Once it hits say 20k per trip you'll have poeple taking out loans and remortgaging their homes to get in on the action. I know I would.

The future has begun, get out of the way NASA! I'm very very pleased to see that space wont remain the exclusive domain of overtrained astronaughts and overstrained budgets. Also, governments in space means they bring their stupid politics in space with them and that sucks the big chubby. Space = for everyone.


RE: This is only the beginning...
By slacker57 on 6/14/2007 2:46:17 PM , Rating: 2
I seriously hope I'm still alive when terraforming starts happening and the Unification War. I'm not wearing a coat, but if I were, it would be brown. :)


By christojojo on 6/15/2007 1:43:54 PM , Rating: 2
Dont forget the towel!


That's one expensive roller coaster ride
By lennylim on 6/14/2007 4:04:13 AM , Rating: 2
At over $47 per second, that's essentially what it is.

But, hey, for half a million bucks, you can join the new exclusive Hundred Mile High Club.




RE: That's one expensive roller coaster ride
By dice1111 on 6/14/2007 12:31:51 PM , Rating: 2
To be honest, thats one of the only reasons I'd go...


By Ringold on 6/17/2007 5:09:15 AM , Rating: 2
I flew a Cessna 172 up to around 11500 one time just to join the two mile high club..

.. wasn't at all worth the fuel, time, effort and risk to get there.. Interesting view, though. But not worth it..

100 mile high club? That might be different.


Fuzzy math
By mashtifered on 6/14/2007 11:11:57 AM , Rating: 2
Quote: "The Astrium division plans on carrying space tourists on a suborbital ride higher than 100 kilometers above Earth. The craft will use traditional runways and normal jet engines to take off and climb to 12 kilometers, then the rocket engines would be ignited to go as high as 60 kilometers in just 80 seconds. "

Just how does the rocket engines take the craft to "as high as 60 kilometers" equal a "suborbital ride higher than 100 kilometers"? Even if you add the 12 km, you are still short by more than 28,000 meters.

Also, the link in the quote shows the actual article which says "passengers each paying about 200,000 euros ($267,000) for the experience". How does DT take that as "cost of one ticket will be $200K to $266K per flight"?

Makes me wonder if anything here is fact-checked!




RE: Fuzzy math
By Nanobaud on 6/14/2007 12:00:52 PM , Rating: 3
When the rocket thrust stops, the ship is still going steeply upwards at 1-1/2 or so Km/sec. With not-much drag in the mesosphere, they will coast past the 100 Km apex.


and in other news...
By Rotkiv on 6/14/2007 6:56:41 AM , Rating: 2
cell phone companies are forming new inter-lunar and inter-planetary roaming price sets...which the EU commission on telecommunications say are unreasonable and should be brought back into check with current laws regarding international roaming chargers.




RE: and in other news...
By James Holden on 6/14/2007 7:11:20 AM , Rating: 2
But can you use your cell phone in the cabin? Do you have to wait to deplane?


Radiation outside of atmosphere?
By MrCoyote on 6/14/2007 5:16:44 PM , Rating: 2
I've always been told, that people who fly in airplanes or out in orbit, are exposed to small amounts of radiation. Anyone know the amounts?




By christojojo on 6/15/2007 1:47:35 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The four core friends and family members that are traditionally associated with the Fantastic Four, and who gained superpowers after being exposed to cosmic rays during an outer space science mission are:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Four


IMO
By Treckin on 6/14/2007 7:59:53 PM , Rating: 1
Im SOOOOOOOO glad im young.

If I had 100 million dollars, there is no WAY i wouldn't drop 20 to go into space. Are you fucking kidding me?
Id have to go with the ruskies though, as I could stay for 3 days as opposed to the few hours I'd get with the private organizations.
Although poorly formulated, the comment on the effects of capitalism on space travel stabbed at a truism; if outer space remained a government monopoly, neither us or our children's children would have any hope of ever being to visit space.
I predict in the next 15 years we will see a huge expansion in the market. People will be able to travel for 100,000 dollars a seat by 2020. The tickets arnt going to get cheaper than that until a realistic alternative fuel is found for the launches. Fossil fuels are never going to get cheaper, so unless they can make a successful large scale ion drive (im not sure if they even work/are safe in an atmosphere), space elevator, etc were never going to get to space for less than a years salary.
However keeping people in space is not even remotely as expensive as getting them there, so I predict that the stays will get longer and longer, until they are more like elite cruise ship voyages, eventually perhaps being for one whole summer vacation, etc.
They also need a way to bus more than 4 people at a time up. That is the costly part; moving 4 people at a time is very expensive. Imagine being able to move 100... people dont weigh much, but instead of every ticket for 4 ppl being 200k, take 80 ppl (20x), and charge 50k...
on the 4 ppl you made 800k, while for the 80 you made 4 million.

Also they should for a coalition of private space tourism companies to construct a space hub, where people can stay for their trips. have fun activities that are unique to space, souvenirs, data feeds to earth via internet so your friends can see you, etc




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