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(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)SpaceTourismMakeyourreservationsnow.Thespacetourismindustryisofficiallyopenforbusiness,andticketsaregoingforamere$20millionforaone-weekstayinspace.DespitereluctancefromNationalAirandSpaceAdministration(NASA),RussiamadeAmericanbusinessmanDennisTitotheworld’sfirstspacetourist.TitoflewintospaceaboardaRussianSoyuzrocketthatarrivedattheInternationalSpaceStation(ISS)onApril30,2001.Thesecondspacetourist,SouthAfricanbusinessmanMarkShuttleworth,tookoffaboardtheRussianSoyuzonApril25,2002,alsoboundfortheISS.LanceBassof’NSyncwassupposedtobethethirdtomakethe$20milliontrip,buthedidnotjointhethree-mancrewastheyblastedoffonOctober30,2002,duetolackofpayment.ProbablythemostincredibleaspectofthisproposedspacetourwasthatNASAapprovedofit.Thesetripsarethebeginningofwhatcouldbeaprofitable21stcenturyindustry.Therearealreadyseveralspacetourismcompaniesplanningtobuildsuborbitalvehiclesandorbitalcitieswithinthenexttwodecades.Thesecompanieshaveinvestedmillions,believingthatthespacetourismindustryisonthevergeoftakingoff.In1997,NASApublishedareportconcludingthatsellingtripsintospacetoprivatecitizenscouldbeworthbillionsofdollars.AJapanesereportsupportsthesefindings,andprojectsthatspacetourismcouldbea$10billionperyearindustrywithinthenexttwodecades.Theonlyobstaclestoopeningupspacetotouristsarethespaceagencies,whoareconcernedwithsafetyandthedevelopmentofareliable,reusablelaunchvehicle.SpaceAccommodationsRussia’sMirspacestationwassupposedtobethefirstdestinationforspacetourists.ButinMarch2001,theRussianAgencybroughtMirdownintothePacificOcean.Asitturnedout,bringingdownMironlytemporarilydelayedthefirsttouristtripintospace.TheMircrashdidcancelplansforanewreality-basedgameshowfromNBC,whichwasgoingtobecalledDestinationMir.Thesurvivor-likeTVshowwasscheduledtoairinfall2001.ParticipantsontheshowweretogothroughtrainingatRussia’scosmonaut(宇航员)trainingcenter,StarCity.Eachweek,oneoftheparticipantswouldbeeliminatedfromtheshow,withthewinnerreceivingatriptotheMirspacestation.TheMircrashhasruledoutNBC’sspaceplantsfornow.NASAisagainstbeginningspacetourismuntiltheInternationalSpaceStationiscompletedin2006.Russiainnotaloneinitsinterestinspacetourism.Thereareseveralprojectsunderwaytocommercializespacetravel.Hereareafewofthegroupsthatmighttaketouriststospace:SpaceIslandGroupisgoingtobuildaring-shaped,rotating“commercialspaceinfrastructure(基础结构).”SpaceIslandsaysitwillbuilditsspacecityoutofofemptyNASAspace-shuttlefueltanks(tostart,itshouldtakearound12orso),andplaceitabout400milesaboveEarth.Thespacecitywillrotateonceperminutetocreateagravitationalpullone-thirdasstrongasEarth’s.Accordingtotheirvisionstatement,SpaceAdventuresplantsto“flytentsofthousandsofpeopleinspaceoverthenext10-15yearsandbeyond,aroundthemoon,andback,fromspaceportsbothonEarthandinspace,toandformprivatespacestations,andaboarddozensofdifferentvehicles…”EvenHiltonHotelshasshowninterestinthespacetourismindustryandthepossibilityofbuildingorco-fundingaspacehotel.However,thecompanydidsaythatitbelievessuchaspacehotelis15to20yearsaway.Initially,Spacetourismwilloffersimpleaccommodationsatbest.Forinstance,iftheInternationalSpaceStationisusedasatouristattraction,guestswon’tfindtheLuxurioussurroundingsofahotelroomonEarth.Ithasbeendesignedforconductingresearch,notentertainment.However,thefirstgenerationofspacehotelsshouldoffertouristsamuchmorecomfortableexperience.InregardtoaconceptforaspacehotelinitiallyplannedbySpaceIsland,suchahotelcouldofferguestseveryconveniencetheymightfindatahotelonEarth,andsometheymightnot.Thesmallgravitationalpullcreatedbytherotatingspacecitywouldallowspace-touristsandresidentstowalkaroundandfunctionnormallywithinthestructure.Everythingfromrunningwatertoarecyclingplanttomedicalfacilitieswouldbepossible.Additionally,spacetouristswouldevenbeabletotakespacewalks.Manyofthesecompaniesbelievethattheyhavetoofferanextremelyenjoyableexperienceinorderforpassengerstopay(有效栽载重)costsabout$10,000toputintoEarth’sorbit.NASAandLockheedMartinarecurrentlydevelopingasingle-stage-to-orbitlaunchspaceplane,calledtheVentureStar,thatcouldbelaunchedforaboutatenthofwhatthespaceshuttlecoststolaunch.IftheVentureStartakesoff,thenumberofpeoplewhocouldaffordtotakeatripintospacewouldmoveintothemillions.In1998,ajointreportfromNASAandtheSpaceTransportationAssociationstatedthatimprovementsintechnolog