• Nasa to open International Space Station to tourists
    17 replies, posted
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48560874
I doubt there will be much tourism and the seats will be filled with commercial interests instead. Bigelow is already on it. https://twitter.com/BigelowSpace/status/1137012892191076353?s=19 They have hardware on the station that can't come back down so it makes sense they would want to have their people check it out.
A shame ill never be able to afford it
*nasa to open international space station to rich people
cool, i'll book my holiday now
I wonder if anyone has ever jacked off or rubbed one out on the ISS. Definitely probably a rubber, that is more subtle. Don't have to chase after flying spunk
to be fair, its been quasi open before when the russians were selling soyuz seats you just got to stay for only a few hours before going home
I heard that microgravity makes it harder for blood flow to get to, uh, where it needs to be.
So basically working class people taxes subsidizing rich people's superiority complex by letting them go to space.
Selling space grade viagra, get your space grade nasa approved viagra
they'll panic and go ape shit and want to go back to earth because they aren't trained astronauts.
NASA isn't paying for rich people to go to space. If they want to go they'll have to pay the 60 or so million themselves. The important thing here is it opens up access to the ISS for private/commercial science. Scientists who work for universities who are certainly not rich can have access to space if their research requires it. That is the benefit of opening up space past government bodies. Private space is better. The rich have always had access to space. Look at the Russians selling seats, or the space tourism companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Those seats cost as much as a very nice house.
Life, uh, finds a way
I read it. It still won't be enough. I doubt silver spoon fed manchildren can handle such a demanding experience even with the best civilian training. Pardon me for assuming being an astronaunt is half a lifetime of commitment and skills, or perhaps even more.
Most training astronauts receive that you are commending them for is G-force on launch and re-entry, and primarily spacewalking. They are choreographing for their time outside. The rest is training on controls, procedures, and mental well-being. Beyond launch, return, and procedures, I imagine "tourist" passengers wont be receiving the more intensive training. They don't need it.
Technically the requirements to be a NASA astronaut are quite simple: A bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. At least three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion OR at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft. The ability to pass the NASA long-duration astronaut physical. Distant and near visual acuity must be correctable to 20/20 for each eye. The use of glasses is acceptable. It's just that they get thousands of applicants, so they can be extremely picky and only choose the handful that are like an Air Force Academy MIT valedictorians who flew F-16s for 10 years, with 3 degrees, a Nobel prize, and a 6 year career as a rocket surgeon. Then out of the ones they pick to be an astronaut, they can only send between 1-3 up at a time with the shuttle no longer in use, so most astronauts just end up sitting around in Houston training. Most will never make it to space unless we make it more accessible. Which commercial space will do. So it should be a net benefit for NASA and private astronauts alike. For a tourist who is just going up for the fun of it, you're probably fine if you're fit enough to survive the launch and know enough not to do something stupid.
I don't expect this to be cheap enough for us right now but $35000 is bit less than the estimated some years ago. The main goal now is business but still there is a lot of potential for experimentation in making of the ISS a popular future touristic spot. How many rich people does it take to make prices go down and make it accessible enough to let us make kickstarts and crowdfounds to send flat earthers with GoPro cameras into orbit?
Why are you assuming the worst of these space tourists? Are any of these people in this list spoon fed manchildren? You should go check them out. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/113148/5eb1fc73-c671-476c-a10a-afa2f85db6e8/image.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_participant#List_of_space_flight_participants
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