What's your dream? Eyes closed, spent three seconds, took breath and think : my life is the greatest dream? Then, you understand the space for humans, for each individual's value. The space is mankind's ultimate dream land. Between all uneasy travelers will have a space travel dreams.

Quiet Skies

Eastern time on February 1. Early morning, Tuonibishili and wife from the bed to climb up to Watch "Columbia" shuttle flying overhead, he is California Institute of Technology, works an astronomer. At this time, just over 5:45 local time is a little bit, the Houston space control center time 7:45, Florida Canaveral launch site time 8:45.

Beasley saw, "Columbia" Aoyienshi flew over the valley issued dazzling flashes, for landing the space shuttle is still at an altitude of 60 miles, the speed is 20 times the speed of sound. Later, he saw some small but bright flashlight. Tbilisi also unfounded speculation : is not in the spacecraft enters the atmosphere of some parts off? He did not think, I just remember the spacecraft enters the atmosphere when the temperature is very high, there will be some small parts off. Immediately, he saw a large group of flames, "seems to be a large group of flame falling from the spacecraft."

After a few minutes, hundreds of miles away from Tuonibishili outside the Texas red oak, Chu Diaode stand on its own entrance lobby, heard deep rumbling sound to break the silence of dawn, initially, she thought it was a gas explosion.

"My house was vibrating, and the windows rattle mistake", the dog ran into the house to hide. Oldenburg saw a white smoke lit up the sky, "is not like the jet left so straight, smooth, as it expanded to muster the clouds."

Sky restored silence.

Check Ula, Ramon, the German Hess, McColl, Anderson, Brown, Clark, the seven astronauts suddenly vanished.

"Columbia" accident of rumors to the world.

People in grief issued doubt : Is what the problems were? Space flight safety coefficient in the end how high? Following is considered the information industry after a lucrative space tourism will suffer what the blow?

Into space

Stanley Kubrick in the 1960s for filming of the classic movie "2001 A Space Odyssey" (2001 : Space Odyssey), by 2001, worth more than a million Dennis Tito privately realized the dream of space travel.

When the first to see the white-haired old man appeared in the Russian flight training base in the weightlessness of flapping fluttering, you would be surprised -- this crazy old man! Yes, in the eyes of the world and doubt about, is that he had become the first human history, a privately space tourists. "Dream, perseverance and patience, which is very important!" Feet go back on the ground the old Tito, cooks and high spirits, he is willing to share this with the flight, and feel proud.

What's your dream? Eyes closed, spent three seconds, took breath and think : my life is the greatest dream? Then, you understand the space for humans, for each individual's value. The space is mankind's ultimate dream land. Between all uneasy travelers will have a space travel dreams.

Therefore, the 60-year-old millionaire Dennis Tito in 2001 to choose a space, the 28-year-old South African billionaire Mark _ in 2002, chose space. So far, only these two millionaire space tourists privileged to be all aboard the Russian "Alliance" series manned spacecraft, were paid a 20 million US dollars.

A native of South Africa, Gregory _ wearing big pants, T-shirts, beach sandals, was dressed in street youth, but young, he is not Sharapova, but to make people feel proud of South Africa's heroes, he was the first one from the African space tourist, is the first one in which the South African flag to space, in their own very favorably influence of the Soviet Union astronauts Youlijia Jialin. The 1990s and the rise of the Internet, Mark formed a core of e-commerce security company, and later the company to more than 500 million US dollars by the high price of the acquisition. Instead, he invested in other industries, the same profit money. Reviewing the juvenile proudly on the market, in addition to the best of luck, he also originated with some rare qualities : shrewd predictable and firm and positive action, from his choice of space travel can also feel it. He said after return to Earth, space travel is not purely a tourist, but to experience space tourism development, to consider the establishment of a space hotel feasibility, it is also eloquent a business visit.

Or so many millionaires were for the rich, comfortable family peace were the first people to the future of space travel before the fighting stops!

Cheap space travel

"Columbia" crash is the history of aviation disasters, many space tourism addicts had to postpone space travel with the plan, which once again reminded people of space flight safety.

February 3, the Russian side announced : suspended to allow tourists to carry the "Alliance" of the manned spacecraft and space tourism commercial flight operations. This is mainly because the United States Space Agency previously proposed, might suspend all manned space flights, until 2007-2008 to create a new manned spacecraft. Then, astronauts from the International Space Station mission naturally falls on the "Alliance" series manned spacecraft, and his "coalition" has become astronauts in the space between Earth and the only means of transport.

"Columbia" was the world's first practical input of a space shuttle, and later the United States have created a "challenger", "Discovery" and "Atlantis" and "Endeavor" a total of five space shuttle, currently only exist after three (1986, the "Challenger" exploded after launch, the United States within two years did not launch any shuttle). Flying over 100 sorties, twice, killing 17 personal sacrifice, the price too high!

"Columbia" from 1981 launched since the implementation of the 28 space missions, working for 22 years. Some people believe that the aging components could be the cause of this accident, in fact, it is a design life of 100 years, we can see that with the expected objectives very different. Moreover, in addition to the space shuttle's external fuel tank, the principal component can be reused, the main purpose in order to save funds, but each flight needs to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, dimes, it can not save money a little bit.

If the development of space tourism, space shuttle is not an ideal means of transport, although it own advantages, the cargo hold, take the time to be carrying 30 tons of cargo, could be transported back 10 tons; The astronauts contains a relatively large number of 6 - 7; Also deployment, launch, repair satellites, is almost a spacecraft comprehensive, large-scale carrier rockets and the space station three aircraft functions, the military uses very large, far exceeds the commercial and practical value.

Manned spacecraft contrast, a relatively low cost, short development cycle, and can also have long remained at the station played the role of the lifeboat. Experts think : on the current level of science and technology, development of small and large manned spacecraft docked in the rocket is an ideal portfolio, the existing shuttle can be transformed into large cargo spacecraft.

It appears that space tourism imperative to resolve the problems : First, safety issues, two of the charges for package tours. In fact, this is a general travel is no different. Walks cost is a half in traffic, travel agents Staff Committee Price depends largely on air fares, therefore, the development of safe, low-cost small aircraft manned space tourism is the only way to industrialization. One thing is sure, this will be the insurance company's business challenge, but in 10 to 30 years it is impossible to have the plan, as the price adjustment and penetration.

Business-minded Americans direct and explicit, contributed to the good of Tito "space adventure" see to the company in 2001 to launch the "sub-orbital space flight," tourism project, in preparation for 2005 sent the first batch of tourists, the cost per head of about 95,000 US dollars. Currently, more than 100 people have filed an application and pay a deposit 20,000 US dollars. A look at not to deliver the economic benefits of space travel has begun.

Immediately, the Russian space design department and the "space exploration" the company launched a cost reduction of small manned spacecraft C-21 spacecraft model : it weighed about 3.5 tonnes, the general rocket-propelled size as a small truck, which can carry a pilot and two tourists, it take M-55 transport plane carrying a pilot and two space tourists rose 1.7 meters height automatically separated on its own solid-fuel engine ignition, continue to climb to a height of more than 100 kilometers, and then begin to make three minutes of weightlessness flight. An hour travel time, but space tourists need four days prior to the weightlessness training and flight training.

The next 10 to 30 years, space tourism will be increasingly close to the ordinary people. At present, there are several hotel groups to the international space station and space to invest in the hotel.

Space tourism should be worth the wait

Once directed "Titanic" and "True Lies," the well-known American director James Cameron to the international space station prepared to make a film; American rock star Lance Bass is also poised to become the first to fly an artist. It is said that the Russian millionaire club members have tired of hunting lions, survival challenges, such super adventure games, playing in the streets and traffic police were prostitutes become their new game, it is estimated under investigation, and there will be many candidates. As for China, according to the latest Forbes survey, the list millionaire minority, believed to have ideals, quality, health and ability to adapt to the many millionaires should.

Maryland's space advisory body should be NASA's request for a survey, 7% of the wealthy people are willing to spend 20 million US dollars to space travel, 19% of respondents are willing to pay 100,000 US dollars to travel into space 15 minutes. If the cost is lower, I believe there will be more people interested.

The Russian people seem to have born with a purely commercial operation divide. Russian Space Agency officials said they were ready to choose 20 ordinary Russian citizens flight training, and then to choose a lucky person so that the ordinary people of Russia won a dream of space travel. As for the 20 million US dollars the cost entirely borne by the State! The Russian government is not so much to stimulate the breakup of the Soviet Union became the period were up to the big quality is not high and the space tourism is not positive enough ah, questionable.