WHAT’S NEXT?
No one can say for sure where the space tourism industry is
headed. But as tourist spaceflights become more common, the
price of a ticket will probably fall. Space tourism will become
accessible to more people, not just the extremely rich. And if the
space tourist industry expands, it will provide thousands of jobs
for spaceport workers and for spacecraft builders, mechanics,
and pilots.
The spaceflights already in the works will carry people to the
edge of space and back. The rides will be just for thrills. But
Branson and others envision a time when spaceships will carry
people from one part of Earth to another. On an airplane, it
takes almost twenty-two hours to fly from London in the United
Kingdom to Sydney, Australia. A space plane could make that
journey in just a few hours. Saving so much time would be a great
benefit to tourists and business travelers.
As space tourism becomes more
common, new spacecraft will be
designed and more people will
have access to spaceflights.
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