Category Archives: Space Travel

This year, weve seen a rivalry between billionaires come to fruition as they forge their way into space. Composed of entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the private industry-centric race to space involves sending projectiles to the ionosphere, orbital launch rockets and suborbital tourist space flightschanging the way that we think about space altogether.

We talked with three Temple experts to learn more about the impact that the race to space has had on space travel, education and technology, as well as the social implications of Branson, Bezos and Musk using their wealth in this way.

John Helferty(Courtesy of the College of Engineering)

John Helferty is an associate professor in the College of Engineering. His research focuses on rocketry and space engineering, including specific interests in remote controlled QuadCopters, near-space payloads, lunar mining robots, high-altitude ballooning, autonomous mobile robots and rotorcraft. He also directs the NASA-funded Student Exploration and Embedded Systems Laboratory at Temple.

With the funding provided by the private industries involved in the billionaire race to space, there have been upgrades to space travel technologies that make the trip to space more efficient and cost-effective, he said.

Lets start with Richard Bransonss company, Virgin Galactictheyve created a spaceship that is attached to a plane. Once the plane has reached about 60,000 feet, the plane drops the spaceship and then you fire your rockets into space, said Helferty. Because of this, the spaceship doesnt require as much of a boost like youre seeing with Musks SpaceX, Bezos Blue Origin and NASA rockets, which require a massive boost just to get off the ground. The propulsion systems for these rockets are still using liquid fuel, but the chemistry that's used for the engine propellants into them has made them much more efficient. Additionally, the advances in materials used to build these rockets and spaceships makes them lighter and arguably stronger, meaning it requires less fuel to propel them into space.

Once Branson, Bezos and Musk were able to launch into orbit, their businesses varied from one another. We need to be careful about using the phrase space exploration here, because thats not necessarily what they are all doing. Bezos and Branson (and their corresponding companies) are more so doing what would be considered space travel, said Helferty. Space exploration has a connotation that youre going out and seeking something new and in uncharted territory, like Mars or the polar regions of the moon. Bezos and Branson are more interested in commercial space traveltaking people up for a ride to get a nice view of the curvature of the Earth, experience weightlessness out of the atmosphere and then youre on your way back. Musk and his company, SpaceX, definitely have plans to go to Mars and explore while also making plans for space travel.

As expected, commercial space travel will come at no small cost to those who want a seat on one of these space flights. While Blue Origin has yet to release ticket prices, a seat on one of Virgin Galactics flights is believed to cost around $450,000making for a large return on investment once they get them off the ground.

Christina Rosan(Courtesy of the College of Liberal Arts)

Christina Rosan is an associate professor in geography and urban studies focused on sustainable cities. She is also a Faculty Fellow with Temples Center for Sustainable Communities and the Loretta C. Duckworth Digital Scholars Studio. She is the co-author of Reimagining Sustainable Cities: Strategies for Designing Greener, Healthier, More Equitable Communities (University of California Press, December 2021).

While some are intrigued by the idea of commercial space travel, others are concerned that the wealth of billionaires is being misused. Given the state of the world, the need to address climate change, COVID-19, racial justice and inequality, focusing on a race to space seems like a misplaced priority, said Rosan. Space is becoming a private frontier. Its like a big yacht. If you have enough money, you can explore space, float around, while the rest of us are dealing with a climate emergency here on Earth. If we have real scientific goals for space exploration, lets coordinate with governments, business and universities rather than relying on the whims of billionaires.

Space tourism has an enormous carbon footprint, so it is not helping to solve the climate problem at allits contributing to it.

-- Christina Rosan, associate professor in geography and urban studies

Rosan continued to explain how unnecessary space travel can have damaging effects on the environment. Space tourism has an enormous carbon footprint, so it is not helping to solve the climate problem at allits contributing to it. We are in a climate emergency. How can they use their resources here, on Earth?

Not only is space travel raising concerns about climate change, but it is also affecting the many employees that work for the other companies of these entrepreneurs, such as Amazon. I think their employees probably wonder how much of these billionaires excess money comes from employee exploitation, stated Rosan. The 2020 median employee salary at Amazon was $29,007.

So, what else can billionaires do to support space exploration? Rosan believes that money can be redirected and used to fuel those who are already involved in space programs and organizations. Rather than having a handful of billionaires guide our science and technology development, we should tax them appropriately to publicly fund scientific exploration and space programs, she said.

Jim Napolitano(Courtesy of the College of Science and Technology)

Jim Napolitano is an associate professor in the Department of Physics. His research focuses on parity violation and neutrino oscillations in quantum mechanics.

When you look at the purpose of the three different billionaires space companies, Musk is the only one who is in it for space exploration, said Napolitano. SpaceX is technically considered a telecommunications company because they launched their own telecommunications satellite and now their own telecommunications network. Thats pretty impressive when you think about it. However, Bezos and Branson are launching people into space for tourism. Sure, its exciting to see celebrities like William Shatner get launched into space now, but it's not the kind of commercial enterprise that is going to excite people in the long run.

Napolitano touched on the idea that celebrities going into space could motivate or inspire more young people today to get involved in science and technology and eventually go into STEM-related fields. From an educational standpoint, if it inspires students to go into science and technology, then that's great. We can all use more of that, he said. Whether or not the money these guys (Branson, Bezos and Musk) are spending could be better spent on better textbooks for students in schools, paying teachers the kind of salaries they should be paid to teach our kids science and mathematics, and inspire them and give them the time they need to get better at it and learn things in school and through summer programs ... I think they could do more with it.

However, Napolitano thinks the real way to get kids passionate about space, science and technology is to spark that interest while theyre young.

STEM is more than just knowing science, engineering and mathematics. Its about understanding how they affect us and how we can affect them, explained Napolitano. But I think if were going to make a real difference in STEM education in this country, we have to make teaching STEM to elementary, primary and secondary school students a priority. We have to educate teachers who are able to reach these kids and see this as an honorable, well-paying profession. And its really fun when you get in at that age because these kids are not afraid of raising their hands and saying the wrong thing. Second, third grade, maybe even kindergarten, we have to start them earlythis is what we need to do to make a difference in STEM.

Kierstyn Smith

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An in-depth look at the race to space - Temple University News

Investing Over $38 Million in Florida and Creating 240 Jobs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., December 16, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Space Perspective, the worlds leading luxury spaceflight experience company, today announced that it has selected Floridas Space Coast Spaceport in Titusville, Florida as the location for the companys worldwide campus and manufacturing complex.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211216005895/en/

Space Perspective's radically gentle journey via Spaceship Neptune's pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance SpaceBalloon. The ultra-comfortable, accessible and gentle six-hour journey redefines space travel. (Photo: Business Wire)

Along with the companys world-class launch operations facilities at the Launch and Landing Facility on NASA Kennedy Space Center, Space Perspective is building a campus on the Space Coast Spaceport site for their capsule and balloon manufacturing facility, laboratories, and operations infrastructure from launch to mission control. Space Perspective will invest more than $38 million in new construction and high-value equipment and tooling, including the $9 million, 120,000 square foot manufacturing building slated to be fully operational within the next 24 months. The investment will also spur the creation of approximately 240 full-time permanent jobs by the end of 2026, with an annual average wage of $80,000, plus benefits. Hiring began in 2021 and will continue through 2022.

Space Perspective conducted an extensive five-state site selection search. "The amazing opportunities in space tourism made the selection process very competitive. Florida and its system of spaceports became the front-runner," said Taber MacCallum, Founder, Co-CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Space Perspective. "This is a win for the entire state of Florida, as we are planning launch operations from three Florida spaceports."

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Upon completion, the new complex will serve as Space Perspectives worldwide campus, the carbon neutral production site of Space Perspectives SpaceBalloonsTM and the zero emission Spaceship Neptune spacecraft, and as a welcome center for history-making Space Explorers and their guests, complete with interactive experiences as well as capsule models.

Space Coast Spaceport located adjacent to Kennedy Space Center is the only independently operated multi-modal space center in America. "Multi-modal logistics and operations capability gives us rail, road, marine and air service all right on our campus. That, combined with the speed, flexibility, and efficiency of being independently operated, makes the Space Coast Spaceport a great location for Space Perspective," continued MacCallum. "Being adjacent to our operations facilities on NASA Kennedy Space Center made it easy for us to become the first space launch operator at the Space Coast Spaceport, where we successfully completed our first test flight in June 2021. This location will allow us to continue to attract the most accomplished talent in the world, and we are grateful for the continued support of the North Brevard Economic Development Zone as we prepare for our first commercial flights in late 2024."

"Were witnessing a revolution in space access and Floridas Space Coast is now the place for production, as well as launch," said Lynda Weatherman, President and CEO, Economic Development Commission of Floridas Space Coast. "With its selection of Titusville, Space Perspective joins Lockheed Martin, Astrotech, Boeing and others in what is quickly becoming a significant aerospace hub across the causeway from Cape Canaveral."

"Congratulations to Space Perspective on its selection of the Space Coast Airport and Spaceport for operations," said Frank DiBello, Space Florida President and CEO. "Titusville has played a significant role in Floridas aerospace history, and Space Perspective represents a new era of commercial space exploration, adding to that space narrative. Space Florida is pleased to welcome Space Perspective to the region."

"It is my absolute pleasure to welcome Space Perspective as our new anchor tenant at the Space Coast Spaceport," said Kevin Daugherty, AAE, Director of Airports Titusville Cocoa Airport Authority. "Our vision is to create a world-renowned air and space center and Space Perspectives global reach will aid in achieving our vision, as well as being a positive addition to the community."

"The Titusville City Council and I are very excited that Space Perspective has selected our city as the location for their space tourism manufacturing and operations. Space tourism is yet another example of the continued expansion of the commercial space marketplace. I am very pleased to welcome Space Perspective and space tourism to our city, which is truly the Gateway to Nature and Space," said City of Titusville Mayor Dan Diesel.

"Titusvilles very own spaceport is the ideal site for the headquarters, production and operation of a space tourism venture with its easy access to transportation and the world-class talent pool of Floridas Space Coast," said Brevard County Commissioner Rita Pritchett, District 1. "We are thrilled to welcome Space Perspective to North Brevard and look forward to their success."

"As space tourism becomes a reality, it is exciting to see its potential to create jobs in Brevard County, particularly those in manufacturing," said Chair of Brevard County Board of County Commissioners Kristine Zonka, District 5. "I am confident that Space Perspective will find the workforce on Floridas Space Coast to be second to none and a key ingredient as they scale up."

Founded in 2019, Space Perspective was created to provide a transformative opportunity to view planet Earth from space. The company recently announced a historic $40 million Series A financing round, the largest for a human SpaceBalloon company to date. Space Perspective has already begun filling key leadership positions with individuals whose unparalleled depth of experience includes responsibility for: safety and medical operations for every human spaceflight under a SpaceBalloon in the last 40 years; manufacturing of SpaceX Dragon Capsule and Falcon rocket structures; design and manufacturing of NASAs innovative SpaceBalloons including for the heaviest mass ever flown under a SpaceBalloon; more launches of more types of SpaceBalloons for NASA and others than any other individuals; development and operations of SpaceX Dragon Capsule marine recovery systems and Falcon rocket launches; development and operations of the highest human flight under a SpaceBalloon ever conducted; Ritz Carlton rebrand to private 5-star and marketing for other award-winning hotels; experience curation for Virgin Galactic and Zero-G; and Virtuoso.

Commercial flights are targeted to begin in late 2024, with more than 500 tickets sold to date. With the first year of seats completely reserved, Space Perspective is currently taking reservations for 2025 and beyond. Tickets are priced at a market-beating $125,000 per person, and bookings are made with a fully refundable deposit beginning at $1,000. Entire capsules are also available for reservations (up to eight guests and a pilot). Space Perspectives human spaceflight launches are regulated by the FAA Office of Commercial Spaceflight.

About Space Perspective

Space Perspective is the worlds first luxury spaceflight experience company. It invites more people than has historically been possible to experience a thrillingly new and visceral perspective that expands the human consciousness the incredibly exhilarating panoramas and scale of Earth in space. The Observer cited Space Perspective as "the best suborbital space tourism offering in the world."

Setting a new bar in out-of-this-world thrilling experiences, as soon as late 2024 Space Perspective plans to take Space Explorers to space inside Spaceship Neptunes pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance SpaceBalloon without using rocket fuel or high G forces. Space Explorers see the world anew through its vast windows, 450 miles in any direction. The ultra-comfortable, accessible and gentle six-hour journey redefines space travel.

Space Perspective is led by industry luminaries Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum and their unique-in-the-world expert crew who have been integral to all human SpaceBalloon flights in the last 50 years. Building on that experience, the Space Perspective crew has innovated and patented the safest SpaceBalloon technology in the world. With the only technology enabling routine accessible flights to the edge of space, Poynter and MacCallum have been dubbed Masters of the stratosphere by Bloomberg Businessweek. MacCallum also served as Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. For more information, visit SpacePerspective.com. Follow Space Perspective for updates on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About the Economic Development Commission of Floridas Space Coast

The Economic Development Commission of Floridas Space Coast (EDC) is dedicated to attracting new business and investment and expanding existing industry throughout the Space Coast, influencing change on government laws and regulations affecting economic development, promoting the Space Coast to encourage new investment, supporting efforts of Space Coast military installations, and relaying new programs and procedures to assist manufacturing and high-tech companies. The EDC is a private, not-for-profit coalition whose stakeholders are business leaders committed to the economic growth and stability of Floridas Space Coast. Visit http://www.SpaceCoastEDC.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211216005895/en/

Contacts

Kathie Gonzalez, Button Collective, kathie.gonzalez@buttoncollective.com, 720-320-4304

Brian Baluta, Economic Development Commission of Floridas Space Coast, bbaluta@spacecoastedc.org, 321-638-2000

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Space Perspective Selects Floridas Space Coast Spaceport for Worldwide Campus and Manufacturing Complex - Yahoo Finance

Don't pack your bags and move to Bozeman yet. This micro-scale warp bubble won't be capable of propulsion, but it could have myriad other applications, says its discoverer Dr. Sonny White.

A properly constructed Alcubierre warp bubble. As space constricts in front of the vessel and expands behind, the ship is theoretically pushed forward at speeds faster than light.

Image: LSI, White, et al.

Space is vast. Really, really vast. So vast, in fact, that it would take Voyager 1, the furthest man-made object from earth, more than 73 millenia to reach the nearest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, at its current speed of over 38,000 mph, if it were headed that way to begin with. In short, if we're ever going to find a way to explore beyond our own solar system, we need to find a way to bend the laws of physics to make faster-than-light travel possible.

A team of scientists working with DARPA, including warp drive pioneer Dr. Harold G "Sonny" White, may have just taken us one step closer to that reality with their announcement that they've discovered a space-warping bubble, the fundamental thing needed for the faster-than-light travel of the Star Trek universe.

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Before we jump ahead to romantic visions of space travel, Dr. White said, we need to think about what we could do with a microscale warp bubble, like the one his team discovered, before even dreaming of what it could be in the future. Dr. White is passionate for space travel, but says we need to start simple. "there may be lots of other things along the way before we ever get there that could have some really interesting implications," he said.

This is a pretty complicated notion that involves a ton of math, but at its most basic level, a warp bubble is a bit of space that's contracted in the front and expanded in the back. This shape in theory pushes the bubble, and its contents, forward at speeds surpassing the speed of light without ever violating the laws of physics: You're not technically traveling faster than light, you're surfing a bubble of condensed space.

Warp bubbles are also important because they eliminate a major problem of faster-than-light travel: Time dilation. Say you did manage to travel faster than light: Everything else outside of your craft would speed up, meaning that three-hour tour you took to a nice, tropical planet could have equated to years of time passing on earth. Put simply, if you plan to move faster than light while following the known laws of physics you had better say goodbye to everything you've ever loved before heading out.

Again, warp bubbles get around this problem because the space inside the bubble remains unaffected, so an hour of travel at warp speed would mean that only an hour passed for everyone else not currently in a pocket of sci-fi space.

Warp bubbles were long the domain of science fiction, until theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre came along and theorized his Alcubierre warp drive in 1994, which maintained general relativity while allowing for faster-than-light travel. The key upon which it rested, was an energy-density field that was configurable into a vacuum bubble that would make anything inside it have negative mass.

Unfortunately, the amount of energy required to operate an Alcubierre drive made it impossible, until 2012 when Dr. White proposed changes to the mathand shape of the craft designed to create the field, which lowered the necessary energy from "impossible" to a power source the size of the Voyager 1 spacecraft. Since then, development of an actual warp bubble or Alcubierre drive has continued to be a distant dream.

Fast forward to 2021, and Dr. White, whose 2012 paper was written while he worked at NASA as Advanced Propulsion Theme Lead, is doing research funded by DARPA on objects called Casimir cavities. These cavities are formed of two parallel plates with a pillar running between them. These things are small mere microns in size and they do something really interesting: Create a negative vacuum between the plates when exposed to a regular vacuum.

"You would anticipate zero pressure outside and zero pressure in the cavity, but what we find when we measure is negative pressure in between the plates," Dr. White said.

"What we're trying to do is explore the quantum vacuum at a fundamental level," Dr. White said. "We think there's a bit more to these vacuums than we currently know. Some of the unknown characteristics could be used to create some really useful technologies." Hence DARPA's interest.

These uses could include amazing things, like batteries based around what Dr. White calls "quantum vacuum solar cells" that would never run out of energy. Telecommunications products that use longitudinal waves undisturbed by buildings or natural barriers could be a potential use, as could photosensors that don't suffer from chromatic aberration because they sense all elements of the EM spectrum evenly.

Potential applications aside, testing those cavities led to an interesting discovery: A negative vacuum energy field that looked just like a two-dimensional slice of an Alcubierre warp bubble.

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"Our custom Casimir cavities are basically two big planes with a long pole in the middle. The Alcubierre metric, by comparison, needs a total ring of negative vacuum energy density, which means it needs to look more like a lifesaver," Dr. White said.

Having already done all the math and collected all the data that was generated by the experiment with the 2D version of the bubble that the team observed, the next logical step was to take that data and change the shape of the object in the center, getting rid of the pole and putting in the eerily Vulcan starship-esque shape shown at the top of the article.

After running simulations with the warp ship shape, the math just added up, Dr. White said. "We did a purposeful analysis using [the warp ship shape], and wow hey, that matched the Alcubierre metric requirements."

The warp bubble team has published a paper on their findings, which Dr. White says are in no way illustrative of a warp bubble analog: Their data shows that, given the right shape placed in the same physical cavities they're experimenting with now, an honest-to-God warp bubble would be created.

"We can identify to the physics community that there is a real world type of structure that we can make that the analysis predicts. It will manifest a negative vacuum energy density, such that it would manifest a real nanoscale war bubble, not an analog this would be a real, no kidding nanoscale war bubble," Dr. White said.

In the world of Star Trek, the warp bubble works basically the same way: The Enterprise isn't actually travelling faster than light, it's just surfing a cosmic space wave generated by its matter/antimatter warp core.

Zefram Cochrane was responsible for building the first functional warp-capable ship in the Trek universe in 2063, at which point the Vulcans, who just happened to be passing by, decided it was time to make first contact and welcome humans into the galactic community. We might be right on course, then, with Dr. White's team laying the practical groundwork for theoretical concepts that takes us away from Earth and toward the stars.

So, when can humans expect to vacation on Risa, do business on Ferenginar, and study at the Vulcan Science Academy (conditional on meeting the strict entry requirements)? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, says Dr. White.

"A lot of people wanna get straight into application: when are we gonna go make something like this fly? I get the motivation for that, but science is a slow, arduous process." Dr. White says his motto has been "crawl, walk, run," when it comes to this sort of cutting-edge stuff. Dreaming is important, he says, but so is doing the basic research that goes into finding additional applications that are practical and valuable now, in the age where we're still terrestrially-bound.

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"I don't have a crystal ball more than anyone else does. I don't know when this idea could be applied to space travel, or even if that could even become a reality," Dr. White said. That's understandable given we are currently talking about warp bubbles generated in cavities smaller than the width of a human hair.

"Science will continue to turn the crank and hammer the rock, chipping slowly away at some of the unknown to get to more of the known," said Dr. White. Consider this discovery just one chip in the right direction.

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Paging Zefram Cochrane: Humans have figured out how to make a warp bubble - TechRepublic

Humans aren't built to live in space, and being there can pose serious health risks. For space administrations like NASA, a major goal is to identify these risks to hopefully help lessen them.

That was a major theme during NASAs Spaceflight for Everybody Virtual Symposium in November, a virtual symposium dedicated to discussing current knowledge and research efforts around the impact of spaceflight on human health. During a panel discussion titled Human Health Risks in the Development of Future Programs on Nov. 9, NASA scientists discussed these risks and how they are using existing knowledge to plan future missions.

Each panelist emphasized that the health risks presented by space travel are complex and multifaceted and that all types of risks should be considered closely when planning future missions.

Related:Space travel can seriously change your brain

When discussing the risks presented by living in space and space travel, there are five main types, the scientists outlined in the presentation.

Two types of risk, radiation and altered gravity, come simply from being in space, they said. Research has shown that both can have major negative effects on the body, and even the brain. Others, like isolation and confinement as well as being in a hostile closed environment, encompass risks posed by the living situations that are necessary in space, including risks to both mental and physical health.

Then, there are the risks presented simply by being a long way from Earth. The farther humans get from the Earth, the riskier living in space becomes in almost every way.

Everything from fresh food to unexpired medication will be extremely difficult to make accessible with longer journeys farther away. On the International Space Station, astronauts arent too far from us, and we can routinely send supplies to the crews in orbit. But a mission to the moon or Mars would pose more problems.

Communication delays would increase, and there would likely be communication blackouts, said Sharmi Watkins, assistant director for exploration in NASAs Human Health and Performance Directorate who served as a panelist for this discussion. She said it would also take longer to get back to Earth if there was a medical emergency.

"We're not going to measure it in hours, but rather in days, in the case of the moon, and potentially weeks or months, when we start to think about Mars," said Watkins.

Steve Platts, the chief scientist in NASAs human research program, broke down different levels of risk in space and discussed how NASA uses a "phased approach" when it comes to research on human health. In this approach, initial "phases" include research on the health effects of being in space has also been done in simulated conditions on Earth, from isolation experiments in Antarctica to radiation exposure at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York. Likewise, experiments on the space station will help us to prepare for risk on the moon and Mars these later phases build on knowledge gained from simulations.

"We do work on Earth, we do work on low earth orbit and then we'll be doing lunar missions, all to help us get to Mars," Platts said.

Still, no matter how much we may prepare on Earth, every space mission comes with risk, so NASA has set health standards to minimize this risk for astronauts.

NASA has over 800 health standards that theyve developed based on current research. These standards describe everything from how much space astronauts should have in a spacecraft to how much muscle and bone loss an astronaut can experience without being seriously harmed. These standards also include levels of physical fitness and health the astronauts need to meet before going into space. All of NASAs health standards for astronauts are available online.

A mission can impact astronauts health, but it also works the other way health troubles with astronauts could impact a mission if they arent able to perform mission tasks adequately, said Mary Van Baalen, acting director of human system risk management at NASA and the panels moderator. She emphasized the complex interplay between these two types of impacts, both of which NASA scientists must keep in mind when planning missions.

"Space travel is an inherently risky endeavor," she said. "And the nature of human risk is complex."

You can watch the full recording of the panel discussion and other talks from the symposium here.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

Join our Space Forumsto keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:community@space.com.

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NASA scientists consider the health risks of space travel - Space.com

Space flight participant Yusaku Maezawa attends a news conference ahead of the expedition to the International Space Station at the Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City outside Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 14, 2021. During an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, Maezawa said he experienced motion sickness after arriving at the space outpost and it took him a few days to adapt to zero gravity. (Shamil Zhumatov/Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) A Japanese space tourist on Monday rejected criticism from those who questioned his decision to pay a fortune for a trip to the International Space Station, saying the amazing experience was worth it.

Speaking to The Associated Press in a live interview from the orbiting space outpost, billionaire fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa said even though he had imagined what his mission would be like before the flight, he was struck by the reality of space travel.

Once you are in space, you realize how much it is worth it by having this amazing experience, he told the AP in the first TV interview since he arrived at the station. And I believe that this amazing experience will lead to something else.

Maezawa, 46, and his 36-year-old producer Yozo Hirano are the first self-paying tourists to visit the space station since 2009. Asked about reports claiming that he paid over $80 million for a 12-day mission, Maezawa said he couldnt disclose the contract sum but admitted that he paid pretty much that amount.

In October, Russian actor Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko spent 12 days on the station to make the worlds first movie in orbit, a project sponsored by Russias space corporation Roscosmos to help burnish the nations space glory.

Maezawa deflected the criticism from those who questioned his decision to spend money on his space travel instead of using it to help people back on Earth, saying that those who criticize are perhaps those who have never been to space.

The most memorable moments were when I saw the International Space Station from Soyuz just before the docking and when we entered after the docking, he said.

He admitted that space tourism is mostly for the super-rich now, but added that those who embark on space travel must be prepared for other challenges.

Yes, it is still rather expensive, but it is not only about money, he told the AP. It takes time for your body to adjust in this environment and the training for emergencies takes at least a few months. So, honestly speaking, it is only accessible for those who have time and are physically fit and those who can afford it. But we dont know if that is still going to be the case in 10 years, 20 years time.

Maezawa told the AP he felt a little bit of motion sickness and it was a little bit difficult to sleep, adding that future space tourists need to be aware of the need to spend up to five days to adapt to motion sickness in space.

He acknowledged that taking a nap still presents a challenge.

I am not sleeping well, to be honest. A sleeping bag has been provided but it is too hot so I am not using it, he said.

He was happy with the length of his trip.

Twelve days was about right for me, Maezawa added. I am getting over the motion sickness so I can enjoy the remaining days. I am returning on the 20th and starting to miss Japan. Once I return, I want to have sushi!

Maezawa and Hirano, who was filming his mission, blasted off for the International Space Station on Wednesday in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin.

Space Adventures, a Virginia-based company that organized his flight, had previously sent seven other tourists to the space station in 2001-2009.

Maezawa expressed his profound admiration for the space stations crew. In addition to Misurkin, they include NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Mark Vande Hei; Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov; and Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency.

They are like super-heroes who save Earth, he said. Not only that they are ahead of the latest science, but trained physically and mentally, and very brave. I can feel directly how human can develop this far, and our lives depend on these people how it changes in the future. I respect them a lot.

He and Hirano will be returning to Earth with Misurkin on Sunday.

Before the flight, Maezawa had compiled a list of 100 things to do in space during his mission after asking the public for ideas.

I am looking forward to doing some sports inside the space station badminton, table tennis and golf, he told the AP. What I am not looking forward to that much is toilet-related stuff.

Maezawa made his fortune in retail fashion, launching Japans largest online fashion mall, Zozotown. Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $1.9 billion.

The tycoon has also booked a flyby around the moon aboard Elon Musks Starship, which is tentatively scheduled in the next few years. Hell be joined on that trip by eight contest winners.

I am planning to go to the moon in 2023 we are in the final stages of selecting the 8 people for the Dear Moon project, he said.

By HARRIET MORRIS and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

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Japanese Billionaire Describes the Challenges of Space Travel - The Rafu Shimpo

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday said it would no longer issue Commercial Space Astronaut Wings, instead recognising on its website individuals that reach space. Astronaut wings are pins given to individuals who fly to space in private spacecraft.

The FAA recognises Sir Richard Branson (of Virgin Galactic), Jeff Bezos (of Blue Origin), and Mike Melville the first private astronaut to fly beyond the Karman Line, recognised as the edge of space, in 2004 as part of its Commercial Space Astronaut Wings programme for commercial pilots and crew that have reached at least 50 statute miles above the Earths surface.

Commercial Space Astronaut Wings ProgrammeThe programme, under the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984, was designed to recognise pilots and flight crew who furthered the FAAs stated mission to promote the development of vehicles to carry humans into space.

It was created by the late Patti Grace Smith, the former Associate Administrator of the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

The FAA said with three commercial space companies licensed to fly spaceflight participants, her vision was largely fulfilled.

To become eligible for the astronaut wings, individuals must meet flight crew qualification and training requirements. They should also demonstrate having been on a flight beyond 50 miles above the Earths surface on a licensed/permitted launch/re-entry vehicle. They should also have contributed to human space flight safety or demonstrate activities during flight that are essential to public safety.

Ending the practiceThe FAA said it would now recognise individuals in space on its website from 2022, instead of issuing Commercial Space Astronaut Wings, citing the advent of commercial space tourism. The site will list any individual on FAA-licensed or permitted launch and reaching 50 statute miles above the Earths surface.

Access to space has become much easier in recent times with private companies such as Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX working to provide non-astronauts with space flights.

Billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa reached the International Space Station for a 12-day trip on Wednesday. During this time, he will complete 100 tasks, including playing badminton. Maezawa and Yozo Hirano, another space tourist who will document the billionaires space flight, made the trip following a contract with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, and the private company Space Adventures.

In October,Challengebecame the first feature film to be shot in space. Branson, the owner of Virgin Galactic, reached the edge of space in July, along with three employees.

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US will no longer issue Astronaut Wings for commercial space travel: Heres why - The Financial Express

THE BACKGROUND: Captain Kirk aka William Shatner finally made it into space, part of the new wave of civilian travelers sponsored by names like Bezos, Musk and Branson who are slipping the surly bonds of Earth 10 years after NASA's shuttle program ended. But there are big differences.

What does entrepreneurial space travel have in common with its more nation-focused counterpart, and what are the contrasts? How are corporate space jaunts changing the face of the trip?

Here, one Associated Press journalist and expert involved in the coverage reflects on the story and her own experiences.

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MARCIA DUNN, AP aerospace writer since 1990:

This year it was surreal to see ordinary people being escorted to the launch pad to blast into space. I mean, I've seen the astronauts, the professionals, the cosmonauts I've been to Baikonur to see the Russians launch people but seeing ordinary people just go out to the launch pad, climb into a rocket and blast into orbit, thats what happened in the Kennedy Space Center here. First time in the U.S. where paying customers blasted into orbit. And I have to say, yes, the guy leading the charge is a rich guy who paid for the entire flight, but he took three ordinary people with him. And that was just really just I was just standing here amazed, shaking my head seeing science fiction turn into science fact.

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It was just remarkable to be on site when Jeff Bezos climbed aboard his own rocket to become the first person in the world to fly his own rocket and to take along his brother, right? And two others, the oldest and the youngest people in space. Its just mind-boggling. And I really think that the doors to space are finally being opened. Right now. Yes, for those who can only afford it or who were lucky enough to be picked in a lottery or who maybe have the right connections. But this is the way forward, and its just really an exciting time to be covering the space program.

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Yes, there are angles, I mean, product placement, for instance, just like in the movies certain candies that were taken up on some of these flights and readily identified. The champagne popping after the touchdown. The champagnes were identified. You've never seen NASA hawking products like that even though I must say now they are becoming more and more open to this idea. So theres that kind of thing.

Theres a lot more vulnerability in the way the these these private people are. You know, theyre not pretending to be totally brave gladiators going off into the arena. They admit to their vulnerabilities. At the same time, however, access is sometimes limited. When NASA sends a crew up, generally we get to talk to them with interviews before and afterward. That is not always the case with private people.

Most famously, after the Bezos launch. I was one of dozens of reporters in a hangar waiting for a news conference after the flight, and almost the entire news conference was devoted to essentially the marketing ticket sales woman for the company asking all the questions. I think there were only a couple of questions from reporters. I didnt get a chance to even ask. So thats the flip side because it is private. There is no need for anybody to talk to journalists unless they want to. You have to wonder even down the road, perhaps these companies won't even be compelled to say whos flying on board. Its private information. Not necessarily having to be divulged.

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Who wasnt excited about Captain Kirk going into the into space at the age of 90, for goodness sakes? Just today, we had a Japanese billionaire who took his own personal assistant with him. They just rocketed into and docked at the space station, just a few minutes ago. I think that the boundaries of who goes up from where are going to start to blur. ... And the goal, of course, is to go beyond low Earth orbit get to the moon, to space. Elon Musk is not going to be happy until hes got people on Mars. So, no, were not at the Jetsons. We may never be at the Jetsons where we all have our little spaceships and go from home to work like so many of the movies portray. But, man, I mean, who would have thought of this just 10 years after the end of the shuttle program? I drove into the Kennedy Space Center this morning, and one of the old bar and grills sort of a greasy spoon kind of place for decades was called Shuttles, right? They just changed hands. And the big sign up in Shuttles is now Galaxy, So thats now where were headed.

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For a full overview of the events that shaped 2021, A Year That Changed Us: 12 Months in 150 Photos, a collection of AP photos and journalists recollections, is available now: https://www.ap.org/books/a-year-that-changed-us

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2021 Notebook: Billionaires and the space race - The Independent

China's Yutu 2 lunar rover recently spotted something intriguing on the far side of the moon, but it'll take the vehicle a few months to reach the object for a closer look.

Yutu 2 photographed a strangely cube-shaped rock last month, during the robot's 36th lunar day of activities. The rover drive team estimates that the object, which has been dubbed the "mystery hut," to be around 260 feet (80 meters) away. That doesn't sound far, but it'll take careful planning and effort by the Yutu 2 team to cover that distance safely.

Despite having a top speed of 656 feet (200 m) per hour, Yutu 2 has so far covered just 2,950 feet (900 m) or so since landing in Von Krmn crater in January 2019.

Photos: Here's what China's Yutu 2 rover found on far side of the moon

One major reason is that Yutu 2 isn't active most of the time. The solar-powered spacecraft cannot operate during the 14.5-Earth-day-long lunar night, nor for roughly 24 hours after sunrise and before sunset. Yutu 2 also stays still during lunar noon, as temperatures at that time can reach 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius).

And the complexity of route planning and execution and meeting science goals leave less time for actual driving. Phil Stooke, professor emeritus and adjunct research professor in the Department of Geography and Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at the University of Western Ontario, has followed Yutu 2's activities closely.

While Soviet Lunokhod moon rovers covered much greater distances Lunokhod 2 traveled 23 miles (37 kilometers) across the lunar surface in 1973, for example they did so under very different circumstances and with different science goals.

"Soviet engineers drove the Lunokhods 'live' with TV images showing the scene ahead. Their maximum drive in a single shift was 3,000 meters [9,843 feet]. But China has been much more cautious and has adopted a style of driving like that used on Mars," Stooke told Space.com.

"After a drive, the rover takes images for a full stereoscopic panorama, and the team on the ground make a topographic map showing obstacles and slopes all around the rover," Stooke said. "They analyze the map and choose a path for the next drive. This limits them to a maximum of about 8 to 10 meters [26 to 33 feet] per drive, and it all takes time."

Yutu 2 needs to avoid numerous craters that could trap the vehicle. The rover also carries science payloads, including panoramic cameras, a near-infrared imaging spectrometer and ground-penetrating radar, and frequently stops to collect data with this gear.

Requiring a relay satellite for communications due to operating on the far side of the moon, which never faces the Earth is another potential factor in limiting Yutu 2's speed.

And shutting down around noon is no surprise, Stooke noted. "Apollo astronauts had to land just after dawn and leave before it got too hot, with things like their rover unable to operate around lunar noon," he said. "Mars is a much more benign environment."

China's Zhurong Mars rover has already covered nearly 4,265 feet (1,300 m) since landing on the Red Planet this past May, using partially autonomous driving due to the extensive light-time delay.

On the "mystery hut" itself, Stooke has mapped Yutu 2's travels, but it is difficult to know where exactly the object is. "It is hard to be sure about any feature in these images being the 'hut,' which makes me think it is small, only about 1 meter [3 feet] across, and only looks special because it's right on the horizon."

Yutu 2 was due to complete its 37th lunar day late on Dec. 10. An update from China will reveal how much closer Yutu 2 has managed to travel to the object since the image was captured during lunar day 36.

"I think China has done a great job operating this rover for almost three years. The whole process is very difficult," Stooke said.

Yutu 2 is part of the Chang'e 4 mission which, like its name suggests, is China's fourth moon mission and the second to deliver a rover to the lunar surface. The Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 missions were orbiters, with Chang'e 3 landing on the near side of the moon with the first Yutu rover. China has also launched the Chang'e 5 T1 test mission around the moon and the Chang'e 5 moon sample return mission.

Chang'e 6 will attempt a lunar sample return from the far side of the moon around 2023-24.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.

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Why will it take China's Yutu 2 moon rover so long to reach lunar 'mystery hut'? - Space.com

We invite you to join us in our Movement - to inspire, to trail-blaze and to win. We are relentless with our mission to continue to inspire the new generation of girls and women for space travel, dreams of walking on the moon and making spaceflights accessible to humanity.

LONDON (PRWEB) December 14, 2021

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The collection includes 27 unique Genesis art pieces only accessible via a limited whitelist pre-sale auction starting at 0.25 Ethereum. The art pieces depict female Astronauts in ethereal world like settings each of which tell powerfully emotive, empowering and thought-provoking stories. Each holder of a Genesis art piece will have at least a 1/100 chance of winning a spaceflight upon sell out of a subsequent larger collection amongst other premium Space experiences.

Founder & Creator Rupa Shinh states, "We invite you to join us in our Movement - to inspire, to trail-blaze and to win. We are relentless with our mission to continue to inspire the new generation of girls and women for space travel, dreams of walking on the moon and making spaceflights accessible to humanity."

If you are interested in obtaining one of the 27 Genesis NFT art pieces, join the Ethereal Worlds discord and view their announcements (whitelist closes 16th Dec 7pm EST). The pre-sale auction starts thereafter on the 17th Dec 2021 at 7PM EST via the Ethereal Worlds Discord.

Ethereal Worlds:Discord: https://bit.ly/3nqTEvJWebsite: https://www.etherealworlds.art/Twitter: https://twitter.com/EtherealWorlds_

Founder & Creator Rupa Shinh:Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rupashinhTwitter: https://twitter.com/InvestorRupa

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World's First NFT Collection To Send Holder On A Spaceflight & Advocates Women In Space - PR Web

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa (left) with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin

Apart from the 32 countries that UberEats operates in, the food delivery chain has now expanded to space, having recently served meals to hungry astronauts at the International Space Station! Yes, you heard it right.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who ticked off space as one of the holiday destinations from his bucket list, carried an Uber Eats parcel loaded with Japanese dishes in the Soyuz spacecraft for his Expedition 66 crewmates.

The ready-to-eat canned food, which included a beef bowl cooked in a sweet sauce, boiled mackerel in miso, chicken with bamboo shoots, and braised pork, became a welcome break from traditional space food for the astronauts.

"One small handoff for Yusaku Maezawa, one giant delivery for UberEats!" said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a statement. "We're over the Moon to have helped make our first successful delivery to space. Maezawa gets a thumbs up on this delivery, even though it took a bit longer than the usual 30 minutes to arrive."

Maezawa made this delivery on December 11, after a nearly 400-kilometre-long journey that took almost nine hours to complete. He plans to stay aboard the ISS for 12 days.

Meanwhile, the company is celebrating the space delivery success back home by handing special discounts to the Earthlings, using the promo code SPACEFOOD.

Watch the Japanese billionaire make this out-of-the-world delivery:

The entrepreneur has also been in the news for purchasing all the SpaceX tickets for the next scheduled tourist spaceflight around the Moon in 2023. While space travel is currently accessible only for physically fit people, the scenario may change in the years to come, he believes.

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UberEats' Billionaire Delivery Associate Brings Food to the International Space Station! | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel |...