--- title: Space Tourism: Will it Fly? | TIME description: TIME science editor Jeffrey Kluger examines the challenges faced by the emerging space tourism industry canonical: https://time.com/video/W3RhvAKn/ og:title: Space Tourism: Will it Fly? og:description: TIME science editor Jeffrey Kluger examines the challenges faced by the emerging space tourism industry og:url: https://time.com/video/W3RhvAKn/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/W3RhvAKn/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Space Tourism: Will it Fly? twitter:description: TIME science editor Jeffrey Kluger examines the challenges faced by the emerging space tourism industry twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/W3RhvAKn/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Space Tourism: Will it Fly? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Space Tourism: Will it Fly? [Watch (HLS stream): Space Tourism: Will it Fly?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W3RhvAKn.m3u8) (3:30)  _Published 2012-05-20. TIME science editor Jeffrey Kluger examines the challenges faced by the emerging space tourism industry_ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:24 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Jeffrey Kluger On The History And Importance of SpaceX](/video/ybJsMd73/) ### Jeffrey Kluger On The History And Importance of SpaceX [Richard Branson: The Risk of Space Tourism ](/video/sfa4wCWp/) ### Richard Branson: The Risk of Space Tourism [What The Virgin Galactic Crash Means For Space Tourism](/video/5qpm1Vxp/) ### What The Virgin Galactic Crash Means For Space Tourism --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] This week, a private company, Space X, has been, much in the news, for its long planned launch of a cargo ship to the international space station. But, it's also reignited buzz about space tourism. Isn't, the idea, that anyone, who can afford a six figure ticket, will soon be able to take a ride into space. Hi, I'm Jeffrey Klueger and this is Time Science. [ MUSIC ] People have grown up with illusions that were created by movies like, 2001. [ MUSIC ] In which, near earth space is filled with giant skyliners with Pan Am on the tail and you can fly essentially, as you would in a 1960s era first class. [ SOUND ] The problem is it's a very, very hard, very expensive and exceedingly dangerous. The acceleration alone from the surface of the earth into space can be an almost bone crushing thing. [ MUSIC ] Even the Saturn five rocket, which was once called the Old Man's Rocket, [ SOUND ] because it was seen as a much more ride, it was in fact a brutal ride, and that was seen as a Cadillac ride to space. [ MUSIC ] There are two principal concepts , for space tours. There's the concept that Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are pursuing in which people would strap in to what's essentially a winged missile. Fly, into suborbital space. Experience a few minutes of zero g. And then plummet back down to earth. Alright there. A lift off, and the clock has started. That essentially recreates, the suborbital flights that Al Shepard and Gus Grissom flew in back in the early 1960s. There's also Bigelow Enterprises, that's considering the even more ambitious idea of putting inflatable vessels in lower earth orbit which can essentially serve as hotels. A Russian company is building a new hotel in space which is due to open in just five years time. [ MUSIC ] A stay in lower earth orbit is probably not the kind of thing you wanna bring your children along for, if only not for the risks. Then you've seen what happens when children get motion sick in cars. Motion sickness, space sickness is a very real thing. Rusty Shirker, who was one of the best and most capable Apollo astronauts who ever flew got exactly one flight. Apollo nine, because he was almost disabled by motion sickness while he was in space. You could well pay a million, two million, $ 15 million for a stay in a hotel and spend most of it throwing up. [ SOUND ] There's a reason that NASA needed years before it was willing even to put a single person into sub orbital space. [ SOUND ] There's a reason that even with the best minds and what is by comparison to the private sector, unlimited funds we still lost 14 people in the space shuttle program. [ MUSIC ] Space tourism is terrific until people die doing it. 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