Slashdot Mirror
Tourist-Class Soyuz Spacecraft Seats Open
brandido writes "Put another notch in the belt for space tourism - Space.com is reporting that: "If you're looking for the ultimate in get-up-and go, take note: Tourist-class seats will be available on a Soyuz spacecraft bound for the International Space Station in 2004-2005. This off-planet trek comes courtesy of a deal struck between Space Adventures, a U.S. adventure travel firm, Russia's RSC Energia and the Russian Space Agency (Rosoviakosmos)." However, NASA has yet to be officially notified or to give formal approval, so there are still some speed bumps in the road map."
Forgive me if I ask something stupid, but why would this need NASA's approval?
Because the International Space Station is just that - an international space station. NASA is one of the lead partners in the project and, as such, any missions/visits/whatever to the ISS must first be green stamped by NASA.
It's a bit like a shared cabin in the country - you ask the permission of the other owners, as much out of courtesy as anything else, before you head down there for the weekend.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
They're selling seats to go to the International Space Station. NASA owns much of it. It's an enclosed space, so the tourist would be using resources provided partially by NASA...
The tourist could also do quite a bit of damage very easily... Without proper training by NASA, lots of bad stuff could easily happen...
/sig
It's "Rosaviakosmos", not "Rosoviakosmos".
OT, but did you ever see the BBC (or might have been ABC) television adaptation of this excellent book? I bought the video about 8 years ago, and I don't think I've ever met anybody else that has seen it. Some excellent Australian actors are in it, and Ben Elton is as funny as ever.
Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
So far, all Shuttle passengers have been NASA Astronauts and Russian Cosmonauts, with joint NASA/Russian training.
NASA hasn't tried to put someone up that Russia has had problems with yet...
I'm sure that if NASA found a way to charge people for rides, Russia would throw a fit until they got a cut of the money.
/sig
If you read the article it repeatedly refers to NASA and the other international partners. NASA just happens to be what is the largest and most well known space administration.
No reason to start an anti-American thread for this.
I find it more disturbing that NASA has crippled the station. A three person crew who does nothing but maintenance. Little to no research. With my tax payer money. Yippe
//m
Learn about what you're talking about before you speak.
Congress determines what NASA will do. NASA has a charter created by the government that dictates what NASA can and can't do.
Profiting falls neatly into the can't column.
In fact, NASA is obligated by its charter to give away all the technology it develops. UV sunglasses, pacemakers, velcro, and hundreds of other major scientific breaktrhoughs are a result of NASA research. But NASA is prohibited from making money off of them. If Congress would let them, NASA would take over the world.
/sig
Upon completion, the station was to support a 7 man crew. However, Bush decided that the station didn't really need the escape vehicle and sleeping quarters required to support 7 people, so he cut the funding for those two modules.
The station's new 'complete' status will only support 3 people... about the number required for absolute minimal science and maintenance.
Blame Bush. He took away the funding.
/sig
UV sunglasses, pacemakers, velcro, and hundreds of other major scientific breaktrhoughs are a result of NASA research. Umm...I know Americans are supposed to hate the French and all, but just because the Swiss invented Vel(our)Cro(chet) has a French name is no reason to use revisionist tactics on it =P (btw a French textile plant guy helped the Swiss inventer get Velcro to market when nobody believed him and thought he was nuts)
In a word, yes. All flights to the station are planned years in advance, even to which orbiter for Shuttle flights. The planning is coordinated among all involved space agencies. As long as the crew of manned flights (typically selected at least a year in advance) are all astronauts/cosmonauts, there isn't a problem with who exactly is going. Tourists are not a usual case and it's entirely reasonable to expect everyone to sign off on it. Since NASA has never tried to send a tourist, the case you describe is untested, but in principle would be analogous to this one.
The Russians have done a lot of thought about this subject, and the general conclusion is that it's not practical or ethical. Besides which, it'd be damn hard to do. It takes about 30 minutes just to use the toilet up there, because of the lack of gravity-induced friction (traction) forces. Sex is all about friction. You'd need to strap one party down, and the other one would need hand- and foot-holds just to maintain contact. It would take 10 minutes just to get into position, not to mention the fact that if I were another crew member and I saw ejaculate floating around or stuck in the air filters (or heaven forbid, any of the flight controls) I'd probably kick your ass... it just doesn't seem worth it.
This post expresses my opinion, not that of my employer. And yes, IAAL.