Space Tourism?

Cave_Monster wonders: "With the successful return to earth by Gregory Olson, the US businessman who allegedly paid around £11m for his trip, what are people's thoughts on continuing with this trend? It is definately favourable towards generating extra funds for space programs, and with Mr. Olson preferring to be labeled as a 'flight participant' rather than a tourist, it definately begs the question as to how much input can these paying people have in space research? Experiments that he participated in included further investigation into how the human body deals with weightlessness and the possible causes to lower back pain and nausea, yet are these activities simply carried out so as to 'entertain' or is there real scientific purpose behind them? With the next 'tourist' expected to be Japanese businessman Daisuke Enomoto, should paying people have a real scientific background or is money simply enough?"

Comments

Re:Space Cowboys

[Keith McClary]

I'd want to do stupid stuff too. Like put a tether on and fly around with a fire extinguisher rocket. I'd also probably be an idiot and shoot at the moon some. Then all us astronauts would run out and place space ball. I'm sure that'd be a sweet EVA.

Don't forget to bring a golf club - you could hit even farther than those Apollo dudes. World record! (Solar system record anyway.)

Re:It does not mean what you think it means

[Keith McClary]

Look up "beg the question" and find out what it actually means. Thank you.

If he looks it up in a "Dictionary of Current Usage" it will probably say what he thinks it means.