SPACE TOURISM

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Context

Billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa reached the International Space Station (ISS) for a 12-day trip, during which time he will complete 100 tasks in space, including playing a game of badminton.

Space Tourism

Space tourism is another niche segment of the aviation industry that seeks to give tourists the ability to become astronauts and experience space travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes.
Companies including Virgin Atlantic, SpaceX, XCOR Aerospace, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and Armadillo Aerospace are working on providing space tourism services to people.

The Pros and Cons of Space Tourism

Cons

Exposure to Sun’s Radiation:Space travel technology at the nascent stage can make entering space a dangerous venture. Space travelers are likely to get exposed to harmful radiations from the sun.
Health:Spending long hours in zero gravity condition can be dangerous for the person’s cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. If people accidentally get exposed to high-energy ionizing cosmic rays, it may lead to cancer.
Exposure to harmful organisms:We may unwittingly introduce some harmful microorganism from spaceinto the atmosphere of Earth.
Poor Regulation:Lack of proper regulation and inadequate safety protocols can make space travel extremely dangerous.
Commercialization: Companies engaged in this form of travel may fail to stick to safety measures in a spree to gather more customers.
Waste of Resources: Experimentation and unsuccessful ventures may cause an unnecessary waste of resources.

Developing space programs and spacecrafts need a lot of money. That money can be utilized for alleviation of poverty.

Inequity:Space tourism is meant for the super rich only. For example, a single 2 ½ hour flight ticket in Virgin Galactic’s upcoming space ship costs $ 250,000.
Not environment friendly: Several natural resources are wasted in flying the fuel guzzling rockets. It pollutes the atmosphere as well. Thus, space program is bad for our environment.
Not a panacea: It is great to imagine people walking on the surface of Mars. It would not be wise to consider the escape to space will help in escaping the problems of earth. There is nowhere in the solar system where we can find the environment as congenial as that available on earth.

Pros

Boost to economy:Space tourism will increase the commercial activityin the time of poor state of world economy.
Generate Employment:Space tourism will give employment to thousands of people. Manufacturing of new and better spacecraft will give employment to many skilled people.
Draw Investors:It will renew interest in space exploration. This will draw more investors for more financial backing to support more innovations in the industry.
Pave ways to protect Earth:It would also help in identifying potential hazards dangerous for our planet.
Technological advancement: Opens avenues for advanced technologywhich can be applied to other domains apart from space missions.
New resources:Help to find new minerals and other precious materials in spaceand other planets. This will be of great help to the people of Earth where natural resources are depleting fast.
Adventure Tourism:Open a new avenue for adventure tourists.

Final Words

Once space tourism does become mainstream, it will also positively impact many socioeconomic factors on Earth: creating jobs, educating citizens about space and fostering a new solar-based energy infrastructure.
The sweet escape to the stars can eventually awaken us to the awe-inspiring potential of space exploration while also giving us a better appreciation of home.

International Space Station Programme

Launched in 1998 and involving Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
China and India are not membersof ISSP.
The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields