Good things must get going. This July will be etched in history as the moment when space would come a bit closer to humans and signal the green light to the long-awaited ‘space tourism,’ albeit in a small way. Billionaire Richard Branson and a crew of five flew above the edge of space, less than 90km above Earth’s surface — an altitude good enough for them to experience a few minutes of weightlessness — and then glided back to the Spaceport America rocket ship. They did so from the New Mexico desert. Soon, Amazon founder Jeff Bozos too will be heading for space in a similar mission on July 20, the day that marks the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In due course, loads of tourists will keep taking off for space.
Russian space agency Roscosmos had facilitated the trip of businessman Dennis Tito to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001, the first time anyone other than an astronaut went and “lived for a while” in space. Bookings are now open for space tourism. This is the calling of the times. The earth is just a tiny spot in the universe about which we know so little. Physically reaching out to this wide spectrum is impossible. But, technology could someday facilitate contact with living beings in outer space. Aliens could also reach us. Space is a big mystery which makes its exploration exhilarating. Life of humanity could change in unimaginable ways as this exploration carries forward. What happens this month is just a start.
Down below, aviation itself remains less explored. Attempts are on to use rocket technology for passenger flights, which can take people from one part of the Earth to the other – as between New Delhi and New York — in a matter of less than an hour. Rockets leap up with a speed of 5,000 to 10,000mph against the over 500mph speed for passenger flights. Bookings for space tourism cost a bomb but this is the latest craze for the super-rich who have already experienced it all down here. The possibilities are immense. Notably space explorations received a set-back after the end of the Cold War, since the 1980s, as the competition was mainly between the US and the erstwhile USSR. Thereafter, these two nations collaborated via the International Space Station, but the old enthusiasm is missing. Notably, India had made some early steps in space, while those like China, France and Israel, even the UAE, are seriously considering the space exploration venture.
