In a world of booming tourism, space travel has been an unexpected outlier that has quickly garnered the attention of many individuals. Though it is becoming popular with time, space tourism is largely a niche sector that is a part of the aviation industry. It aims to give average citizens a chance to come close to being an astronauts and experience travelling in space.
The concept of space tourism can forever change the definition of travel for many individuals. Aeronautical companies have taken the initiative of making space travel a reality for everyone. Thus, one need not be an astronaut to take a taste of the zero-gravity experience.
Though the possibility of taking a trip to space seems highly enticing, the sector largely remains inaccessible to many individuals due to the high costs involved. The high cost of getting a ticket remains the biggest challenge yet standing in the way of travellers and their journey into space.
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Why has space tourism become the latest fad?
The space industry has quickly expanded over the last few decades, with successful missions providing a more promising outlook. Before private players devised the idea of space tourism, travelling into space was restricted to astronauts going on missions to contribute to the field of study.
Space tourism provides willing travellers a chance to go beyond the ordinary and experience something unusual. Though the players in the field are limited, the underlying research and technicalities have been carefully implemented to give a fulfilling and safe experience.
With tickets into space becoming more easily accessible, the industry is expected to grow even further in the coming months. This could potentially open doors for more efficient and cheaper travel into space as companies become more competitive.
At the same time, technological innovations and a growing thirst for travel in the post-pandemic era are likely to keep space tourism afloat. However, there are some other considerations that space tourism providers should account for in the coming years.
Space tourism and its environmental impact
Space tourism has been the issue of much debate due to the severe environmental damage it may cause. As space flights become more frequent, the damage done to the environment in each trip would multiply over the course of time as more trips are added each year.
The main issue stems from the soot left by rockets into space, which is essentially made up of black carbon particles. The heat retention of these particles is much higher than that of all aircraft and surface soot sources. Thus, this soot alone can cause much damage to the climate.
Additionally, research shows that within just three years of this industry being in place, the heating caused is much higher in magnitude than that caused by modern-day rockets.
This highlights that environmental regulation is a department that has not yet fully unfolded in the space tourism arena. While the field of space tourism has various potential advantages, efforts should be made to make it a more ecological initiative.
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