Chapter X: SpaceShip One

We're in a new era, in case anyone noticed. We now live in a world in which it's possible to fly into space without having the public pay the price in taxes. SpaceShip One has gone up and returned, and it will go up again soon. That puts the team led by Burt Rutan and funded largely by Paul Allen in the lead for the "X Prize." There are some hurdles yet to cross, but I consider it an auspicious beginning.

I was listening to a critic on the radio who said this was an "impressive stunt," but he shot down the significance of this effort. He pointed to Rutan's non-stop flight around the world in the '80s, and asked what implications that has had for the public since. To be fair, I can't say he's wrong because I've not heard of anyone whose done that since and his plane's design doesn't seem to have been copied in order to fly people to far off places without refueling.

But to me, the trip to space is different. I think there are applications short term and long term, but there are inevitable questions that need to be answered first. How quickly can such trips be turned around? SpaceShip One should go up again within a couple weeks, according to the rules of the X Prize. In fact, I'm not sure it's qualified yet for the first part of the X Prize. I think it needs to have two passengers or the equivalent weight of two more people. From the first couple of paragraphs of articles I've read, I've not seen whether the weight was met on Mike Melvill's flight. I think he was the lone flier. Assuming the Rutan team eventually meets the criteria and turns around two return flights within two weeks, how long will it take before those flights can be replicated even faster? Is it possible to get it down to two flights per day? How much does it cost for the fuel of those flights and how much would it cost to send 'ordinary' people up? Could the price point get to $1,000 per 15 minute flight?

At the early stages of amateur space flight, I envision space barnstorming. I picture people scheduling months in advance for their 15 minutes above the stratosphere, throwing a grand to the pilot for the chance to see the world in a different light. Two flights, maybe three flights a day per vehicle. And that's just for the first couple of years as the technology progresses to create orbital flights, which obviously would cost more. I don't know, one orbit might take 90 minutes to two hours ... surely that would be worth $10,000 at least. Eventually, barnstorming would lead to destinations in space, such as space hotels: Can you say Astral Hilton? I'd imagine that's a couple decades in the future at least, but it could happen.

Of course, there are questions about whether this is proper: We've polluted the planet, we've polluted space, but such hotels and ongoing trips would only exacerbate the problem; how many people will die before this is shown to be a bad idea? But the point is, Americans and others will recognize that there's money to be made in space, and therefore space cowboys will venture out on the Spacedust Rush of the 21st century. If I had the money to spend, I'd love to literally "see the world." I don't think I'm alone.

Go for it!