Space tourism can be used for environmental consciousness

By Mario Teixeira

Space, the final frontier ...

This phrase, which marked the classic Star Trek series, begun in 1966, has never been so present. At a time when companies think the colonization of Mars, with the inclusion of people who are the pioneers, without the certainty of returning to old planet Earth, the idea of space tourism is gaining out of the commonplace and almost reaches the stars. Companies are racing to market expensive for the vast majority of the population, however, increasingly promising, capable of a queue of more than 220 registered for the flights of the Dutch company Space Expedition Corporation (SXC), and about 500 for Virgin Galactic, which hopes to make its first flight in 2013 yet. So much for the opportunity to observe the Earth from a new angle, having the feeling of weightlessness and feel as the first astronauts, reaching a privileged place, where just few were.

The recipe for this success is old. Since the days of Icarus - who tried to leave Crete flying, but had wings of wax melted by the heat of the sun - the idea of ​​freedom has always been associated with the heaven, to the stars. The first ideas were "flying design" by Leonardo da Vinci in the Middle Ages. Centuries later the theory became reality with the first flights, still fairly rudimentary; jets, spaceships, and the construction of an international space station, showing the processing power of a reality until then only in books. The future foretold in science fiction movies came striding. The man won the space probes and sent to the far reaches of our solar system, in order to find planets that may harbor life forms, waiting for the first contact with other races, other civilizations in space seeking the answers to questions that go back to the Age of Stone.

But no matter what you send devices such as probes and telescopes, the great dream of humanity is to observe the Earth from a new level. The SXC is investing in this man's concern with its habitat, believing that space tourism may be important for environmental awareness, turning tourists into advocates of more sustainable projects that protect "our home" from catastrophic situations. According to the SXC Public Relations, Eva van Pelt, these trips will be a big difference in the lives of tourists, putting them in a place where few were built and a new vision of the world, adding value education and environmental awareness.

- Our goal is to make space travel accessible to anyone. We hope this new market to become the fastest and most ecological way to travel around the globe - said Mrs. Van Pelt.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (center) who participated in the

crew of Apollo 11, during some performances of the SXC (Photo: SXC)

Prices still high for pioneers

The segment must have their first strides this year. And is born different. To have access to this new technology, which will ensure the tourists in the pioneering vision of space, there is still the need to pay dearly. The cheapest flight, the SXC, costs U.S. $ 95,000 and takes tourists to 61 km altitude. The SXC also offers a flight at 103 km altitude, the U.S. $ 100 000. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic is priced at U.S. $ 200,000  for the opportunity to reach space. After the 100th passenger, the SXC will charge U. S. $ 100 000 on any flight, in two payments of U. S. $ 50,000.

- There is an essential difference between the two companies. While SXC has a passenger flight with only the pilot, where tourists will be in the cockpit and have a unique view of space and can feel an astronaut by the magnitude of the front panel, Virgin Galactic has a larger ship, carrying six passengers on the back. In our case, we are offering an unique service for half the value - underlined Eva van Pelt.

The flight takes about 45 minutes. With two runways and spaceports, one in Curaçao, the Caribbean, and one in the Mojave Desert in California, the Lynx spacecraft will depart as normal planes with four engines that boost it into space. Unlike previously made spacecraft, including the space shuttle, the takeoff and landing systems are independent on the Lynx. Since leaving the spaceport, after 58 seconds, the tourist will be breaking the sound barrier, feeling an impulse familiar to pilots of jet aircraft and Formula 1.

Simulation of the flight route of the Lynx

Three minutes into the flight the passenger reaches Mach 2.9, a speed that even the pilots of F-16 fighter rarely experience. For flights of 103 km altitude, 60 km off the pilot jets, starting then the parabolic flight. Tourists will feel that time minutes away from sensation of weightlessness. The official border space begins at 100 km altitude, where the sky is totally black, although the sun and the earth's curvature is visible from the cockpit. After five or six minutes - three to four minutes on flights up to 61 km - it's time to go home and the ship begins the process of landing. Because of gravity, the ship picks up speed quickly. To slow the pilot performs a withdrawal transaction, when the tourist feel for 10 to 20 seconds sensation of 4G (four times the force of gravity), and then the ship will glide for about 25 minutes, until the landing .

Anyone over 18 can participate in this experiment, since it is not clinically healthy and has no heart problems. For added comfort and flight safety it is advisable that the passenger has no more than two meters high and 109 Kg The company, however, said that except for special cases.