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Old September 21st 06, 04:34 AM posted to rec.sport.pro-wrestling,sci.space.policy,sci.space.shuttle,sci.space.station,sci.space.history
Henry Spencer
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Posts: 2,170
Default (Poll) Space Tourism

In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
Yes, no point in going in a sub orbital flight. You can do a few seconds in
a plane and its a lot cheaper!


Depends on what you want to do. Going into space isn't *just* a matter of
being in free fall, any more than climbing Everest is just a matter of
being cold, fatigued, and short of oxygen.

There are plenty of people who think suborbital flight is worthwhile
simply for the fact of having been in space -- that means above 100km, no
excuses accepted. Parabolic-flight aircraft don't deliver that. It's
like climbing Everest -- no simulation is the same as having really done
The Big One in person (and the long waiting list to climb Everest, despite
its dangers, reflects this).

Undoubtedly most people who'd like to go into space briefly would *prefer*
being able to go to orbit, but for the immediate future, that's vastly
more expensive and much less accessible. There's a serious market for
even the brief hops.
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