Space tourism is another niche segment of the aviation industry that seeks to give tourists the ability to become astronauts and experience space travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes. Since space tourism is extremely expensive, it is a case of a very small segment of consumers that are able and willing to purchase a space experience. There are several options for space tourists. For example, Crouch et al. (2009) investigate the choice behaviour between four types of space tourism: high altitude jet fighter flights, atmospheric zero-gravity flights, short-duration suborbital flights, and longer duration orbital trips into space. Reddy et al. (2012) find the following motivational factors behind space tourism (in order of importance): vision of earth from space, weightlessness, high speed experience, unusual experience, and scientific contribution. Currently, only high-altitude jet fighter flights and atmospheric zero-gravity flights are commercially available to tourists in the space tourism sector.
The international challenges of regulation of commercial space flight
The current approach to space tourism and the development of vehicles to access space are virtually all based on extensions of current rocket launch vehicle and rocket plane development. If one takes a longer-term view of space travel and the development of safer ways to lift humans into Earth orbit and travel into space, new technologies will be needed. The options that do not involve lighting a chemically exploding bomb under crew and passengers are actually quite numerous. These advanced methods include such concepts as the use of tethers, complete space elevators to geostationary orbit (GEO), advanced ion engine thrusters, nuclear propulsion of various types, lighter-than-air craft together with ion engines, and solar electric propulsion. Once GEO is achieved, concepts such as ion engines, solar sail technology, nuclear propulsion, and solar electric propulsion, become increasingly more interesting and plausible. As private ventures continue to demonstrate the viability of the near-Earth space tourism businesses, space agencies should devote more resources to research in these follow-on systems that will ultimately be more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly, and more reliable and safer ways to access space.
Furthermore, in the case of space tourism, paying passengers will inhabit the sub-orbital aeroplane cabin. They would also be in a potentially severe environment under abnormal conditions. Even during normal operations they will experience intense accelerations and the absence of gravity. It seems obvious that they should be medically fit for such experiences. However, the issue here for the EASA is not whether sufficient scientific knowledge exists on this matter, but which legally binding rules have to be established. Currently, no rules have been established for the medical fitness of paying passengers on board commercial air transport aircraft. This approach (i.e. “do nothing”) could be continued even for sub-orbital flights. Some might, however, argue that the peculiarities of sub-orbital flights do require the establishment of rules to protect potential passengers from a medical standpoint, and also in order to avoid jeopardizing the safety of a flight because of passenger sickness or loss of consciousness. But even if such a principle is accepted, many alternatives do exist, such as obliging operators to simply publish medical guidelines before selling tickets, or obliging passengers to acquire a medical certificate, or to require operators to check the medical fitness of the passengers before accepting the reservation, or, perhaps, to do so before confirming the flight.
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