[struggle]

Once private firms can charge people $5,000 to see space, you won’t need to worry about it anymore. Soon they’ll be charging people $10,000 to stay a week in space. Give them 5-10 years and for $20,000 people will have a week on the moon.

All it takes it entreprenuers to do the job that government is too foolish to do.

[zaphod3000]

I think the technical hurdles will put that day off far into the future (20-30 years). People were given a rude shock when the Challenger blew up--going into space was not like flying coast to coast. NASA doesn't even plan its first Constellation operational launch until 2014 and not go to the moon until 2019, and even that date will slip several years because of technical and financial issues.

I'm not saying space tourism won't happen--I hope it does; but I don't see it happening in 5-10 years. The cost to going to the moon will be prohibitive.--Look what happened to Pan Am!