HOTELS IN SPACE: ANOTHER GIANT STEP FOR BRANSON

LexisNexis ^ | 04/04/06 | Richard Orange

[KevinDavis]

SIR Richard Branson is taking a giant leap for mankind by drawing up plans to build the worlds first space hotels, his space flight company Virgin Galactic has told The Business. Alex Tai, its operations director, who will pilot

Virgins first commercial space flight in 2008, has held talks with US hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow about the project, Virgin Galactics president Will Whitehorn confirmed.

Bigelow Aerospace is developing inflatable pods it believes could receive the first space travellers by the end of the decade. Branson, Virgin Galactics chairman, revealed the space hotel discussions in Dubai last week.

Branson said: We are talking to people who are developing hotels for space. We are also talking to people who are developing launch craft to get hotels into space. People know that we can turn something that might seem a bit bizarre into a commercial reality. Personally, I think theres a demand for space hotels.

[KevinDavis]

Bravo Mr Branson....

[KevinDavis]

[MinorityRepublican]

Private enterprise is doing what NASA couldn't do in 50 years.

[RunningWolf]

Yes Bravo Mr Branson

I think this idea will actually work and have a large appeal to those that can afford it.

I did not have the same opinion for the 'space ship1' pitch of 'space flight' being a sub-orbital ride in a (marginal IMO) spaceship1/or 2 vehicle.

W.

[cmsgop]

Whatever happened to Jews in Space ???

[Yo-Yo]

Sorry, but I think it's more like Bravo Sierra.

How is Branson going to get his guests to LEO? SpaceShipOne? HA!

[Viking2002]

I love this stuff........

[KevinDavis]

SpaceShip 3

[RightWhale]

Las Vegas relents on his 'no investors' approach.

[Dark Skies]

Private enterprise is doing what NASA couldn't do in 50 years.

Bureaucrats can't find their way to and out of the rest room. A congenital thing.

Once space becomes economical (and I don't think it will be tourism)...it will explode.

Energy would be a high priority. Solar, converted into microwaves...directed at power plants (very carefully).

[Paradox]

Agreed. Orbital Space Hotels would be MUCH more interesting and a far greater draw than suborbital flights.

[tet68]

Somehow I don't find the concept of "inflatable" hotels
very reassuring, too much space junk. Now a 5 million dollar fine for littering I could see.

[demlosers]

Virgins first commercial space flight in 2008, has held talks with US hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow about the project

Bigelow's first space hotel:

[SunkenCiv]

The reason I take any of the space tourism stuff seriously is that Branson has the proverbial Midas Touch. If there isn't a buck to be made (other than his expensive ballooning hobby and whatnot), he'd not involved.

[narby]

Civilian BlackStar.

[anymouse]

Well Bigelow still needs a ride for his inflatable modules. Space-X is 0-1. The Russians aren't much better on their sub-launch, which Bigelow, is counting on to launch their test article. And NASA is not inspiring confidence that they will be hauling non-ISS payloads on the shuttle anytime soon, if ever. Bigelow is just covering his bets, as he always has done. Branson sees another marketing opportunity to leverage his brand to make it rain money.

[Vaquero]

something perhaps like THIS!

[S0122017]

Yes Bravo!

But not to depress everybody here, but doesn't spaceradiation increase your chances to get cancer?

I understand why astronauts do it, but even they aren't allowed to go up there on many missions. After just a few they are basically retired.

Would civilians risk playing russian roullette just to sightsee? Without a cure againt cancer civilian space travel will not be popular among anyone but excentrics that care more about space then their own lives and people that dont care about their lives at all.

[The_Victor]

Private enterprise is doing what NASA couldn't do in 50 years.

NASA, like any government entity, isn't allowed to operate for profit, so paying customers aren't allowed. Virgin Galactic has a long way to go. They haven't even achieved orbital space flight yet , something NASA (or NACA actually) did on Feb 1, 1958, 48 years ago.

[Yo-Yo]

Too bad that the R&D for that Space Liner bankrupted Pan Am.