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The space tourism industry is an exciting new area with many companies using many different technologies to get private citizens into space. So far two companies, Virgin Galactic lead by Richard Branson, and Blue Origin lead by Jeff Bezos, are paving the way. Both companies aim to carry paying private passengers into space within the next couple of years. They also both plan to use systems powered by rockets to carry up to six passengers at a time. However, the similarites end there, as the way each corporation plans to put people into space is quite different. |
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Virgin Galactic’s spacecraft is a reusable, winged spacecraft which carries six people into space. It is carried by a carrier aircraft, which takes off from an airport like a normal airplane.The carrier carries spacecraft up to an altitude of 50,000 feet. Then the spacecraft is dropped, and ascends to an altitude of 295,000 feet. The spacecraft floats in space for three minutes, allowing passengers to experience space. The spacecraft, which is capable of rotating its wings to guarantee safe landing, then glides back to land on its runway in New Mexico. The spacecraft is reconnected to the carrier aircraft, and refueled, ready for another flight. |
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Blue Origin’s rocket is more traditional than Virgin Galactic. It launches with a capsule with six people at the top of a 60 foot booster. It launches straight up like a typical rocket, and then at 330,000 feet, at the Karman line, the capsule seperates from the thruster. At 330,000 feet, the capsule floats for a few minutes in space as the booster falls back to Earth. The booster's engines and drag brakes activate, allowing the booster to be reused for the next flight. The capsule returns back to Earth, using parachutes to slow down and then land in the West Texas desert. |