We read an article about some recent ventures into space (or at least the upper atmosphere). There have been many headlines about some of the world’s wealthiest individuals making these short excursions and plans to make similar trips available to customers seeking such a rare (if expensive) opportunity.
Sending a celebrity on one of these trips, William Shatner, the famous captain from the classic sci-fi program, Startrek, surely helped get a lot more publicity. Shatner himself marvelled at the experience and how seeing the earth from that perspective underscored our planet’s fragility and the importance of protecting it.
Another well-known figure, Prince William, has been outspoken against the investment in space tourism when there is so much to be done to protect our planet. The remarkable investment of effort in the 1960s leading to a successful moonshot does seem like a model of the kind of unified and concerted effort needed right now to solve issues related to climate change. Maybe the Earthshot Prize backed by Prince William will encourage and inspire helpful innovations.
It has been interesting to hear some student’s perspectives on this topic in class, and it will be interesting to see some of them here along with ideas from other readers. We welcome your replies.
I want to be a space tourist Because of the amazing view!
It WOULD be amazing to experience that view first hand. But is it something that should be available to everyone? Would it be worth it to you to spend millions of dollars for that brief experience. Would it be more worthwhile to appreciate the photos and spend the energy and money on something else?
I’d like to go to space one day. But, it seems dangerous. At the same time, it seems very fun to be there.
IS the danger something that individuals need to decide? Is it a matter of whether or not one person feels that the risk is acceptable for them? Might the risks and costs are so great that it isn’t worth it for humans to pursue space tourism atall, or are the potential benefits so powerful that the industry would have enough benefits for everyone that it should be developed?
I love how William Shatner realized how the earth is suffering and wants to help and protect the earth.
I would love to go to space one day but I would need to be really wealthy to go.
OK, but whether or not any individual would want to be a space tourist is a different question from whether space tourism is an industry that should be developed. When you look at the pros & cons mentioned in the article and that we discussed in class, what do you think?
I agree with prince William and some thing should change. That does not mean it can not continue. They need to make it safe then it can continue
I’m not sure that those behind the Earthshot Prize would agree that space tourism just needs to be made safe. It seemed to me that the reason for offering the prize was in order to redirect money and effort toward research & innovation into addressing climate change because that issue is very important for everyone while investing in space tourism is seen as having direct benefit mostly for the companies involved in teh business and the few people wealthy enough to take one of these tours.
I think space is cool but I’m scared to go to space because its dangerous up there.
OK, but should we be allowing or encouraging making space tourism? Whether or not YOU (or any individual person) would want to go, is a different question.
Space tourism would be a rare opportunity for people to go up into space but what about they make it cheaper, then wouldn’t a rare opportunity more people can get a chance up in the atmosphere. I have a question about the the first picture that showed up, who is that person?
My reason is to hopefully move to a new planet.
Our current planet, Earth, is hopeless, soon it will be lifeless to go with that, Mars is our hope, and I want to be one of the first to go onto humanity’s second home
Yes Mars will need to be transformed, honestly most of the transformation will just be taking bits of earth and throwing it on the spherical rock, but it has the potential to be a fresh start, and to heave us onto the right path.
I’m not sure exactly what position you hold regarding the issue in the article, which is space tourism. It seems like you are in favour of space exploration, specifically colonising Mars, but I could imagine people on both sides of the space tourism debate also being infavour of trying to transform the atmosphere on Mars and eventually colonise it. I am glad that you are paying attention to the issue of climate change and taking it seriously. The issues are very serious. But beware of using hyperbole (exaggeration). Threates to vertebrate life are dire, but these studies and even most dire predictions from recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ddo not describe a lifeless planet. I think we are in agreement that MUCH more needs to be done. I also think it will payoff to keep clarifying and refining your ideas & arguments to make them as powerful as possible.
I don’t want to be a space tourist because it is scary and dangerous but I kind of want to because I wonder how it feel like.
It is good that you can identify some of the pros & cons when thinking about whether you would want to be a space tourist. Wre you saying that it is fine, these trips should go ahead for everyone who can afford it?
It is really interesting and fun to know that it is possible to go to space but on my part I dont think the government should ban it because it is an experience that happens once in a life time so that is why i think we shouldnt ban it
l think that space tourism is a good idea but l am worried about the envoirment and the amount of money. l think that it should stay as long as it dose not do to much damage.
I have a lot of good questions because I really like learning about space so I had a lot of fun.
That’s great. Please tell us about your questions so we can think about them too, and maybe we can help each other explore some answers.
This blog reminds me about earth day but I can’t believe a few people realized that going to space is harming the earth by pollution. I think that we should think more about the earth than what we want to do with it. We might find a way to go to space without doing pollution but right now we should enjoy earth the way it is