Low-cost Space Tourism opportunities for ethical business and growth of territorial economies
- Paper number
IAC-09.E6.1.10
- Author
Dr. Viberti Carlo, SpaceLand, Italy
- Year
2009
- Abstract
The recent series of SpaceLand Research and Educational Flights has demonstrated how STEM disciplines (namely Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can be paired up with Educational and Edutainment-related Space Tourism activities, generating profit for private investors as well as major return potentials on the host territories, together with important cultural, educational and sociological implications for the society. The Lunar-gravity, Mars-gravity and Zero-gravity Flight Campaigns carried out by SpaceLand from 2005 to date with several crews of common people, after proper selection and training activities both on ground and underwater, mainly served three purposes at the same time: 1. better understanding of the role of neurotrophins and specifically of NGF (nerve growth factor) in the physiopathological manifestation of stress and in pathologies associated to nervous and immune system disregulations, as commissioned by Italy’s CNR and Istituto Superiore di Sanità in collaboration with groups coordinated by Nobel Prize Winner Rita Levi-Montalcini of the European Brain Research Institute 2. contributing to develop scientific foundations for a safe and productive human presence in space for extended periods of time, in preparation for space exploration of Moon and Mars 3. strengthening the cultural and economical potential of space tourism-related initiatives with a comprehensive training and aerospace flight program open to everybody, from 11 years of age up to 93 years of age, with a whole range of cultural added-values, addressing space tourism as well as corporate incentives, team buiding and educational training and flight campaigns in Moon-gravity and Mars-gravity flight conditions. In order to best prepare masses of tourists interested in flying both for edutainment as well as to possibly support on-going science research and technology innovation activities in weightlessness and in low-gravity as test subjects, if they like, a series of ad-hoc training facilities can be easily designed and developed by the SpaceLand engineering team to fit with the specific constraints of the host resorts, best adapting to the local sport, cultural and touristic facilities available in the given territory, possibly in synergy with a local airport for take-off and landing of the parabolic flight aircraft used by SpaceLand. This way, a low cost Space Tourism ground and flight segment of business can be easily generated, practically everywhere, for 12-month-year activities with a relevant return in direct and indirect business on the local economy. More details on the potential for financial returns attainable by supporting the growth of such an industry of "knowledge and adventure-related" space tourism at the edge of science-fiction are presented in this paper. The experience gained in pilot programs developed by SpaceLand in the past years shall be shown to document the unique features of a Space-Age all-year-round ethical business with added valued in terms of culture, science and cutting-edge technology, generating value for shareholders and growth for the local economies. In particular, the high "return versus cost ratios" shall be documented as based on the experience of the SpaceLand program which, through relevant mass-media campaigns, has already selected, prepared and successfully flown the world’s youngest life-science test subject (11 year old), the oldest "weightless man" (93 year old) and the first disabled woman in weightlessness: such records provide a clear evidence to demonstrate that low-cost space tourism can be opened to everybody, at any age, bringing about growth and wealth both to territories and investors.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)