One Lucky Space Tourist Could Get a Shot At An ISS Spacewalk In 2023 (cnet.com) 37
Space tourism company Space Adventures announced a deal on Thursday with the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation to fly two space tourists to the International Space Station. What makes this contract an eye-opener is that it would give one of the tourists an opportunity to go for a spacewalk outside the ISS. CNET reports: Space Adventures said this person would become "the first private citizen in history to experience open space." The S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation (known as Energia) makes the Soyuz equipment for Russia's space agency Roscosmos, which confirmed the Space Adventures agreement on Thursday. Roscosmos is targeting the flight for 2023.
The spacewalking tourist won't be sent out of the air hatch alone. A professional cosmonaut will go along. The spacewalk will also call for quite a bit of prep work. "Accepted and secured candidates will be required to complete specialized training and additional simulations in preparation for the spacewalk attempt," Space Adventures said. The flight will take place using a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and the spacewalk participant will stay at the Russian segment of the station for 14 days.
The spacewalking tourist won't be sent out of the air hatch alone. A professional cosmonaut will go along. The spacewalk will also call for quite a bit of prep work. "Accepted and secured candidates will be required to complete specialized training and additional simulations in preparation for the spacewalk attempt," Space Adventures said. The flight will take place using a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and the spacewalk participant will stay at the Russian segment of the station for 14 days.
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Re:Lucky cosmonaut (Score:5, Funny)
The guy who bought this ticket wont be allowed to space walk unless the cosmonaut who is going to take them out there is 100% sure it's safe and there is no danger to them or the other guy.
Plus they get a whole bunch of training first to make sure they know how to safely do it.
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HE READ THE SUMMARY! GET HIM!
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As opposed to the Unlucky cosmonaut that no longer flies because Roscosmos doesn't have the money? The NASA gravy train is almost gone & Russia's petroeconomy isn't helping.
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Sure, any spacewalk is inherently dangerous. But ask any astro- or cosmonaut: do they see spacewalks as an exiting outing, simply a job
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And they may well tell you that it depends on the mission and their mood that day.
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They have to risk their life ...
No they don't "have to". If they don't like their job, they can do something else for a living.
2023? (Score:3)
I doubt it, SpaceX will ask 5 times less for the ticket up to the station in 2023.
Re:2023? (Score:5, Interesting)
The cheaper, more comfortable ride to ISS on Dragon 2 isn't the point of this offer, it's the spacewalk, which Space-X isn't going to be able to offer, while the Russians can. It's an intriguing way of finding a way to offset the loss of NASA's payments for ferrying astronauts to the ISS. It remains to be seen if anyone has the money and the interest in taking them up on their offer.
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It remains to be seen if anyone has the money and the interest in taking them up on their offer.
I would... if I had the cash to spare, and if any doctor would declare me physically fit for space flight. I expect they'll have no trouble filling that seat.
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"it's the spacewalk, which Space-X isn't going to be able to offer, while the Russians can. "
You mean America hasn't got the key to the ISS airlocks and Russia has?
Re:2023? (Score:4, Interesting)
I doubt it, SpaceX will ask 5 times less for the ticket up to the station in 2023.
I would not assume that.
Mark Shuttleworth, the first African in space, paid the Russians $20 million in 2002, but NY Times reports SpaceX will be charging $55m for a tourist trip, both without spacewalk.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/0... [nytimes.com]
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"Mark Shuttleworth, the first African in space, paid the Russians $20 million in 2002, but NY Times reports SpaceX will be charging $55m for a tourist trip, both without spacewalk."
The US paid the Russians 70 million 4 years ago just for a return flight. 2002 is almost 2 decades old.
Nowadays they ask between 81 and 86 millions per seat.
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Nowadays they ask between 81 and 86 millions per seat.
That was when they had no competition. Soon we hope to have both Boeing and SpaceX.
JUDD Galaxy : Experience Elevated Luxury (Score:2)
Avenue5 was supposed to be comedy, not a documentary of what is to come....
Discount trip to the space station (Score:2)
Lucky until... (Score:1)
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Wrong planet. If it happens in earth orbit, it'll be Blofeld's doing... he's done it before, after all.
Is there a goal to the space walk (Score:3)
My understanding is that space tourists aren't just there to see the view. They also do actual work. Essentially, the money is a way to shortcut the selection process, and a way for them to do the experiments they want to do. They are part of the crew as much as they are tourists.
So is the space walk just a perk or is the future tourist actually going to do something useful?
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Such an experience could be useful in itself.
Tom Cruise will beat them! (Score:2)