Since the space race began in the fifties space has always been a frontier that has taken immense amounts of money to reach and has only been accessible to a select few. In recent years though the chances of our generation easily going to space has greatly increased. Private companies such as SpaceX and Virgin have both put massive funding into programs to create space ships and rockets, respectively, to get tourists and cargo into space. Recently Virgin sent up its Space Ship Two for a test flight that successfully reached an altitude of 69,000 feet at a top speed of Mach 1.6.

The space plane is still in testing, but the expected launch date is sometime in 2014. To me the only issue here left to tackle is cost. At this point the price of a ticket would be far beyond the average person’s budget. On the other hand going to space is something that only a few have done so it will not be hard to convince those with the funds to splurge. Ideally if the price can be brought down to a point where more people can afford it, it could be a lucrative business model.

On a more personal note I  have always wanted to go to space or at least for a long time now. I was never obsessed with rockets or astronauts as a kid, but the vastness of space has fascinated me. looking up at the night sky with no light pollution in a huge open field can really make you feel insignificant. It makes one wonder what else is out there and there is that human drive to explore the unknown that can’t be ignored. Hopefully by the end of my life time affordable space travel it will be a reality.