The first space race, the epic Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, was a battle of superpowers, a contest of national pride and technological prowess that was played out on the grandest of stages. The new space race, the one that is unfolding before our eyes today, is a very … Read more
For all the excitement and the glamour of the new era of commercial space tourism, it is important to remember that we are still in the very early days of our journey to the stars. The suborbital and orbital flights that are making headlines today are just the first tentative steps in a much longer … Read more
For most of the space age, scientific research in the final frontier has been the exclusive domain of a small and elite group of professional astronauts and government-funded space agencies. The high cost and the limited availability of access to space meant that only the most well-funded and the most prestigious scientific experiments could make … Read more
For the vast majority of humanity, the dream of traveling to space will, for the foreseeable future, remain just that: a dream. The high cost, the rigorous medical requirements, and the inherent risks of spaceflight mean that the opportunity to see the Earth from above will be limited to a select few. But what if … Read more
For all the romance and adventure that we associate with space travel, the reality is that the human body is not designed for the final frontier. We are creatures of Earth, evolved over millions of years to live in a world with a specific gravity, a specific atmosphere, and a specific level of radiation. When … Read more
For as long as we have looked to the heavens, the cosmos has been a powerful and enduring source of inspiration for our artists, our storytellers, and our dreamers. From the ancient myths of gods and goddesses who dwelt in the stars to the science fiction epics of the 20th century, our culture has been … Read more
For most of the space age, the image of the astronaut has been one of human exceptionalism: the highly trained, steel-nerved pilot with the “right stuff,” manually guiding their fragile craft through the unforgiving void. But as we enter the era of commercial space tourism, a new and powerful co-pilot is joining the crew: artificial … Read more
For most of the space age, the design of spacecraft and spacesuits was dictated by a single, overriding principle: function over form. The cramped, utilitarian capsules of the Mercury and Apollo eras were marvels of engineering, but they were not designed for comfort or aesthetic appeal. They were machines for survival, built to withstand the … Read more
They are not the steely-eyed test pilots of the Mercury era, nor are they the PhD-laden scientists of the Space Shuttle generation. They are artists and entrepreneurs, teachers and philanthropists, a diverse and eclectic group of individuals united by a singular, audacious dream: to touch the face of the cosmos. They are the new Argonauts, … Read more
The images are captivating: sleek rockets ascending on pillars of fire, citizen astronauts floating in zero gravity, and the breathtaking, borderless blue of our planet seen from above. The rise of space tourism represents a monumental leap in human achievement, promising a future of exploration and perspective-altering experiences. However, as the cadence of launches increases, … Read more