Space Tourism Symposium Report
Hi there!
My apologies for the delay in getting this out to you all. For all of
you who could not attend, here is a summary of the events at the 1997
International Symposium on Space Tourism. It took place March 20-22,
1997 in Bremen Germany.
INTRODUCTION
First Class. That is the best way to describe it. The event took place
at Bremen’s beautiful Park Hotel, which is a five star accommodation.
The food and service were excellent. It was a good first impression of
German hospitality.
Much credit must be given to the following people for their time and
effort:
o Hartmut Müller - Symposium Chair (Space Tours)
o Augustinus Boots - Event Chair (AeroConsult and Space Tours)
o Peter Pflug - Event Chair (Daimler-Benz Aerospace)
o Fabian Eilingsfeld - Program Chair (Future Engineering)
o Dr. Michael Solter - Program Chair (Daimler-Benz Aerospace)
o Dr. Uwe Apel - Program Committee Chair (Hochschule Bremen)
They did an excellent job putting this event together.
SPEAKERS
The speakers were a who’s who of researchers, engineers, and other
experts. This was the first time that these people gathered together in
one place to share their ideas on space tourism. We were guests of the
mayor, who gave us a speech and a tour of the Rathaus, the city’s
ancient town hall.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Dozens of reporters from the German press attended the ISST press
conference. Affiliates from CNN and AP were also there. Hartmut Müller,
Buzz Aldrin, Patrick Collins, and several others were interviewed.
Check your local newspapers on March 21 or 22 for the reports. I think
Patrick Collins received more publicity than Buzz Aldrin!
PRESENTATIONS
The following is a very brief summary of the presentations. You can get
more details from the proceedings. (Email Hartmut Müller for more
information).
Session I: Assessment of Future Space Technology
Fabian Eilingsfeld spoke of Public Access To Space (PATS) and the new
space paradigm. He described of the Chicken and Egg Problem: High
launch costs = small market = no motivation for R&D for less-expensive
launchers. No rocket, no market.
Walter P. Kistler talked about his new company, STV. He is doing
long-term space transportation research. He compared single stage
versus two stage reusable vehicles. Based on the math, he believes two
stage to orbit design is more practical. He talked about his Launch
Assist Platform (LAP), which looks like the original K1 design from
Kistler Aerospace, except with jet engines.
Dietrich E. Koelle presented a technical assessment of cost per flight
potential for Space Tourism. He broke down a typical space flight
system into components and did a cost analysis of each component.
Michael Reichert analyzed the cost of a ticket to space. He used return
on investment analysis and compared launch prices of vehicle such as
Apollo and the space shuttle.
Jim Akkermann briefly discussed his company, Advent Launch Services, and
talked about his vision of space tourism. Advent is a competitor for
the X Prize.
Shinji Matsumoto presented Shimizu Corporation’s Orbital Hotel concept.
He showed us some details of hotel room modules, and a central play
area. The hotel room section would rotate to simulate gravity. (This
design, by the way, was developed in 1992.)
Michael Obersteiner and Holger Stockfleth presented some advanced
vehicle designs by ESA and Daimler-Benz Aerospace. They looked like
variants of the Ariane and Sänger vehicles.
Mark Holderman discussed his research on the GEODE concept. GEODE is a
modified space shuttle external tank used as space station. He says he
can have the station fully operational in five shuttle flights. Using
resources at NASA and Lockheed Martin, he has researched every detail,
and developed the most cost-effective way to build GEODE. He even
proposed using GEODE as the starting block for the International Space
Station.
Theodor Hall discussed the issue of the effects of artificial gravity
and architecture in orbital habitats. He explained comfort zones and
how the design of a space station must help a person acclimate to less
then 1g.
Session II: Evaluation of the Space Tourism Market
Patrick Collins discussed his research at the Japanese Rocket Society.
An economist, he has been working with the Japanese for several years,
and helped organize the first space tourism market study in Japan. If
you haven’t read his work in the Space Energy and Transportation Journal
(formerly called Journal for Practical Applications in Space), it is
excellent stuff. He discussed the surveys results in the US and Japan,
and is now working on business scenarios for a space tourism. He has a
great slogan: “Tourism or Taxes.” He also suggested that a demonstrator
vehicle be built and flown around the world, with stops in various
countries. Such demos were common during the early days of airplanes,
and worked very well in educating the public and reducing their fears of
air travel.
Eric Stallmer presented a paper by Tom Rogers about his space tourism
research. Eric also discussed the recent Space Transportation
Association’s NASA/STA Space Tourism Workshop. A full report of the
workshop will released in April.
Sven Abitzsch discussed his research and presented details of his
informal space tourism survey of Germans. The German people’s attitude
is more conservative than the Americans or the Japanese. He also did
cash-flow analysis and ROI trends.
David Ashford discussed a qualitative business plan for a space tourism
business. He talked about his company, Bristol Spaceplanes, and the
Ascender spaceplane. Bristol Spaceplanes is a competitor for the X
Prize. David has also worked with Patrick Collins on space tourism
research.
Session III: Development of Space Tourism
Jesco von Puttkamer presented the International Space Station, and
NASA’s long-range plans for settling space.
Sam Coniglio presented a four-step process of developing space tourism,
with the assistance of a major entertainment and tourism companies. He
also proposed a series of cross industry conferences between leaders of
tourism, hotel, entertainment, and other groups with the aerospace
companies and NASA. The involvement of traditional tourism industry
will help legitimize space tourism.
Robert Citron discussed the economics of starting an international space
tourism business. He discussed the “successful failure” of Society
Expeditions space travel program of the 1980’s, his success with
SpaceHab, his work with Kistler Aerospace, and now his research with
Foundation for the Future. A rock-solid business plan is needed. And
he revealed some secrets to his success: private investors and strategic
partners. He also presented results of his market analysis.
Buzz Aldrin discussed his ideas for space tourism. He talked about his
recent experiences with adventure tourism, including a submarine dive to
see the Titanic. He talked about his book, “Encounter with Tiber,”
which has some discussion about space tourism. He showed some recent
advanced vehicle designs proposed by NASA. He suggested having a
contest akin to the “Publisher’s Clearinghouse” sweepstakes, where there
would be various levels of space tourism prizes. He talked about space
credit cards and issuing space shares on the stock market. He also
promoted the Space Tourism Society, which is a new group founded by John
Spencer.
Rick Austin presented his “Helium3” slide show. He is raising funds for
a motion picture about an energy crisis in the near future, and the
economic, political, social, and environmental impact. The film is a
cross between 2001:A Space Odyssey and the Indiana Jones adventure
films. The engineers in the audience picked at the details, but John
Sven of Daimler-Benz announced that has a working fusion reactor using
Helium3. The reactor is not very efficient, but it works.
REFERENCES
Official ISST Home Page ––
http://www.iat.hs-bremen.de/IAT/ISST/ISST.htm
Associated Press article in Florida Today Newspaper ––
http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/1997/032197gt.htm
Associated Press photo of Patrick Collins holding a picture of a space
hotel ––
http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/images/1997/032197d.jpg
Sam’s Space Site ––
http://www.magicnet.net/~sam123/space.html
CONCLUSION
The Space Tourism Industry has officially begun! Engineering research
has shown that it is technically feasible to create low-cost, safe, and
reusable space vehicles and hotels. Preliminary market research
indicates there is a strong interest in space travel among the public.
The challenge now is: how do we do it, how do we do it economically,
and how can we make a profit? ISST was a big success! Now, where can I
buy my ticket?
Sam Coniglio
Space Tourism Consultant
(I like that title!)
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S a m C o n i g l i o
Technical Communicator & Jack of All Trades
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Email: sam...@magicnet.net
Home Page: http://www.magicnet.net/~sam123/index.html
Space Page: http://www.magicnet.net/~sam123/space.html
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