Burt Rutan explains his plans to create mass tourist travel in space. People used to say that the Internet was all fun and games; it took years for it to become everything. Burt Rutan thinks the same will happen with space travel. The video is ten minutes long.
In the interview, the legendary aircraft designer describes the now underway project to privatize space travel and make it an affordable tourism industry—with projections of 100,000 trips in the next 12 years, at $475 for suborbital flight and $12,000 to enter full orbit. The video also includes photos and graphics
Rutan says flying tens of thousands of passangers over 10 to 12 years will mature safety systems, making spaceflight much cheaper, and reduce costs dramatically.
Propellants are about a third of the total cost of commercial airflight or automobile transportation. If chemical based space launch achieves taht metric then the $475 for suborbital flight and $12,000 to enter full orbit is the result.
Lower costs would need non-chemical propulsion.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.