The document discusses the risks and rewards of space tourism, outlining the definitions of suborbital and orbital spaceflight in terms of altitude and speed requirements. It notes that while space tourism was depicted in films as early as 1968, commercial space tourism did not take off until 2001 through an agreement between a US company and the Russian Space Agency for trips to the International Space Station, with the first private citizen flights occurring in 2001 and 2006.

1. Space Tourism:
Risks Rewards
J. Duncan Law-Green
University of Leicester National Space Centre
Cambridge Science Festival
13th March 2008

2. Suborbital Orbital Flight
Edge of space defined as 100km (62 miles)
above Earth’s surface.
Orbital spaceflight
Altitude 150 miles+, speed 17,500mph+
Suborbital spaceflight
Max altitude 62 miles+, speed 2500mph+
Commercial air traffic
Altitude 8 miles, Speed 600mph

3. 1968: Space Tourism in Film

4. 1981: Promise Unfulfilled Launch of STS-1 ‘Columbia’
12 April 1981
“Space Island” Station Concept Using Shuttle External Tanks