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Space & Astronomy

What will space travel be like in 30 years ?

By T.K. Randall
September 18, 2012 · Comment icon 13 comments

Image Credit: Virgin Galactic
Richard Branson has weighed in on what he believes space travel will be like over the next three decades.
The Virgin Galactic entrepreneur is no stranger to the complexities of space flight, with his own space tourism service in development Branson is in a unique position to appreciate how such technologies are likely to develop in to the future. "In the past 30 years, only 500 people have been to space," he says. "I suspect in the next 30 years there may be something like 5 million people who will have had the opportunity to become astronauts."

Not only will such technologies aid space tourism but they could also provide a quick and efficient alternative to today's airlines with trips from New York to Sydney within 2 hours. "The most radical difference will be speed," added Branson.
In the next 30 years, he says, spaceflight will be nearly as common for travelers as taking a plane trip became for millions across the world in the past 30 years.


Source: USA Today | Comments (13)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #4 Posted by Taun 12 years ago
I'm a bit more skeptical about this... I think that in 30 years we will look back and not see much difference... There may be some low orbital traffic, but by and large, the vast majority of people will not ever have the opportunity to travel outside of the atmosphere... Sad really... I had so much hope for our future in space.. but I guess I'm just pessimistic about it... Scientists will be able to go... Robots will go... maybe even Engineers will be allowed to go... people won't be.... Hopefully I'm wrong... but until space exploration is taken out of the hands of bureaucrats, politicians an... [More]
Comment icon #5 Posted by TheMolePatrol 12 years ago
I think I've read before that the ticket prices are expected to be around $200,000 a person.
Comment icon #6 Posted by shaddow134 12 years ago
To be honest,maybe 30 years is a bit optimistic.....
Comment icon #7 Posted by Hippycrite 12 years ago
Branson is a genius entrepeneur, but but I think he's just daydreaming on this one. Instead of millions of travellers, I would imagine maybe hundreds, and the passengers would be mostly show-biz or big-biz types. The ones who could afford to chip in for gas. Will there even be any fuel available in 30 years?
Comment icon #8 Posted by DONTEATUS 12 years ago
We dont need any Stinkin GAS ! Sir Branson is miles ahead of that ! Were going to use all the old Tires !
Comment icon #9 Posted by csspwns 12 years ago
if only we could teleport to school :3
Comment icon #10 Posted by Render 12 years ago
Im surprised to still see so many pessimistic statements, in the sense that 30 years is not realistic. I think it will be well before 30 years time these possibilities will become fact. Just look at the past 30 years and how fast everything has progressed. The process of progress is only speeding up. Suggesting it would take more than 30 years is not consistent with the speed of progress we've been seeing.
Comment icon #11 Posted by ~C.S.M~ 12 years ago
If space in the next 30y is still governement controlled, then I dont think we see much difference. But if private space is on the show, then im optimistick.
Comment icon #12 Posted by Chooky88 12 years ago
People like Branson have the money and the vision. Look where NASA got us in 30 years? NASA has been great with sensible un manned flight but always needed govt dollars. Billionaires putting up their own cash to get average people into space is the way to go. Thanks Sir Richard.
Comment icon #13 Posted by Psycho78 12 years ago
There won't be any "commoners" allowed into space until there is some degree of official UFO dislcosure. The concepts for where we would be in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, were carefully considered by top scientific minds of the day and were very realistic and achievable, but that reality was intentionally derailed to maintain the societal illusions that secure global base conciousness. Ironically, it is this derailment that is leading to over population and the excuses needed thin the heard, as it were. I always believed that in the future, it would be inevtiable that as more and more peo... [More]


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