Guest: John Spencer. John Spencer was with us today to talk about space tourism. John, as founder of The Space Tourism Society ( http://www.spacetourismsociety.org), started off our discussion with the big picture for space tourism both here in the United States and globally. We talked about the growth the space tourism industry is undergoing in terms of its early development, the international aspects and interest regarding space tourism and the ability to give people here on Earth a taste of it through simulation and virtual reality. We looked back over time and 2007 and looked forward to 2008. John explained how we can have a very real space experience with simulation and virtual reality for earth and space tourism now. He also pointed out Second Life and what was happening there with space tourism. When asked about where one could go in the States for a real space experience, he mentioned several options including the Kennedy Space Center's Space Shuttle $60 million simulation experience. As a result of listener driven questions, John was asked about safety and the ability of small companies to make the right decision in business to avoid unnecessary risks or accidents, or decisions like some costly and unethical ones from the auto and the pharmaceutical industries. John shared with us some important information, insights and observations. In fact, I do believe believe they were pearls of wisdom about the developing space tourism industry, the companies, and people involved, and the need to make wise business decisions even if financing is tight. This is an especially interesting and informative discussion that you must hear. In later segments of the program, we talked about cruise ships as models for space tourism vehicles, John fielded questions about markets and orbital as well as suborbital tourism. Believe it or not, as a result of our discussion later in the show, we started talking about washing machines for micro-gravity and the Moon! This then led John, in response to another listener question, to talk about how robotics could do the work of a cleaning labor force for space hotels. We then talked about those innovations finding their way back to a hotel here on Earth, thus replacing some labor for robotic hotel cleaning, etc. Again, a very interesting discussion culminating with a question about a science fair project along similar lines. As you will hear from John, if you are interested in such a project or know anyone who is, refer them to John Spencer as he is interested in assisting. If you have questions or comments for John Spencer, you can email him at jssdesign@aol.com.
Guest
The Space Show
