Probable Space Travel | Eastern NC Now

Advancement in Private Space Industry could bring us closer to Affordable Space Travel

    Since the end of the Cold War, Space Programs haven't been as active, or at least not in the way they once were. When NASA had their systematic annual budget cuts, NASA in a way many fear they are fading away. Because of this the private space travel industry has begun.

    The ESA, European Space Administration has stayed awake, but other than that there isn't much. Yes, NASA is still alive and researching, but they don't have the funding they need. There are several different organizations that are already doing work in space travel and research. The main organizations/corporations currently are SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and the Planetary Society.

    All of these companies are working on different projects right now. SpaceX I would say has done the most so far, they have been shipping supplies to the International Space Station for several years now. SpaceX also has been working to design a way to reuse rockets, yes reuse rockets... Now this hasn't worked yet, but when it does, they will cut costs incredibly on space travel.



    Another project relevant to this is currently in development by the Planetary Society, a space research and advocacy citizen-funded organization headed by well-known scientists such as Bill Nye (Bill Nye the Scicence Guy!) and Neil Tyson. Currently the Planetary Society is running a Kickstarter to fund the creation of a solar sail named the LightSail. Rather than traveling by burning rocket fuel in space, it is powered by photons pushing the sail, kind of like a sail pushing a boat using the wind. Obviously you will still have to burn rocket fuel to exit the atmosphere but it won't be as much.

    The Planetary Society has made a successful test launch, in 2016 the society will make their main attempt. Members/Backers to the project or Planetary Society will be allowed to vote on where the LightSail will go in 2016.


Bill Nye of the Planetary Society holding a LightSail model. Photo by the Planetary Society

    The Private Space Industry is becoming no stranger to controversy. Before this field was ran entirely by governments to complete against each other; now that organizations are running these operations, questions rise on how they should be regulated. Now that we have companies competing against nations that oppose the country that the nation is based in. The problems are pretty apparent from here.