Profits to the moon and back

Astronaut Brian Binnie clinched the $10 million prize for flying the first commercial flight into space, but he says that is just the beginning of a huge market potential for tourism development.

You have said that in 15 years you believe there will be space hotels and commercial space lines, but is it going to be limited to the realm of the ultra-rich?

Without a doubt when it first comes on line it will be only the wealthy and the privileged who can afford it.

If you can demonstrate though, that you can get people up there and back without hurting them then there are good arguments that with volume, you can reduce the price point of some of these excursions, so that the average Joe can at least think about it and save up for it. The time frame for that, I would suggest, would be more like 25 years out.

Space is a tough nut to crack, but not impossible. It requires a pretty steady hand and people with a passion to see it through.

In terms of the experience, what is it like being in space?

The shortened version is that people come away enlightened, with a sense of accomplishment, achievement and joy. It is something that you work fairly hard to achieve even though it is only a three- to four-day commitment to go through the training and get up there. It is not a passive experience, it really engages you.

There is a certain amount of fear that you are going to have to overcome. You will walk away with your senses having being wrung out, full-spectrum, from fun to fear and then back again. I think that when we do that with people they come away with a certain amount of respect for the achievement.

It is pretty unique stuff and you won't forget it, it is something that you will tell your grandkids about one day. If you are doing it safely I think the experience will sell itself.

The price is one issue, but will there be physical limitations on travellers as well?

I don't think it is too limiting - it's no more limiting than riding rollercoasters in theme parks.

For example if you are pregnant or had surgery or have a bad heart then you probably don't want to be doing these things anyway. It is not exclusionary though, you can be overweight and not in great shape and you can readily go through it and enjoy it and have no ill effects.

We certainly think we can capture a great portion of the population.

I don't think physical restrictions are going to limit the market place.

It is going to be more the kind of personality that would be intrigued to go and do it in the first place; character is probably going to be more limiting than any physical standards.

As a tourism destination what is the attraction of space?

Nobody has ever been there. It is generally viewed as the final frontier and it is not easy to get to.

You are out of your element, it is closer to God - all those mystical kind of elements. Then you get the weightlessness, the view - it is a pretty compelling package.

How do you envisage the whole idea of a space hotel working?

You would fly up to it, new people get on and old people get off to return. You would need to spend a few days up there, that would be the expectation that we have. We would go through a daily routine of eating and socialising but in the context of the view that is mesmerising.

Every 45 minutes you are seeing a sunrise and sunset and you can't imagine that. That is the experience that starts approaching a religious perspective. I think people can change their entire philosophy on life doing that kind of stuff.

People who come back from space do always seem relaxed and comfortable.

When you get far enough that you can see the earth as an entity, that is a perspective that really causes you to reconsider your values and what you believe in.

I am always wary of overselling space and our capabilities, because it is hard. Until we figure out anti-gravity and Star Trek type technologies, we are very limited by chemical rockets. We are still in need of new developments and technologies to change our tether to earth. I have to believe that there are all kinds of possibilities available if we persist.

If it is global warming or cooling or if an asteroid swings by and collides with us, mankind's survival depends on his ability to continue beyond something catastrophic like that. Space travel is the only thing I can think of that comes close to fulfilling that need.

Do you believe that the danger element will be a deterrent?

Absolutely. Like I said, it won't be physical limitations that limit the market, it will be the type of personalities that are attracted to the experience. A lot of people may be attracted to it, but when they weigh in the risks involved, they may think that they don't want to take that risk.

That only changes as you demonstrate your ability to reliably fly the vehicles and get them back down. That is why there are people like Richard Branson, who intends to take himself and family up there on the first commercial flight to show that he sufficiently believes that it is worth taking that risk.

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