Should Space Tourism be banned?
In our lesson on Monday, we learnt about Space Tourism and how Richard Branson ,who runs Virgin, has built a company to fly others into space for fun. There was a discussion in our class about whether this should be banned or not.
Firstly, I believe that there are many reasons for both possibilities. The first reason why it should not be banned is that it is very exciting for members of the public. Although this may seem like a bad arguement, people who are happier are 20% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. Therefore, if people are to go on this trip or look forward to going on this trip, they will be better at work which can be vital for jobs like Surgeons or prosecutors.
Another reason for why this is good is that people become interested in space again. This is important to space exploration because more people will aspire to be astronauts - which will help to explore space quicker and easier. Therefore, space tourism should not be banned as it increases interest in space exploration.
However, there are several reasons why space tourism should be banned. Firstly, it makes a gap between the rich and the poor. It is extremely expensive to be passeneger upon one of these flights - £250,000 for a 90 minute flight. Therefore, it creates a gap between people who can afford it and people who can't. This is because ,if you put it into perspective, you are now having to pay to go somewhere that no one owns.
Another negative is that it is a very dangerous situation. If the plane were to crash from that height and that speed, it could injure many people on the ground - as well as people in the plane. By using space tourism, it is putting many people's lives in danger. Therefore, space tourism should be banned because it is a danger to the public.
In conclusion, there are several reasons why it should be banned and several reasons why it shouldn't be banned. However, in my opinion, I believe it should be banned because it is very dangerous and it could cause a rift between the richer and the poorer. What do you think? Let me know in the comments section
Information found at: https://productivitytheory.com/10-statistics-that-show-happier-employees-are-more-productive/
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-advantages-disadvantages-space-tourism-575489
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/09/richard-branson-virgin-galactic-go-public
Comments (132)
06 Nov 2019
Thank you for sharing these reflections from your lesson. You've given four reasons here - could you work out which is the strongest and which is the weakest and say why? For example, the point about productivity and being happier may only be true for a very small number of people, and so could be seen as a weaker point.
06 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism is a bad idea as we would spend allot of money on one trip when we could spend it on more useful purposes such as improving our plastic problem. I also think that we shouldn't create space tourism as it is an optional experience whereas fixing our plastic crisis is much more urgent and crucial.
06 Nov 2019
I do not support space tourism as I think the only benefit would be the profits and financial support of space tourism companies. I think with the issue of climate change rising, and our carbon footprint being so significant, we can not afford all the greenhouse gas from rockets to enter our atmosphere. In addition, if something went wrong all the tourists would not be trained as long as professionals. For these reasons, I think space travel should be rare and tourism is a bad idea.
I agree we should be invested in other things like brexit not on lavish luxuries like going to space.
06 Nov 2019
I feel that although being in space, even if you aren't an astronaut, would be a very interesting experience. We would be wasting our money polluting the planet, instead of saving it. Also, unless costs go down dramatically (but that seems highly unlikely, as the costs of sending one experienced astronaut into space cost so much that sending multiple unexperienced people up into orbit would cost so much more) not very many people would have the accessibility to leave the earths atmosphere.
06 Nov 2019
Space exploration should be banned because it has costed too much for people to explore and the chances of the ship losing fuel or breaking down are at a very high rate. This is a very risky task.
What’s your evidence for this being a high chance?
Space crafts are being tested as we speak. At any time anything can happen. We all fear the unknown. All lives are valuable as gold. Do the people want to be responsible for this cause. I look at this case as very risky, level red. I would like to know your response.
06 Nov 2019
You said that it could be dangerous if a rocket crashes as it would kill passengers and people on the ground but this is unlikely because currently our technology for making rockets and designing them is highly-advanced. In addition to this, it is not just for people who are rich: I think that once space tourism is established there will be opportunities for ordinary people to 'win' a place in competitions or maybe buy a ticket as the price will go down. This will mean that the line in between rich and poor people won't be as significant. Furthermore, space tourism could unite people as everybody is excited about the prospect of going into space and it might calm people.
On what you said about paying to go somewhere no-one owns, Virgin isn't ripping you off by charging you money because it costs a lot of money to build and design the rocket so if they didn't charge you for it or did it for less, they would go bankrupt! So, in conclusion, we should carry on sending people to space as a holiday.
What about the footballer whose plane crashed ? Or cars crashing? Technology has advanced but it is still not perfect
Yes the footballers' plane did crash and cars have been known to crash but does this really happen regularly? And if it did then we humans would have wisened up a bit and banned these forms of transport or upgraded our technology.
Actually, nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. Technology is not perfect. Although cars are not rockets, this shows clearly that we have issues and it mistakes can happen.
https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/
But there are issues with lots of things and sometimes they are unavoidable so we just have to accept that they happen and move on. And anyway compared to the births if 1.25 million people die from car crashes or accident involving mobility that actually isn't that much and overall our population is still growing.
by @succinct__leaves
08 Nov 2019
pace travel is the thing that several young people may dream about at night; but is it really the sort of thing that we should be encouraging?
There are some reasons that space travel shouldn't be encouraged:
Every ten years Russia will spend ten trillion pounds on space travel.
There is no price to be made for life and if the slightest thing goes wrong in the planning of space travel things can go very wrong.
However there are some reasons why it should:
Extra resources can be found on neighbouring planets that we can make use of.
When our sun explodes I a lot of people would like to be on another planet (this isn't out of our grasp - one of Jupiter's moons: Europa is hopefully going to be landed on by NASA in around 20 years).
Space holidays could bring a lot of money to the country or organisation who organises it first.
There are several more reasons for each of these but I thought putting three examples on each would be a good idea. The reason I chose this debate was because it was previously held at school and some of these statistics were gathered from fellow pupils.
Lots of reasons given here, busy_starfish. Which of these reasons is the strongest, in your opinion?
In my opinion, it is:
When our sun explodes I a lot of people would like to be on another planet (this isn't out of our grasp - one of Jupiter's moons: Europa is hopefully going to be landed on by NASA in around 20 years).
08 Nov 2019
pace travel is the thing that several young people may dream about at night; but is it really the sort of thing that we should be encouraging?
There are some reasons that space travel shouldn't be encouraged:
Every ten years Russia will spend ten trillion pounds on space travel.
There is no price to be made for life and if the slightest thing goes wrong in the planning of space travel things can go very wrong.
However there are some reasons why it should:
Extra resources can be found on neighbouring planets that we can make use of.
When our sun explodes I a lot of people would like to be on another planet (this isn't out of our grasp - one of Jupiter's moons: Europa is hopefully going to be landed on by NASA in around 20 years).
Space holidays could bring a lot of money to the country or organisation who organises it first.
There are several more reasons for each of these but I thought putting three examples on each would be a good idea. The reason I chose this debate was because it was previously held at school and some of these statistics were gathered from fellow pupils.
https://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/Should_Space_Travel_be_Banned
08 Nov 2019
I think it should not be banned because it maybe dangerous but every thing is dangerous like plane crashes or ships that have been sunk like the Titanic or walking.People well get benorthits from space exploring such as NASA or other internationally space station or scientist so I think space exploring should not be banned.
I agree it could be a danger
08 Nov 2019
Another issue with space travel being used as a capitalistic means to make money through tourism is the fact that we've already harmed the environment in space with space junk. As we grew more comfortable with space, we would likely end up with the same situation that we have here on Earth; the environment being irreparably damaged. While this seems like it may be far away, in reality, we've already had multiple warnings from leading experts in the field telling us that we may be stuck on Earth if we can't regulate the junk that is going up into the space surrounding Earth. Space tourism could be very harmful to the environment, and possibly end up setting us back in advances on space exploration.
A very reasonable answer, steady_harmonica!
faithful_bird | Whyteleafe School B
08 Nov 2019
If somebody stole money they could go into space and comit crimes there and space crime could start. Also not everyone can afford it so it is not fair.
08 Nov 2019
No but if people start to make a mess yes
08 Nov 2019
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. To date, orbital space tourism has been performed only by the Russian Space Agency.There are many different companies trying to make Space Tourism Reality and for the moment,it is only available for the wealthy
Space X
In September, Musk said for the moon trip,which is currently scheduled for a 2023 lauch, will most likely cost around $5 billion dollars (american currency) to develop but could run Space X as much as $10m dollars in total.Currently,Space X is an Company that has tickets available to be able to go into space.In total it will Cost $52m for a seat on a Space X rocket.
VirginGalatic
Virgin Galactic plans to start taking people to space on its SpaceShipTwo next year. The 90-minute flights cost $250,000 and passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and be able to see the earth from space.In my opinion,This is a shocking price and is way too expensive for 90 minutes.I think it needs to be atleast 2 hours for 250,000 dollars.250,000 could be someone whole life savings and some wealthy person decides to spend it on going to space.They should atleast make it longer cause if you dont live in america you have to pay the ticket to go on a plane to america to.
Blue Origin
Blue Origin is a company that believed that they we're able to launch a rocket into space this year,whereas its almost the end of the year meaning they're past they're deadline and this could cause affect on their company.Coming back to a previous Space Tourism Company,SpaceX had been attempting to land rockets at sea since 2014, finally succeeding in 2016, before Blue Origin ever even built a sea-going platform to land rockets onto. ... In late 2016, Blue Origin announced the New Glenn, directly competing against SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, with a larger rocket but lower payload.I believe that Blue Origin will get the job done,whereas it could take years for it to happen.They are very successful but its just that it costs to much money for them and possibly could miss they're deadline again.
Conclusion
I personally believe that the Company with the highest chance of becoming a great space tourism company is VirginGalatic.Although its very very expensive it gets the job done with 1 hr and 30 minutes.I have some down sides to all of these companies though.It seperates the Rich from the Poor,These oppurtunites are very rare ill admit that but if lots of wealthy people start doing this they might raise the prices and all of the ''poor'' people will be left.This is my biggest downside to all of this.ITS DANGEROUS!!!!This is very fun and artistic but something could go wrong within moments of the launch-off,the passengers in the rocket are not trained or advanced,They might press a button or trigger something to cause the rocket to do something its not suppost to.Therefore i think all brands of Space Tourism should be offically banned unless they're is a company that has fully tested it and made sure its safe.
-Admirable_Signature
WOW
09 Nov 2019
Is there any point going into space?
09 Nov 2019
I agree; space tourism should be banned
09 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism shouldn't be banned because it gives people a chance to try something new and exciting and have a fun experience;however it cost a lot of money and it would be playing a part in climate change. Even if the money they make goes towards space exploration; exploring space is not a necessity but stopping or slowing down climate change is. So I think that it shouldn't be banned but they should find a more environmentally friendly way to explore.
09 Nov 2019
no because you can get more smarter
09 Nov 2019
I think space tourism is not good because if you went to space with a space ship it might crash or they could be other failures.
10 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism is a very overrated idea in the sense that we should be spending the millions of dollars it takes to fund space travelling on actual necessities this planet needs like: helping the sick and the hungry in Africa, or the homeless by giving them places to stay and lives to live. Personally I think that we should help this planet first and make it a better one, and then focus on exploring others.
Very clearly expressed, incomparable_blueberry. Does this apply to all space exploration or just space tourism?
I think this should be applied to a certain extent once we've 'fixed' our Earth, then it should be more than encouraged to explore space.
11 Nov 2019
Although I can see why honorable_conclusion thinks that space tourism should be banned, I disagree. I actually think space tourism could benefit us all more than we realise. Here are a few reasons why:
1. It will inspire a new generation of engineers. The idea of travelling into space for a holiday is incredibly exciting and I feel like lots of people will want to get involved in this. The possibility of being involved in something so amazing is sure to inspire young engineers all around the world.
2. The cost of reaching space will go down. At the moment if you wanted to launch a satellite it would cost more than $12 million dollars. However, Virgin are saying that the cost of a flight into space would only be $250,000. If the next generation of space planes can reach orbit then that will massively reduce the cost of getting into space, which will mean that we are able to launch satellites and space exploration missions for a fraction of the cost.
3. I read an article about hypersonic travel and space tourism could make this a reality. What this means is that if you wanted to take a flight from London to the USA, rather than it taking 8 or 9 hours, it might take only one because you’d be able to fly into space on the way. How cool is that?! Although this would be very expensive at the moment and very few people would want to spend $250,000 to fly to America, I believe that as technology advances, costs will go down.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140408-six-reasons-space-tourism-matters
Well done for giving these reasons in such a clear way, patient_parrot. Which one of your three is the strongest?
11 Nov 2019
I think space tourisam should be banned because people are spending lots of money so some people can go to space. All of this money can be used for more serious things. Also, all this money might get wasted as they might get stuck at space.
11 Nov 2019
I agree space tourism should be banned because it’s extremely expensive at £250.000 for only a ninth minute flight. Also the space station could lose connection with the aircraft and people could die.I think it’s a waste of money that could go to a good cause. That would be unfair for the poorer people . In conclusion space tourism should be band in my opinion.
I also agre with you because why whould we wast so much money
11 Nov 2019
I think this should be banned because if it is for fun, what is the point? Also they are just tourists, so the person actually controlling the plane or rocket would know what they are doing. And although I agree that people who are happier are 20% more productive than their unhappy counterparts, some people who stay in Space for too long could experience side effects, for example loss of weight, growth, bone and muscle deterioration and more.
But I also have some reasons that counter-attack my reasons why it should be banned.
I think it should not be banned. Although it might ruin imaginations because what is the point in imagining something if you know what it looks like, they can then look at it from a different perspective or way; like a change of mind. Our class talked about this but overall in my opinion, I think it should be banned as like you said it makes a gap between the rich and poor. Does it matter? No. But is it fair?
Could you tell us which of the arguments above is strongest and why?
I now have changed my mind. This is a reason given by one of my classmates but I don't know her username. She suggested that we should still continue Space travel and Space tourism because, if people see the Earth, they might feel sympathy for it because of how beautiful it had been in the past and try to do things like recycle more.
I also think it should not be banned because it makes people happy as you said and also if more people are interested in Space again, people all over the world be encouraged and inspired to explore Space.
11 Nov 2019
I think the strongest reason is that was that it was for fun, but if it were for a purpose, like to give us more information about Space, I think that would be okay, so I think that this should be banned.
Hi spirited_insect.
I'm here talk to today to sadly disagree with your point. Not to disturb yout opinion but I'd like to tell you why I think it shouldnt be Banned.My reason is that I know some people just go into space for fun .
But can't people have fun?
However the risk of going into space is very severe and that is where I end up agreeing with you.Like losing weight or sometimes dislocating a bone.But look what good it gave us.We take risk but it ends up paying back. Look what we've discovered now a huge load of technology we would have never discovered if we never went into space.Thats why I think it was useful.Please don't take my comment as a threat to tell you that you are wrong because there is no wrong or right in this issue in my opinion.
It is okay, and also you actually convinced me with your reasoning. I think you did a great job!
11 Nov 2019
I agree
11 Nov 2019
I agree
11 Nov 2019
I it should be banned because something might get damaged so i agree
11 Nov 2019
In my opinion, I think that space tourism should be banned because of the money cost and even I would not go to the space station to say I want to go to space because I don't want to waste 250,000 dollars or pounds just to go to space and I could spend the 250,000 on something else. And the space suit will be hot when you put it on and when you get into the rocket you will feel hot. I want space tourism to be banned because I would want to stay at home in my warm cosy bed instead os wasting 3 days just to get to the moon and 3 days to get back so that is why I think space tourism should be banned.
If you say you would rather stay at home but did you know that most of your stuff has been made from space .
11 Nov 2019
In my opinion,I think that space tourisim should not be banned.The reason I state this is because I know there is many things we could've used with money we used to go into space .
But what's the problem?
Why do you think in the negitive side like there's no tomorrow?
Do we really wanna crush the dreams of youth?
Is it nescerrary?
There are also many things we got from space like: CAT scans which can save your life,scratch-resistant lenses which are really helpful since half the Earth's population wear glasses,artificial limbs which are useful for people who were born without a leg or had an accident,wireless headphones and many more!
So tell me what's the fuss?
Is that not enough to know that it was worthy?
Well,Did you know that Velcro is made from space!?
You've must have worn it once in your lifetime so far!If not?Scroll up to see if you know anything down!
To conclude,I state that space tourisim shouldn't be banned.
Space tourism is different to researching space. They do not help discover CAT scans or artificial limbs
12 Nov 2019
I think it's a good choice because the wonders of space its endless also the fact we don't have anti gravity machines and i don't think that we can change VR headsets to make our arms look real life looking.I would like to experience life in anti gravity but that's my opinion.I think everyone that interest space should go (I don't) because we all need variety.
12 Nov 2019
I don’t think it should be banned because every time an astronaut/robot goes into space it finds out something new.
12 Nov 2019
Is Space Tourism A Good Idea?
In our BNC Sessions, we have touched on Space Tourism. But what is it and is it a good idea?
Space Tourism is self-explanatory - it is literally where us mere people, as well as astonauts, have the chance to visit and explore the wonders of space. Sounds extraordinary, right?
Many companies are currently promising tickets to space, and some have already put them on sale!
According to phys.org, "for $250,000 (US), anyone can take a 90-minute flight into the upper reaches of the atmosphere where they will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature* of the Earth's surface.", courtesy of Virgin Galactic. That's £194,991.25 - nearly £200,000 for a 90-minute space experience, not even thinking about the amount of Greenhouse Gases that will be contributed! But many think that as companies are trying to invent re-usable rockets, the price will come down; it is less expensive to launch them. Likewise, NASA has been talking about letting members of the public lodge, or stay on board, the International Space Station (ISS), costing $35,000 (£27,500) per night from 2020.
*this is a hard word - curvature is the fact of being curved or the degree to which something is curved :)
So, is Space Tourism a good idea?
Yes, because...
...it gives people like us the chance to literally go out of this world, and see the Earth from a whole new perspective, a whole new way. Not only this, people will be more involved with Space, and NASA. This experience could inspire them to be astronauts - perhaps they are enchanted! I know I would be.
As well as this, it is for a good cause. NASA's explorations are funded by tax-payers. By bringing people into Space, they can use the thousands of pounds (or dollars!) to fund their searches. All in all, it takes the financial burden away.
We should have choices in life; you have the opportunity - by all means, you can purchase a house, or travel to your dream destination. Perhaps that dream destination is Space for some. As long as they are under professional surveillance, and are safe, then so be it.
However, there are a few concerns...
...Safety is a big one. I sincerely doubt that we, as mere humans, have developed technology enough to conclude that everything will 100% go right, and we'll all live happily ever after. Picture this: You buy a ticket to go to SPACE! The best to-be event in your life! So, you get into the non-reusable rocket, heart pumping, eyes wide with excitement as you turn to talk to your partner. 20 minutes in - uh-oh. You are told something has gone wrong, and you will be plummeting down to your death in less than 5 seconds. Gripping one of the 8 allowed on board (at a time), you scream...
As well as injuring yourself and your companions, if you are lucky enough to land on Earth, many people on the ground may be damaged, and you'll have to wait hours - even days before you can get back home - if you have survived, that is.
I do realise that NASA will have employees and special people on Earth tracking the rocket, and it is unlikely that an accident will happen.
Away from the safety of us mortals, we will be polluting the depths of our universe, causing trouble far worse than climate change - the uptmost obsticle we are faced with now.
The Bottom Line
In Conclusion, I believe that Space Tourism is a marvellous idea, as long as it is handled with care, under professional supervision, taking precautions. You might argue that it is dangerous, but isn't everything? Isn't simply walking across the road dangerous? Somebody having an operation, or giving birth - they're risks. You can't avoid them... Space Tourism will give people the chance to experience something different, something unheard of. What do you think? Do you agree?
Websites I used:
https://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/internet/what-is-space-tourism-space-flight-cost-spacex-virgin-galactic-blue-origin-11364163509098
https://phys.org/news/2019-11-virgin-galactic-space-tourism.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48560371
A very well-researched comment, content_lemon! What is being done to keep space tourism safe? You mention precautions and supervision being needed - are there examples of that today?
13 Nov 2019
This is absolutely true! I believe that you have a valid point on this. However, to answer your question I believe that I should be banned. I think this because I should be left to the experts. Unless, the torists are going with the experts! By experts I mean people who have trained to do this and are capable to use all the features in the rocket. Back to my point, when I say it should be banned I mean that it shall be left to the people who know what to do, I don't mean they should never go to space! Hope you understand.
Would it be acceptable for non-expert people to go into space and be guided by the experts?
I guess it would be Tom. As long as they know what they're doing then it's totally fine.It's just the fact that some non-expert people might go wrong or make a silly mistake! However, I believe that it would be acceptable in some shape or form. Thank you for reading my post!
13 Nov 2019
Is it safe to send out people,
Just so they can see,
If it makes them feel more equal,
The trip should just be free
I saw some information,
About this sort of 'holiday'
It all was spread across the nation,
Why would people think in this way?
The trip was set for space,
25,000 they would say,
They wanted to be a part of this race,
But thought ' Wouldn't I rather stay? '
I also think space tourism should be banned as well i think this because it costs a lot of money but insted we should spend it on the nhs
Nice poem i like it
13 Nov 2019
I think space exploration is a great idea because NASA have been going in depth on space exploration. In fact, they are already one step ahead of us, they have invented not too many months ago a special shuttle for tourism but are they willing to invest on tickets and flights. They've got tickets starting from $250,00 but I think if they reduce the price more people could afford this and the more customers the more money and that will have a significant increase on profit. This will help them have more flights and so on. Furthermore, they've done the research, they've got the facts and they have been waiting to have space tourism for may years now.
Great reasoning - well done!
13 Nov 2019
I think it shouldn't be banned because multiple discoveries have been made on space for example athletic shoes ,baby formula ,wirless headphones and ect. Without space exploration our sibiling wouldn't be able to drink their milk ,baby formula , thank you space for helping my baby sister. On the other hand, we can first solve the problems that we have on Earth right now then think about what we're going to do about space a .One problem we have right now is pollution we really need to figure out our dying plant first.
14 Nov 2019
No I want a picnic on the moon
14 Nov 2019
I think that there should not be tourism around space because of the amount of money and the time because in our lesson we learnt that it is only a 1 hour and 20 minute tour which is to short!
14 Nov 2019
their are a couple of reasons why it is bad, one is that it cost to much money and think how some of that money could help other people, on the other hand it is a good way for people to see other planets, in addition to this, if people would like to go they would need a landing station everywhere think how much that mite cost.
14 Nov 2019
Space tourism should be banned. For many people going into space would be a life time opportunity but at the cost of what? We are in a climate emergency, we should not sacrifice our lives for sheer pleasure, we need to look at the big picture here, launching one rocket is burning an unimaginable amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Launching more for tourism would kill the earth and everything in it. Exploring space to gather data and to learn about the universe is reasonable to an extent, however space tourism is certainly not. Its not just the environment that's the problem, its the money. They spent 15o billion dollars on they ISS and they are probably going to spend more on space tourism. They could spend that money on reducing poverty, helping the environment, saving endangered animals and medical support. I strongly disagree with you industrious _ melon, yes the wonders of space are endless but the life of our planet is not. If we keep doing what we are doing, the place we call home will be a desolate wasteland deprived of all life. I completely understand that reaching new heights
is part of human nature, we want to explore, we want to push ourselves to the limit but as I said when I began, at the cost of what?
Do you think other polluting activities could be decreased to make room for space tourism?
15 Nov 2019
i think space tourism is a very bad idea because tourist may or may not tell anyone so they might try it with no space equipment which could leave to a conclusion of death
knowledgeable_opinion | Whyteleafe School A
determined_artic_fox's comment
15 Nov 2019
your are so right
secure_blackcurrant | Whyteleafe School B
determined_artic_fox's comment
25 Nov 2019
i really agree because like you said if people go up to space with no proper equipment and no one knows then if they sadly pass away in space their family will wonder whats happened to them and nobody would know about it so there would just be a dead body floating around in space and nobody would know about it and some astronauts would probably find it like 4 years later! :)
knowledgeable_opinion | Whyteleafe School A
15 Nov 2019
i think it should be banned as people with little experience will try it out and loose their life with a conclusion of death
15 Nov 2019
I think space tourism should not be banned because it will give other people a chance to visit space, so that it isn't just astronauts. But there are also some bad reasons such as they could lose their life, or get seriously injured. But it is their choice
What are the other good parts, other than the opportunity?
Some other good parts are that we might be able to find new life on a planet, or we could discover new resources or minerals that we could possibly need i.e diamonds etc
Is it the choice of the people on the ground who are hit as the rocket falls to Earth?
15 Nov 2019
I believe space tourism should be banned; imagine how much grief it could cause to the public with more ways to die! Also, it could increase co2 emission for extra entertainment, when there are plenty of other ways to have fun. Another reason it is bad is because of the inconvenience of multiple rockets being sent to outer space, with no intention of helping develop our knowledge of space.
Well done for giving reasons for your answer. Do you think space tourism companies should have a responsibility to develop our knowledge of outer space?
I do not believe they have an obligation to develop our knowledge of outer space, however as a company that is taking people into space, I believe they have the responsibility to inform these tourists on (at the bare minimum) the basics on space, as they will be staying there for a long period of time and this trip should have at least a bit of education involved.
15 Nov 2019
I think that space companies should have a responsibility for this because this will help people get more involved in this subject. In addition, space tourism will be a viral subject on the streets.
Space tourism should not be banned because this will help people enjoy the wonders of space.
16 Nov 2019
In the Burnet News Club Session in our school two weeks ago, we had Olivia visit our school and run the session for the day. We touched on Space Tourism and if it should have been banned. So below I have validated my reasons supporting both sides of the argument and I have given my opinion at the end.
For Space Tourism:
Space Tourism is a good way to make more and more want to learn about Space. This can give them knowledge and make them be more interested about the topic. If this is to be the case, then it makes Space Tourism a good thing. With more knowledge, the future generation will have a better view on Space. It would be exciting and a fun, new experience touring the outer Space. It will encourage people into looking for an occupation linked to Astronomy.
Against Space Tourism:
There is a large risk in Space Tourism over the number of casualties being caused from this. It is very expensive and can be very hard to deal with if your financial status is not great. If there are people that planning to go and any accident occurs mid air, they are in big trouble. If there is an accident, who is to receive the blame?
There may be flights that are successful with no injuries but that would not be the answer to the deaths of the unlucky people who spend a quarter of a million (£250,000) to die
My opinion:
In my opinion, Space Tourism should be banned as all the advantages cannot defeat the fact that there can be fatalities during these 90 minutes.
Thanks for giving both sides of the argument - is banning something because of risk of fatalities a good rule for any new technology, or might it be a bit too limiting?
After thinking it out, I think that it shouldn't be banned but there should be age restrictions and warnings.
17 Nov 2019
I agree on everything that space tourism should be banned as it is all adding to globe pollution making it much harder for the community to deal with it.
But as you said it might inspire people to be an astronauts.
18 Nov 2019
i think it should be banned because if people die, then the compensation goes up a-lot currently only trained astronauts and I think that is good that they only can go in into space until further notice meaning if civillians go into space there is a higher risk of death or failing.
18 Nov 2019
I think space tourism is not a good idea because think of all that money you have to pay and for all the fuel you have to pay for and building bigger rockets to accommodate people and the insurance if you are sending people to space and if something happens the pay will go up and we should be using that money to be making medicine and supply in water for people so a lot of thing about that. So i think tourism should be banned.
A good overview of the costs and what that could be spent on!
18 Nov 2019
I agree with articulate elephant and the many others that said space tourism should be banned because although space tourism can be a wonder to human life, it can benefit our health and make us change in different ways (as shown in the video), it will effect the environment massively - when all the carbon dioxide from the transport is exposed into the air, it will make a bigger chance of climate change - which a lot of people have tried to stop. As articulate elephant has already made a point of, the cost that will be spent on the transport will give us less money to spend on important things like education and many more things which I think is very important. On the other hand, space tourism is a once in a lifetime experience so if you get the chance, enjoy!
18 Nov 2019
I feel space tourism should be banned,
Firstly, the more rockets that get launched into orbit the more pollution comes down to earth to destroy the planet, we need to respect the world we live in and it's wonderful wildlife by reducing the amount of pollution to our planet. Secondly, by sending up several rockets in orbit costs a lot of money which we could use to send to charities and more poor countries so they have food and so they can fight their diseases. Finally, by sending rockets with unexperianced people inside the rocket ship your increasing the risk of death because not all rockets have been successful just like India's most recent launch into orbit which lost contact as they were about to land on the moon, they haven't been heard from since.
Three firm reasons given here, well done, determined_shrimp. What is the strongest of all three?
I think the comment on the money given to charities and poorer countries is the strongest because, it increases our popularity and more people can be educated and live a good life.I couldn’t imagine being a person without food and a home, could you?
18 Nov 2019
In my opinion i think that if people do want to go into space then they can but if they have to give a lot of money because it is a lot of money to go into space with the suit,rocket,oxygen and many more of those type of things. what u need to live in space for days or weeks is a lot of money but it is a bit of a risk so if they want to do it then that's what they wanna do.
18 Nov 2019
In my opinion, space tourism should be prohibited and used only for global educational knowledge development because these toxic gases could burst out and causes severe damage to the ozone layer. In addition, the sheer amount of litter in space from different sources could damage satellites and cause loss of data and millions of pounds in damages. On top of this, an average rocket that has all the parts working completely as expected depletes upper-atmosphere ozone, which shields the Earth's surface from damaging ultraviolet rays. These elements mix into oxygen creating ozone destroying gases that weakens the ozone layer which ultimately protects us from the heat and mass of radiation the sun emits. Space exploration (according to sources) should end because the deadly gases fuse with the oxygen which directly attacks the ozone layer which is our protection from all solar radiation and if we continue this, maybe the humans will become extinct.
You've backed up your opinion with reasons, stupendous_alligator, well done.
18 Nov 2019
Source for the post above (https://www.theguardian.com/)
18 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism should be banned, because I think it is unsafe for people that are not proper astronauts, because they don't have the experience or training that professional astronauts have. Also, for people that have not been into space before, those space suits might get kind of uncomfortable!! 😬
18 Nov 2019
No i do not think we should stop space tourism because , what if we hurt our world and it is no more,I do not think we should stop space tourism because if we hurt our world and it is no longer here then there might just be a 50 50 chance there is another planet out there
18 Nov 2019
I also believe Space Tourism should be banned as at the present moment, only trained astronauts have been into space. Sending civilians into space could cause problems as they have not undergone necessary training.
In addition to this, anyone with medical conditions may not be able to go as having no atmosphere could trigger their symptoms. This means that they cannot undergo the trip.
Finally, as honourable_conclusion said, the prices are extremely high. This means only the rich can go on the trip too. It means that only rich groups can use it, not benefiting poorer groups.
A range of reasons, happy_politics. Is it fair that only rich people could go on the trip?
18 Nov 2019
I do not believe it is fair only rich people can go on the trip because then only certain people can see the wonders of space. It is splitting the public into two separate groups, the rich and the poor, which could be found offensive.
18 Nov 2019
I believe that our main focus should not be exploring space but only our own planet (Earth). We need to concentrate on stopping or at least trying to prevent poverty and global warming first. Also,if we do build a rocket it will cost a huge amount.
For example the insurance because of the risk of not trained astronauts traveling up to space and the cost of building the rocket in the first place. The rocket would also have to be a lot larger to accommodate more people and not just trained astronauts. The fuel to power the rocket would also be very expensive even for one single flight. It might eventually turn out that not a single person pays to go on the 90 minute rocket tour so all that money would be wasted on nothing. There are a lot of people in this world that really need the money instead of space x, virgin galactic and mars one. Therefore space tourism should be put on hold until poverty and global warming has been got rid of as best as possible.
Lots of good reasons here, well done. Can you take one reason, flip it around, and give a point on the other side of the argument?
Not trained astronauts traveling up to space could be an amazing experience for them.
19 Nov 2019
i think that people who are trying to hurt spaces enviroment need to stop! its not helping space and the whole intire galaxy sapce could be damaged if people wont stop trashing it and leaving space junk.
19 Nov 2019
No because even space is a little bit polluted.
19 Nov 2019
No because even space is a little bit polluted.
19 Nov 2019
I agree with courageous _fern because we can't abandon our own problems. Also,why do we need a holiday in space, it will just define the line of the rich and the average earning. It will cost a lot.
19 Nov 2019
Space tourism should really be banned as it is affecting our world in different ways. my point is the pollution of the rockets is going badly as we are currently under climate change. If we carry on like this, we will be lucky to survive another 100 years. This includes deforestation, non-electrict cars and plastic waste. Deforestation is where people are cutting down trees. This is also affecting the wild life of the forests as it is destroying their homes. Cars that are run by petrol or diesel pollute CO2 ( fumes ) of which can give living species devastating illnesses. Plastic waste is where things like plastic bottles go to waste. This is why we have the saying of 'single use plastic' and people say it and mean it when they say it is bad. Plastic rots over time which means it kills grass which we need to inhale oxygen.
On the other part of the argument, going to space is a once in a lifetime experience to have. Be honest here, how many times do you get to go to space if you're not an astronaut?
19 Nov 2019
I do not think it is a good idea because when NASA sends out professional astronauts and something goes wrong the astronauts only just get out alive so when the send out a family anything can go wrong as well as the price as it is $ 250,ooo each so no ordinary family can go as it is so expensive so only people with a lot of money can go also if you have a family of four it would be around $1,000,000.
20 Nov 2019
I agree with your post and have a few questions because some of your statements I disagree with. Firstly if we go to the moon now with astronauts in we have a risk of that aircraft blowing up, however these humans how would have paid £25,000 going up to space would put a risk on that aircraft blowing up and killing all those people making everybody not want to ever do that. Even though it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I know from pictures I’ve seen on the web that space is ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!
20 Nov 2019
In my opinion, I think space tourism would be an amazing opportunity for people to experience going out of their planet to have an understanding of space, this could help our world a great deal on possible habitable planets and completely other existence of creatures.
21 Nov 2019
I think space tourism should and shouldn't be banned.
It shouldn't be banned because it affects your heart rate if your there for too long. I have proof because Tom Kelly (an identical twin to Mark Kelly) was sent into space for an experiment. He was in space for a very long time and when he came back, scientists found a change in his DNA so if NASA keep developing on this, we can find out how we can stay well in space. Apart from that, you can see some mind- blowing things like planets, exo planets and lots of different stars/ star constilations.
I also think it should be banned because say you were looking at some great planets and then a black hole appears out of nowhere and then you get sucked into the black hole and then you can't get rescued because now one escapes a black hole or your tour bus runs out of fuel and your in the middle of space and then you fall to your death/ burn to your death and finally if you don't know what your doing as the driver you could accidentally press the power off button and then you die because of someone's bad driving skills
Bear in mind that black holes are in deep space - far, far beyond where humans have ever travelled, and probably will travel in the near future! Does this change your mind?
21 Nov 2019
I think yes because it would be not fair at all if you were poor and your dream was to be a astronaut or just even see space.But also if your rich you did try your hardest to earn all that money to go up there.
21 Nov 2019
I see where your coming from although I believe that you have listed the negatives leaving the positives so to start of its giving the opportunity of a life time and therefore if space torisum becomes popular enough then surly someone(maybe you in the future) will help the people who can not afford it and take them to a new opportunity for wealth or a 90 minutes they will never in a million years forget and then if it turns out as it isn't endangering people on Earth then surely we'll be able to change the place in which this rocket launches at move it to a designated area for testing. And as a result of this we may trust that we can go up and maybe not come down,stay out there,this has been excellent_brain
21 Nov 2019
pace travel is the thing that several young people may dream about at night; but is it really the sort of thing that we should be encouraging?
There are some reasons that space travel shouldn't be encouraged:
Every ten years Russia will spend ten trillion pounds on space travel.
There is no price to be made for life and if the slightest thing goes wrong in the planning of space travel things can go very wrong.
However there are some reasons why it should:
Extra resources can be found on neighbouring planets that we can make use of.
When our sun explodes I a lot of people would like to be on another planet (this isn't out of our grasp - one of Jupiter's moons: Europa is hopefully going to be landed on by NASA in around 20 years).
Space holidays could bring a lot of money to the country or organisation who organises it first.
There are several more reasons for each of these but I thought putting three examples on each would be a good idea. The reason I chose this debate was because it was previously held at school and some of these statistics were gathered from fellow pupils.
A string of reasons given, adventurous_tennis! Can you tell us where you found your information about Russia?
21 Nov 2019
I think it should be banned because we do not know what is out there and it will do tests on us to possibly attack us.
21 Nov 2019
Space tourism has its pros and cons.
A pro is: People can experience space for themselves and learn more about it.
Con: Not everyone will be able to go up into space for it will cost an unspeakable amount of money.
A pro is: it will fun and informative and it will be exciting .
Because not everyone will be able to go people will be disappointed and that disappointment will turn into anger.
Another con : is it dangerous.People will be putting themselves in danger because all is not certain that everything will go smoothly.
21 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism should be banned because there is the big bang or the black hole. And if someone goes near it , the black hole will open and everyone will get sucked inside the blackhole
21 Nov 2019
I don’t think that space tourism should be banned ,because in my opinion it is our duty to explore other planets we might end up in finding cures for death threatening diseases like cancer and we might fing new creatures or life forms. But I don’t think we should explore space yet, because we haven’t even explored all of our planet because we have only explored 5% of the ocean and 70% of our planet is the ocean, so I think we should start there and then when we develop our technology we should move on to space.
21 Nov 2019
i think that we should not let people go further than we have been for safety reasons like they could lose oxygen or suffer form heath problems . Until we know and have double checked that it is safe then it should be aloud.
faithful_bird | Whyteleafe School B
22 Nov 2019
Space tourism is bad because with all the fule we use will contribute to climate change, which is a mager problem.
22 Nov 2019
Space tourism should be banned because anything could go wrong!
I agree anything could happen !
But we're not for sure it could go right so that's why I think space tourisim shouldn't be banned!
But this is only in my point of view so no offense taken right?
Thanks for your comment, trustworthy_globe, and for asking for a reply. Happy to in this case, but we can't respond to every request for a reply.
thoughtful_situation | Whyteleafe School B
25 Nov 2019
I think space tourism should be banned because it is a wast of money that could be used for more important things like global warming.
25 Nov 2019
I think space tourism should be banned because some people are not fully as astronauts and could get hurt.Also we should save the money for NASA that are going to benefit all of us not just one person or a group of people
25 Nov 2019
I think that space tourism should be banned because to go to space it costs lots of money. Instead of spending all this money just to go to space there are children out there that are starving, dying and struggling to find clean water. If instead of going to space if that person gives his or her money to the people that need it he or she could save hundreds or easily thousands of people's lives. It only cost £3 for a clean tap to be planted where children can easily access to it and drink clean water.
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