Space tourism market faces realities

Freefall fanatic: a strapping market?
While the dawn of a spacefaring race may be close at hand, the projected $200,000 fare suggested by Virgin Galactic for a few minutes of suborbital weightlessness does raise the question: Just how large is the freefall fanatic market?

According to Jane Reifert, president of Incredible Adventures Inc., headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., "overpromising" can come back and bite you in the backside. She admits being on a bandwagon of urging civilian flight operators to be frugal with their promises.

"Every time I see an article mentioning the amount of zero-gravity one will experience during a suborbital flight, I cringe," Reifert said. "I can imagine people placing deposits on $200,000-plus flights, thinking they’ll be able to float around like participants on an aircraft that provides a zero-gravity experience. In reality, given the proposed size of the various suborbital vehicles being developed and safety constraints, participants will be required to stay strapped in their seats."

That does not mean the weightlessness won’t be a unique and incredible experience. It will, Reifert quickly added. "It just may be a huge disappointment if it’s not what they've been properly prepared to expect."

Inflating expectations
As the name of Reifert’s company suggests, they are in the business of giving adventurers healthy doses of high speed in fighter jets, off-the-wall weightlessness onboard parabolic diving airplanes, as well as excursions to the edge of space.

Reifert argues that the best way to market civilian space opportunities might be to highlight the "Christopher Columbus" or explorer angle.

"The spirit of adventure and sense of the unknown should be highlighted. A suborbital company that positions itself as an airline may be unintentionally inflating expectations," Reifert said. Passengers have come to expect airline flights to take off and land on schedule and deliver a degree of predictability. At least initially, space travel operators should anticipate glitches and delays. Video cameras will break down and weather will wreak havoc, she said.

"When we sell space training in Russia, we are very careful to point out Star City is not Disney World, and that is what makes the experience both slightly unpredictable and uniquely incredible," Reifert concluded.

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