It used to be that a trip to the Amazon, Antarctica, or Katmandu qualified as an exotic vacation. According to a 1995 survey by the National Aerospace Laboratory, approximately 60 percent of Americans would love to spend their next vacation on an orbital cruise.
Problem is, no one can afford to go.
And the obstacles to developing an affordable spaceship appear insurmountable. Many analysts argue that fresh ideas and competing vehicle designs are needed to develop affordable space travel. We need to do something different. We need new designs. Though he acknowledges formidable obstacles to designing a viable tourism spaceship, Maryniak is confident that someone will come up with a workable design.