Courtesy of ANSARI X PRIZE
Sept. 15, 2004
Space Tourist!
In science fiction stories, anyone can end up in space. Authors and filmmakers like to explore a future in which space travel is cheap and available in order to see what might happen. Many fans of science fiction hope this comes true in their lifetimes.
In real life, the first person to reach space without being in a government space program was Dennis Tito, 60, a U.S. businessman and former NASA engineer. In 2001, he paid a reported $20 million for a 10-day trip to the International Space Station, getting to and from the station aboard a Soyuz rocket. The second space tourist was South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth, 28, who paid roughly the same amount for a similar trip.
 | SpaceShipOne, shown gliding to Earth after a flight in June, is a contender for the ANSARI X PRIZE. | Photo courtesy of Scaled Composites, LLC |
Obviously, very few people can or would spend this type of money for any trip. Yet many are willing and eager to travel into space. Perhaps even you. One move to make space tourism happen soon is the ANSARI X PRIZE. The X PRIZE offers $10 million dollars to the first private group to build and launch a spaceship able to carry three people to 100 kilometers above Earth and return safely. To win, however, the same spaceship must repeat this task within 2 weeks. The idea is to promote the development of spacecraft that could be used regularly by . . . tourists! One of the contenders, SpaceShipOne, is shown above.
You can find information about the ANSARI X PRIZE and follow those competing for it at www.xprize.org/. The SpaceShipOne effort has a Web site at www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm (Scaled Composites). The Canadian Arrow project has a Web site at www.canadianarrow.com/ (Canadian Arrow).
 | The Canadian Arrow, a contender for the ANSARI X PRIZE, is a 54-feet long, two-stage, three-person sub-orbital rocket. | Canadian Arrow |
Challenge: Space Postcard
Mailing postcards used to be a popular way to share your trip with family and friends back home. Now, using computer software and e-mail, you can create and send your own virtual postcard.
Create a greeting from space that you could e-mail to a friend or family member.
- First, think about the image. What types of images are used on postcards here on Earth? Some are funny. Others show a natural wonder or beautiful view. Make sure your image is one you could send to your family so they would know you were taking a trip into space.
- Next, your greeting should include a short message describing where you are.
- Finally, put the image and message together in an e-mail.
Send your postcard from space to challenge@snkids.com. Please include your first name, age, city or town, and state. If you are under 13 years old, get your parent's permission to write to us. You may be eligible to win a prize!
Hints:
Work with someone who already knows how to put an image into an e-mail message or how to attach one.
If you prefer, work with more traditional materials, such as paper and paint, then scan or photograph your postcard to produce a digital image.
Remember that the purpose of a postcard is to identify a place or an event, so other tourists will want to come too!
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