A great step forward for deluxe entertainment lovers, a huge step downward for the environment. Last week the world’s first commercial spaceport was dedicated in New Mexico. Sir Richard Branson and Governor Bill Richardson were both delighted to present the project to the public on October 22.
Branson’s space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, will be the one to use Spaceport America and the first flights are expected to happen within the next year an a half. The spacecraft that will take tourists for suborbital space rides was also presented at the event. Those interested in such an experience should be ready to loose some $200,000 for a ticket. The flight lasts for 150 minutes and it includes a 5 minute weightlessness moment.
Now all this sounds terribly exciting, but there is a major drawback to the project. Probably not many will care about this, but we all should. When these spacecrafts will start taking space tourists up on cloud nine on a regular basis, the global warming process will be significantly accelerated. Within only ten years the effects will be more than obvious.