50 years: Sputnik, the space race, and what next?

In 2003 China was the third nation to have it’s space programme successfully launch and return a human astronaut to the Earth. India is planning a mission to the moon expected in 2008 – and an astronaut in space by 2014. Japan has already sent satellites outside of Earth’s influence – two to observe Halley’s comet in 1985, another to a near Earth asteroid which successfully landed on 2005 and is scheduled to return in 2010. Recently the Japanese Space Agency launched a moon exploration satellite which on Oct 3, 2007 entered a lunar polar orbit. The United States, of course, has plans to land humans on Mars during the next decades.

Maybe the next epic milestone will be private companies in space. Not Sputnik, but Sput-Nike! A handful of fee-paying ‘space tourists’ have already managed to make their way to Earth orbit and the International Space Station – some of whom paid up to US$ 20 million for the privilege. As well, in 2004, SpaceShipOne, built by the US company Scaled Composites was the first privately funded civilian craft to reach the 100 km Karman line, the internationally defined boundary of space.

Bigelow Aerospace, another US company, hired rockets to launch Genesis I and II in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The two spacecraft, still in orbit, are innovative inflatable shells made of Vectran, a fibre spun from a liquid crystal polymer. While Bigelow has yet to have anyone inhabit one of it’s modules, Genesis II allowed members of the public to purchase the opportunity to send small objects with the spacecraft through it’s ‘Fly Your Stuff’ programme. Bigelow has a camera mounted inside of the module and posts shots of the flown items on it’s website. Amongst other items to be seen floating around in zero gravity are interlinked wedding rings, family photos, a USB key and a little wooden duck.

Space Adventures, essentially a spaceflight booking agency, is planning the first private expedition to orbit the moon using a Soviet-era Soyuz capsule. While the date of the trip has yet to be confirmed, the company is selling two out of the three available seats in the Soyuz capsule for US$ 100 million each.

While national space programmes continue to forge ahead, it now appears that the wealthiest amongst us can afford to get to Earth orbit – and perhaps soon, the moon. Go on and treat yourself! Put it on your credit card.

For more information

NASA - Sputnik pages
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/

Bigelow Aerospace - Fly your stuff!
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/