Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: Since its very beginning mankind has been enormously impelled by visions. Striving for records and yearning for adventures is as old as humanity itself. Consequently, the Mount Everest was scaled and the depths of the oceans were explored. After thousands of years it seems that all adventures on Mother Earth have been done. We have always been fascinated by the unknown and the mysterious things, and which territory is more unknown than the Outer Space? Almost everyone has watched movies dealing with this topic, but scarcely anybody has ever set foot on non-Earth area. However, what still seems unimaginable might soon become daily routine. Trips to London, Paris or New York? Why not travel into the endlessness of space one time? Private ventures are currently planning to capitalise on this market niche: spaceports are built, special vehicles are under development, and tickets for suborbital space flights can already be purchased. The start of the Space Race has been heralded. In doing so, safety is the supplier s top priority. Hitherto, the offer is narrowed down to the wealthy members of our society - a flight costs some hundred thousand dollars. However, the companies expect prices to go down significantly if demand is steadily increasing, which will be the cornerstone for mass space tourism. It might be unbelievable at present, but the first steps towards fulfilling this vision have been taken. This work deals with the topic space tourism, more specifically the author introduces a Feasibility Study and Future Projections of Suborbital Space Tourism, which is demonstrated at the example of Virgin Galactic. In doing so, the core objective of the present work is to analyse and evaluate whether the emerging suborbital space tourism has the potential to turn into a viable and revenue-generating industry in the near future. In order to answer this research question, there is a plethora of crucial aspects that will be investigated. First of all, the author comes up with general aspects on space tourism, including an overview about the history of space exploration and tourism, followed by the motives for going to space, the benefits as well as the obstacles of space tourism, and finally its different stages. This information builds the cornerstone for the further analysis. Afterwards, there will be the actual feasibility study and the future projections of suborbital space tourism. At this point, it should be noticed that [...]

The work "Feasibility Study and Future Projections of Suborbital Space Tourism at the Example of Virgin Galactic" deals with the topic space tourism, especially with the so-called suborbital space tourism a current trend of private businesses that offer commercial flights up to the edge of space. This edge of space, named "Karman Line" due to its founder Theodore von Karman, is defined by the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) to be at an altitude of approximately 100 km. The author conducts a detailed feasibility study about this phenomenon at the example of the Anglo-American business Virgin Galactic, and sets up future projections based on the results of this study. After a general introduction into the topic (history, motives for going to space, stages of space tourism etc.) the author addresses the focal points of the feasibility study. In detail, this includes an analysis of the Virgin Galactic approach and its most promising competitors (Space Adventures, Benson Space Company, Space Access, Incredible Adventures, Rocketplane Limited, Starchaser Industries, and Blue Origin), as well as an analysis of the several spaceships and its manufacturers. Subsequently, the regulatory framework is illustrated at the example of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). In the end, results from market research projects are evaluated in order to explain the demand for suborbital flights. The study comes to the conclusion that the industry is still in an early pioneer phase, but nevertheless shows an enormous potential to grow.

The increasing involvement of private enterprise in the conduct of space activities raises key issues with respect to international space law which has left it to national law to implement relevant rules vis-à-vis private enterprise. Almost unavoidably, such national implementation regimes differ largely across individual states. This is also true in Europe, where the issue is further compounded by the fundamental – but fundamentally different – roles of ESA and the European Union. Focusing on Europe, the present book thus represents the first comprehensive effort to discuss national authorisation schemes not country by country but theme by theme, so as to allow for a real comparison of the lack of harmonisation or even coordination, and the possible problems which may result.

The most important resources in civil aviation and commercial use of the outer space are legal rights to occupy certain space in airports and geostationary orbits respectively. This book clarifies the nature of the rights called "slots" in both arena. It then reviews both the domestic and international slot distribution mechanisms and Common Law principles therein.

Richard Branson was the publisher of a small alternative music magazine in London in the early 1970s when he founded Virgin Records with his partner Simon Draper. Together they recruited and developed new talent in the UK's burgeoning music scene, signing and producing bands such as The Sex Pistols. They also recognized the importance of world music, releasing records by John Lee Hooker, Peter Tosh, and many other blues and reggae artists. Eventually Virgin would grow to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny Kravitz, The Smashing Pumpkins, and more on their hit list. Virgin: A History of Virgin Music was written in part by the late great 20th-century literary icon Terry Southern, with candid commentaries throughout by Branson, Draper and Virgin/EMI CEO Ken Berry on the Virgin artists and the evolution of the record label. Featuring hundreds of rare publicity photos, album covers, candid snapshots and quotes, this is a hectic ride through Virgin's hallowed past and a cool archive of a unique period in 20th-century music history.

“Conventional analysis suffers from a profound failure of imagination. It imagines passing clouds to be permanent and is blind to powerful, long-term shifts taking place in full view of the world.” —George Friedman In his long-awaited and provocative new book, George Friedman turns his eye on the future—offering a lucid, highly readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century. He explains where and why future wars will erupt (and how they will be fought), which nations will gain and lose economic and political power, and how new technologies and cultural trends will alter the way we live in the new century. The Next 100 Years draws on a fascinating exploration of history and geopolitical patterns dating back hundreds of years. Friedman shows that we are now, for the first time in half a millennium, at the dawn of a new era—with changes in store, including: • The U.S.-Jihadist war will conclude—replaced by a second full-blown cold war with Russia. • China will undergo a major extended internal crisis, and Mexico will emerge as an important world power. • A new global war will unfold toward the middle of the century between the United States and an unexpected coalition from Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Far East; but armies will be much smaller and wars will be less deadly. • Technology will focus on space—both for major military uses and for a dramatic new energy resource that will have radical environmental implications. • The United States will experience a Golden Age in the second half of the century. Written with the keen insight and thoughtful analysis that has made George Friedman a renowned expert in geopolitics and forecasting, The Next 100 Years presents a fascinating picture of what lies ahead. For continual, updated analysis and supplemental material, go to www.geopoliticalfutures.com.

U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff 2013 Professional Reading List Selection Nearly forty years passed between the Apollo moon landings, the grandest accomplishment of a government-run space program, and the Ansari X PRIZE-winning flights of SpaceShipOne, the greatest achievement of a private space program. Now, as we hover on the threshold of commercial spaceflight, authors Chris Dubbs and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom look back at how we got to this point. Their book traces the lives of the individuals who shared the dream that private individuals and private enterprise belong in space. Realizing Tomorrow provides a behind-the-scenes look at the visionaries, the crackpots, the financial schemes, the legal wrangling, the turf battles, and--underpinning the entire drama--the overwhelming desire of ordinary people to visit outer space. A compelling story of the pioneers of commercial spaceflight--and their efforts to open the final frontier to everyone--this book traces the path to private spaceflight even as it offers an instructive, entertaining, and cautionary note about its future.