[Science Report]:Space Tourism


This is the VOA SpecialEnglish SCIENCE REPORT.

Would you like to orbit the Earth inside the International SpaceStation? Now you can take a space holiday - for a price. This is dueto a recent decision by top space officials of the United States,Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency.

Graphic Image
Graphic Image

Last April, American businessmanDennis Tito reportedly paid between twelve-million andtwenty-million dollars to spend one week on the International SpaceStation. NASA had strongly objected to the Russian plan to permit acivilian on the costly research vehicle. After two years ofnegotiations, space officials have agreed on a process to trainprivate citizens to take trips to the International Space Station.

DennisTito
DennisTito

NASA recently agreed to conditionsthat will permit Russia to sell trips to the space station. Thetrips are planned by an American company called Space AdventuresLimited of Arlington, Virginia. The company calls itself "theworld's leading space tourism company." The company has sold a spacetrip to Mark Shuttleworth, a South African businessman. In April,Mister Shuttleworth will be launched into space from the BaikonurCosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Experts say the change in policy at NASA shows a new desire touse space vehicles for business and industrial purposes. In a speechto Congress last year, NASA official Michael Hawes said that thespace agency had not considered civilian travel as one of theindustries it wanted to develop. However, Mister Hawes said thatprivate space travel could now be done as long as safety measuresare observed carefully.

Yet, the average citizen will not be able to travel into space inthe near future. Space Adventures Limited sells a training programfor space flight that costs two-hundred-thousand dollars. That pricedoes not include the cost of the trip to the International SpaceStation. That holiday in space costs twenty-million dollars.

Candidates for adventure space travel trips must be in excellenthealth and must pass difficult health tests. They must receive a lotof training. However, Special English can help you prepare for aspace holiday. This is because all successful candidates who wish totravel to the International Space Station must be able to read andspeak English.

This VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT was written by MarioRitter.

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