The first all-private crew to the International Space Station will be flown by a space tourism company.
It sounds like fun. The commander of the mission insists that his crew is not looking for adventure, but for science.
The passengers of the Ax-1 mission are not space tourists, insisted Commander Michael Lopez-Alegr during a call with investors.
Even though he is not going on this particular trip, space tourist billionaire andentrepreneur Jared Isaacman chimed in and said he has several more lined up with the company.
Some people think that if you financially contribute to a mission that it changes their abilities or qualifications to do it.
The crew of the Ax-1 will receive plenty of training before their launch to the orbital outpost, but some of them may sound like tourists, eager to use their wealth to score a ticket to space.
The three people joining the crew of the Crew Dragon are listed as entrepreneurs and investors on the website of the company.
Eytan has experience as a former fighter pilot for the Israeli Air Force, giving him at least some technical know-how.
All three of them call themselves philanthropists, something that is important to note.
The humanitarian leaders flying Ax-1 are the first in a new class of pioneers stepping forth to lay the groundwork for a full realization of Low Earth Orbit, in service of all on Earth and all who will follow them beyond.
The crew of four will conduct innovative research on behalf of major organizations ranging from hospitals to technology companies during their eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station.
Is a team of three middle-aged investors the right people to do that? What about doctors, scientists, or even science communicators?
The crew will be carrying out experiments on behalf of major hospitals and institutions, but wouldn't it be better to send representatives from those institutions who have been hands-on with the actual research itself, instead?
Private space tourism companies are looking to make money on sending people into space, but only a few can afford it.
The Inspiration4 trip last year was close to something approaching fairness. The rest of the crew was made up of a geology professor, a physician assistant, and a former space camp counsellor, and the trip was commanded by a billionaire businessman who also happens to be qualified to fly several military jets.
The kind of passengers that it is being done for falls a bit flat.
The son of a private equity investment firm CEO scored a $28 million ticket to go to space on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket last year.
If the private industry cared about furthering our understanding of space and what it means to live there, they would invest in sending scientists there instead of sending billionaires to the International Space Station.
A billionaire flying to the space station says he is just an average guy.
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