livedoor entering space tourism

Livedoor Entering Space Tourism Business

[Media Source*]

(MSN-Mainichi Daily News) FUKUOKA -- Livedoor Co. President

Takafumi Horie has announced he wants to create a space tourism

business, sending people into the celestial beyond by 2008.

Horie plans to use old Cold War-era Soviet spacecraft and said he

wants to significantly cut the cost of space tourism from the

multi-million dollar fees that have been paid up until now.

Livedoor's President Hori is attempting to reduce the cost of travel

from 2.2 billion yen to something more "affordable" to the upper

class. Although using cold war space craft could help reduce the cost

of travel, investing in such a program seems rather foolish as such

equipment has probably deteriorated over the years.

If Japan is serious about the upcoming space race then they probably

should purchase newer shuttles as "hand-me-downs" may not cut it a

hundred thousand feet up into space.

(MSN-Mainichi Daily News) Horie, who will carry out the plan with a

special project team called Japan Space Dream, has already signed a

deal with a Russian company and they displayed an actual space

module at the fair.

JSD and Horie plan to send tourists into space in an Almaz capsule

and have them stay in a Solyut space "hotel." The Soviets developed

the 8-meter-long, 2.5-meter-diameter Almaz for military and

espionage use in the '70s. The re-usable module is placed atop a

rocket and fits three.

Hopefully these "space hotels" are spacious although a visitor may not

care as they would be undertaking an event few people on the planet

get to experience. Although many are probably concerned about the use

of ancient Russian technology, Horie seems confident and even claims

that, "This old stuff is far more reliable than the latest

technology." Lets all pray that he is right because if not, we may

have another Columbia on our hands.

Image Credit: MSN-Mainichi Daily News, Livedoor Co. President Takafumi

Horie inside an Almaz module at a space fair in Fukuoka.

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