space posts

There's something strangely satisfying and less stressful about flying with only carry-on luggage.

The first snicker of satisfaction comes when you arrive at the airport with your boarding pass already printed off the internet and breeze past the line of people waiting to check in their bags. The second is knowing that you've avoided paying check-in baggage fees (this is not so much an issue on Canadian airlines, but you really need to watch out for them in the U.S. or on budget airlines around the world -- they hurt. Ouch!) Third is knowing that the airline won't lose your luggage (it's a slim chance, but it does happen.) And fourth is being able to walk straight off the plane, past those waiting for the baggage conveyor belt to start up, and straight out of the airport.

Before you say that there's no way you could fit everything you need into your carry-on, read on.

Now that NASA's space shuttle program has come to a close with the launch of Endeavor, one can't help but wonder if plans for commercial space travel will accelerate. There's no question the shuttle program accomplished a lot during its run, from the Hubble Telescope to the International Space Station and the Canadarm, but the program was unable to deliver on its original promise of cheap, reliable space travel.

Meanwhile, private individuals and personal fortunes have taken up the cause. I'm sure I don't have to remind you about the Ansari X Prize, the $10 million prize awarded the first time to Paul Allen's Mojave Aerospace Ventures {MAV] in 2004 for launching their SpaceShipOne manned spacecraft past earth's atmosphere twice in two weeks. What about Virgin founder Richard Branson's efforts to make commercial spaceflight a reality with his Virgin Galactic company? A company that merged with MAV to create a whole fleet of commercial spacecraft based on the X Prize winning design.

But both of these initiatives make it clear that space is still reserved for a few super smart and super rich individuals. A ticket on a Virgin Galactic space flight costs $200,000 and though they've made progress, a manned spaceflight is still a long way off. The last notable civilian to break through the earth's atmosphere was billionaire Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. Besides, not even former *NSYNC member Lance Bass could afford his flight, so what chance do the rest of us have?