Watching today's launch of Captain Kirk, I was thinking hard about the potential waste of resources, potential environmental damage, and money that are evident in these new space tourism programs, as well as in other ones that have been done to date by other companies?
These are well funded projects, because of the consumer products that these companies sell. But it's also disheartening that these companies are very vocal about a stance in environmental protection while they stand to burn tons of rocket fuel and create a space tourism industry that will certainly not help environmental protection efforts.
It's hard for me to believe that all the burnt rocket fuel and heat generation and that sending rockets into the atmosphere will not amplify our path towards peril. It would make a lot more sense if we just gave all the funding and authorization back to NASA and accountable scientists if you ask me. It also bewilders me that government would allow this level of pollution for vanity purposes, including launching a car into space for no reason (a few years ago) when we've already got a growing "space junk" problem brewing too.
How destructive to the environment are these "space tourism" trips?
So by that rough math, all falcon 9 ever is about 1 day of flights across the Atlantic. Still far below all flights in a single day.
The joy rides are less harmful because they don't use as much energy and thus fuel