Booming space tourism

Similarly, along with Indian pilot Gopichand Thotakura, Mason Angel, Sylvia Siran and Kenneth L. Hayes are also on the list.

Former American President John F. Kennedy set the goal of making America the world's leader by surpassing Russia. Kennedy chose Ed Dwight to train at the Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1961, the year he became president. He is the first black citizen to be selected for studies and training in space travel. But he was not able to travel to space until now.

Ed Dwight

When Kennedy first set foot on the moon in 1969, Dwight was almost certain to join. President Kennedy wanted to put a black citizen on the moon in accordance with inclusive norms. However, after four years of training, NASA finally removed Dwight's name. "On November 4, 1961, I was sent a letter by the government asking me to train as an astronaut as the first African-American citizen," Dwight told Al Jazeera TV. I said no at first. Later, my mother said that this mission is a big thing for us, so I went for training.'

Dwight remembers being discriminated against by white peers and the leadership of the space program. He says that he was treated like a ``Kennedy boy'' or that he was brought by the president. After being rejected for space travel, Dwight gave up his career as a pilot and turned to sculpture. Now at the age of 90, Dwight is fulfilling his unfulfilled dream. He will return to the Karmann line of space in an autonomous vehicle without a driver or crew member.

space Indian pilot Gopi Thotakura is among the 6 tourists who are going to be taken on a space tour by the company 'Blue Origin'. Gopi will become India's first space tourist and the second Indian to go into space.

Indian pilot Gopi Thotakura, 60 years younger than Dwight, is another interesting passenger on this mission. Gopi, who learned to fly an airplane before a car, became India's first space tourist, according to Blue Origin. The Hindu claims that if this mission is successful, he will be the second Indian to go into space. Although Blue Origin did not reveal the date of the NS-25 mission, it is expected to be completed probably in April, May or June.

Earlier in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma reached the then Russian space station 'Salyut-7' in low earth orbit. Then Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, Raja Chari and Shirisha Bandla also reached the space. But they were not Indian citizens but American citizens of Indian origin. They traveled to space as American citizens, holding American passports. So Rakesh is the only Indian to reach space so far. Thotakura also studied aviation at an American university. He flies jets professionally. Born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Thotakura did his graduation from Sarala Birla Academy in Bengaluru.

Space-tourism has been booming in recent years. According to the Indian Express, the market for space tourism in 2023 was $848.28 billion. By 2032, it is estimated to increase to $27,861.99 billion. From 2015 and 2016, Blue Origin has been flying passengers to the Kerman Line, the frontier of space, in New Shephard (NS) and back to Earth.

In such a journey called suborbital space flight, the earth's rotation is not killed. After reaching a certain altitude, the spacecraft is pulled down by Earth's gravity. Passengers experience weightlessness. Currently, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic offer suborbital space tourism services. Aspirants can travel to space by paying money after applying. Another billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX is also trying to provide space tourism services. In such a journey the same rocket is used several times.