Space tourism developments in Canada and India

Yesterday’s issue of The Globe and Mail, a national Canadian newspaper, profiles businessman John Criswick, one of four Canadians who have signed up with Virgin Galactic for suborbital spaceflights. Criswick, the CEO of a mobile software company, has had a long interest in space, and even applied to join the Canadian astronauts corps but didn’t make the cut because, as he put it, “I didn’t have enough PhDs.” “I’m not excited because it’s so far away,” he added. But I’m sure two or three months before [the trip] my level of anxiety and excitement is definitely going to change.”

Meanwhile, an Indian television network, UTV, has announced a contest with a suborbital spaceflight as the top prize. The contest is tied to the launch of a youth-themed channel, Bindass (which presumably doesn’t sound quite so bad in Hindi as opposed to English); the winner will get a flight on Rocketplane’s XP vehicle at some future date. According to the PTI article, the contest is described as “a search for India’s first space tourist”, although one Indian has already claimed that feat as one of Virgin Galactic’s first 100 “Founders”. According to another report, the CEO of the new channel, Zarina Mehta, said, “The idea of presenting the youth with a chance to travel into space is a truly ‘Bindass’ thing to do.” Um, if you say so.

6 comments to Space tourism developments in Canada and India

  • Peter Shearer

    According to Dictionary.com

    Main Entry: bindaas
    Part of Speech: adj
    Definition: admirably bold and independent
    Example: talkative and bindaas babe
    Etymology: 1993; India
    Usage: colloquial

    …As found in Webster’s New Millennium Dictonary of English.

    So I think that what they’re saying is ““The idea of presenting the youth with a chance to travel into space is a truly, admirably bold and independent thing to do.”

    Unfortunately, according to Urbandictionary.com the definition is…

    1. bindass
    – binding of ones arse when you need to fart…or exhale thru ur rear

    I really hope the first one is the accurate one!!! These aren’t methane rockets after all!

  • Rhubarb Ansley III

    What’s with all the contests selling XP rides? It’s questionable whether it will ever even get built, let alone flown. Those Rocketplane guys should be ashamed of themselves, their marketing reach has way exceeded their physical grasp.

  • Thomas Matula

    Perhaps they hope if they hype it enough, and sell enough contest rides, investors will come. But they are having “hard times” since they won COTS.

    http://www.okgazette.com/p/12776/a/726/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=LwBEAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC4AYQBzAHAAeAAslashAHAAPQAxADIANwAyADkA

    According to this XP is down to a single employee, pending more funding.

  • Thomas Matula

    Sorry, the URL didn’t wrap, but its a report in the OK News based on athe current state of Rocketplane.

  • Space tourism developments in Canada and India…

    A roundup of recent international space developments, including a Canadian space tourist and a suborbital tourism contest in India….

  • […] in July I noted here that a new Indian TV channel was planning a contest with a suborbital spaceflight as the top prize. Indiantelevision.com reports that the televised portion of this contest is ready to begin, with […]

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