Private Space Flight Is Worth the Risk, Experts Say

NEW YORK — Space tourism and commercial space mining projects are ushering in a new era of human spaceflight, but the success of private spaceflight will depend on ensuring safety and reducing the cost, experts say.

Spaceflight companies such as SpaceX or Space Adventures, Ltd., could make the dream of space travel a reality for some, and may take on the role NASA once had in pushing the frontier of space, a panel of experts said during the 2014 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate debate March 19 at the American Museum of Natural History.

Some speakers looked to U.S. history for comparison to the potential of private spaceflight today Read more...