Space Tourism and Iran

Richard Branson. Lots of things come into my mind when I hear his name, but up until a couple weeks ago, "Space Tourism" wasn't one of them. When I pause to think about it though, he would be the guy to pioneer this venture. It just seems a bit odd to me this endeavor is moving forward - fast - right now, during this slightly whacked-out economic time. This whole space tourism thing, which will cost around $200,000 for a group who would like to take a 2 1/2 hour journey into outerspace for approximately 5 minutes of weightlessness, could have a negative impact: people are spending this much on a trip to outerspace while people down here on the planet can't event afford a $2 meal, highlighting the great disparity between the rich and poor. Or, this could be a symbolic endeavor of inspiration: "The U.S. and world may be in one of the worst recessions, but we can still put people - your average (but wealthy) citizen - into orbit."

While this point isn't included in the Newsy.com story, The Dawn of Space Tourism, that I helped produce last week, it could definitely be a discussion in and of itself. As of last week, however, there weren't enough perspectives to to effectively illustrate any discussion surrounding this hidden controversy.

Another story I helped produce for Newsy.com was All Eyes on Iran, which discusses whether or not the U.S. and major world powers should place further sanctions on Iran over the country's pursuit of its nuclear program, despite international opposition.