January 18, 2014 10:40 am

Why Don’t We Have Space Elevators Yet? Find Out Sunday Night.

Why don’t we have space elevators yet?

Are private companies going to be the main pioneers of Space Tourism rather than governments?

How can we be space tourists when most tourists would be puking?

Will space tourism help or hinder actual space exploration?

Why would any tourists want to go to Mars? What is there to see?

Will humanity evolve into the Ferengi? (Hey, don’t look at me… you guys ask the questions. We just answer them. And by we, I mean Neil. Although when it comes to the Ferengi, Neil lets co-host and resident Star Trek geek Leighann Lord handle that one.)

In the course of answering your questions about space tourism, Neil gets into a pretty detailed discussion about the role of governments and private industry in expanding the frontier of science and commerce, from space exploration, asteroid mining, and space tourism to the development of railroads critical to the expansion of the US.

But before you think this episode is just a dry and boring conversation about politics and commerce, think again. You’ll get tour guide Neil’s recommendations on what to see on Mars… and what he really thinks of the Martian moons. You’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about motion sickness in space, from how to avoid it when traveling in space to why there’s less vomiting on the Vomit Comet these days, and even why it would be a lot of fun to bring a cat into zero gravity.

By the way, why don’t we have space elevators yet? You’ll find that out, too… when you listen to our show tomorrow, Sunday, Jan 19th at 7:00 PM ET on our website, iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!

–Jeffrey Simons