SpaceX to fly two space tourists around the moon in 2018 



Elon musk has announced that his SpaceX program will fly two people on a trip around the moon late in 2018. The private citizens — who have already paid a significant deposit for the mission — can expect for health and fitness tests to be conducted as well as training to start later this year. ‘"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.
 

The mission intends to send the private crew in the dragon spacecraft which will take a demonstration flight to the international space station later on this year on automatic mode and without people on board. A subsequent mission is expected to fly in the second quarter of 2018. SpaceX is currently contracted to perform an average of four dragon 2 missions to the ISS per year, three carrying cargo and one carrying crew. By also flying privately crewed missions, which NASA has encouraged, long-term costs to the government decline and more flight reliability history is gained, benefiting both government and private missions. 

‘Most importantly, we would like to thank NASA, without whom this would not be possible,’ says SpaceX. ‘NASA’s commercial crew program, which provided most of the funding for dragon 2 development, is a key enabler for this mission. In addition, this will make use of the falcon heavy rocket, which was developed with internal SpaceX funding.’ 

Article Source: http://www.designboom.com/technology/spacex-to-fly-space-tourists-around-the-moon-2018-02-28-2017/
Image Source: http://www.davidreneke.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Tourist.gif 

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. significant- important, notable, or momentous
2. driven- controlled or propelled by something specified
3. demonstration- a description or explanation, as of a process, illustrated by examples, specimens, or the like
4. subsequent- following in order or succession succeeding
5. reliability- the ability to be relied on or depended on, as for accuracy, honesty, or achievement
6. commercial- suitable for or catering to business rather than private use

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What did the space tourists do?
2. What is SpaceX?
3. Where will SpaceX launch off?
4. How much was the trip to the International Space Station?
5. What spacecraft will the tourists travel in?
6. Would you want to take a trip in space given that it is pricey?
7. What can you say about the future of space travel?
8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of space tourism in your own opinion?