Top US astronaut welcomes space tourism

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

TOKYO (AFP) — The commander of the latest US shuttle mission Tuesday welcomed the advent of space tourism, predicting that such travel is on the brink of the massive growth seen a century ago with airplanes.

"The private sector can go out and make money doing something that only governments now do. You really are going to see an expansion of the industry," Discovery commander Mark Kelly said.

"I personally think it's great," he said, joining six other crew members at a news conference in Tokyo after last month's 14-day mission that set up Japan's first space laboratory.

Kelly's comments came hours after Virgin Galactic, owned by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, unveiled in the California desert a futuristic aircraft dubbed WhiteKnightTwo that will ferry...