Recent surveys have provided new and updated information into public insights of the nascent space tourism industry. Erik Seedhouse uniquely explores in detail the cutting-edge technologies, spacecraft capabilities, launch vehicles and the training that will define this commercial enterprise and also provides a manual for future suborbital and orbital private space explorers. This overview of the space tourism market is based upon choices the spaceflight participant must make, such as choice of agency, mode and spaceport. A detailed explanation is given of the medical requirements for spaceflight participants, with special reference to potential waiver criteria. Over half of the book is a comprehensive astronaut training/instructional manual that addresses each of the 15 subjects required for suborbital and orbital flight.

Dr. Erik Seedhouse is eminently qualified to write this informative handbook for all potential spaceflight participants.  He was an Astronaut Training Consultant and wrote the Spaceflight Participants Flight Surgeons Manual for Bigelow Aerospace in 2005. He also developed astronaut training protocols for future spaceflight participants and wrote and edited several chapters of Bigelow Aerospaces Astronaut Training Manual. He has written many technical and scientific articles as well as articles for Spaceflight magazine. Erik Seedhouse is a research scientist specializing in environmental life sciences and physiology, for which he obtained his Ph.D. in Physiology while working for the European Space Agency between 1996 and 1998.

Strapping rockets to dreams: The significance of SpaceShipOne.- Suborbital company profiles, technology drivers, and mission architecture.- Medical and training requirements for suborbital flight.- Orbital flight: The orbital experience, company profiles, mission architectures, and enabling technologies.- Medical certification: Spaceflight participant medical standards and certification.- Training for orbital flight.- Commercial applications of space tourism.- Advanced space tourism.- Epilogue.