A Chronology of Space Tourists (as of September 10th, 2024)
Introduction
In conjunction with my law review article addressing Outer Space Tourism, I have created the following catalog of space tourists, organized based on their inaugural spaceflights. As highlighted in my law review article and my earlier blog post on space tourism:
While the demarcation of Outer Space is up for debate, to be inclusive, this table defines any journey exceeding the lower threshold of 80 km (approximately 50 miles) above mean sea level as a space tourism flight.
It's important to note that this table excludes spaceflights conducted solely for operational testing purposes with only pilots on board or those flights primarily oriented toward objectives other than space tourism. Consequently, any spaceflights that fall into either of the following categories are not included in the list: (1) Government-sponsored flights driven by geopolitical considerations, or (2) co-sponsored flights involving collaboration with (a) the media and entertainment industry or (b) educational institutions for purposes other than space tourism.
These exclusions include: Project Juno (sponsored by a British consortium); Soyuz TM-11 (sponsored by Tokyo Brodcasting System); STS-51D (NASA public relations mission); STS-61C (NASA public relations mission); Soyuz MS-19 (for filmmaking purposes); Galactic 01 (sponsored by the Italian Air Force); Axiom Mission 3 (sponsored by Turkey, ESA, and the Italian Air Force).
Catalog of Outer Space Tourists
Footnotes
[1] This table lists a space tourist by such passenger’s inaugural spaceflight. While some passengers have gone up more than once—for simplicity—the time shown here is their time spent in Outer Space for their first go-ahead when there are other passengers on the same mission. For missions that reached altitudes between 80 km and the Kármán Line (100 km), the listed duration represents the time spent above 80 km.
[2] Charles Simonyi went to Outer Space again on March 26, 2009. Because he was the only space tourist on this flight, this table omits this trip but includes the time spent on the second flight as part of his cumulative duration in Outer Space.
[3] This Article excludes the pilots, David MacKay and Michael Masucci, from the list of space tourists given their roles. Because there was no passenger aboard, the first Virgin Galactic flight that reached the threshold of eighty kilometers above mean sea level has also been omitted. That flight was piloted by Mark Stucky and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow.
[4] This list excludes the pilots: David Mackay and Michael Masucci. Beth Moses was also a participant on this flight. However, since it is her second flight, she is not listed as a “first time space tourist.”
[5] Evan Dick went up a second time on NS-21. So his total time in Outer Space is about 2 minutes and 26 seconds with about 8 minutes of weightlessness.
[6] Axiom Mission 1 also had Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former astronaut, onboard. But because he served as an employee of Axiom Space for this mission and has been to Outer Space before as a professional, he has been excluded from this list.
[7] Evan Dick was also on this trip but it was his second time up, so he has been excluded from this specific listing.
[8] Axiom Mission 2 also had Peggy Whitson, a former astronaut, onboard. But because she served as an employee of Axiom Space for this mission and has been to Outer Space before as a professional, she has been excluded from this list. Axiom Mission 2 also featured two astronauts from Saudi Arabia: Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. But both went onboard as professionals of the Saudi Space Commission, they have been excluded from this list.
[9] This list excludes the pilots: Michael Masucci and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow. Beth Moses was also a participant on this flight. However, since it is her third flight and she acted as more of a “safety instructor,” she is not listed as a “first time space tourist.”
[10] This list excludes the pilots: Kelly Latimer and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow. Beth Moses was also a participant on this flight. However, since it is her fourth flight and she acted as more of a “safety instructor,” she is not listed as a “first time space tourist.”
[11] This list excludes the pilots: Mr. Nicola Pecile and Mr. Michael Masucci. Beth Moses was also a participant on this flight. However, since it is her fifth flight and she acted as more of a “safety instructor,” she is not listed as a “first time space tourist.”
[12] This list excludes the pilots: Kelly Latimer and CJ Sturckow as well as Chief Astronaut Beth Moses.
[13] This list excludes the pilots: Kelly Latimer and Mike “Sooch” Masucci as well as Astronaut Instructor Colin Bennett. The list also excludes Mr. Alan Stern and Ms. Kelli Gerardi as, rather than being space tourists, they were sponsored by various organizations and performed research on the flight. For more information about these individuals, please see this Space.com article.
[14] This list excludes the pilots: CJ Sturckow and Nicola Pecile.
[15] This list excludes Tuva Atasever who was onboard as a Turkish Space Agency astronaut and conducted seven scientific experiments on Galactic 07 as a research specialist. This list also excludes the pilots: Nicola Pecile and Jameel Janjua.
[16] This marks Mr. Issacman’s second journey into outer space. But, since he is financing the entire set of Polaris commercial missions, I have included his name on the mission chart.
[17] With its four-member crew undertaking several commercial milestones and working in collaboration with both SpaceX and NASA, Polaris Dawn could be seen as more than just a typical space tourism mission. Nevertheless, given that the mission is privately funded and primarily aims to advance technologies related to further crewed space missions—including space tourism, I have chosen to categorize it as a more complex form of space tourism mission. However, I fully acknowledge and respect that others may have differing opinions, which can be equally valid and rational.
References
Image block on home page courtesy of NASA: ISS Cupola with Earth in the background taken by Expedition 36
My Space Law Review Article in the Cleveland State Law Review: "Touring Outer Space: The Past, Present, and Future of Space Tourism"
My original space tourism blog article: The First 20 Years of Space Tourism (2001-2021): A Chronology
