A Good Life essay Free Essays

string(104) " After opening up with one another and sharing each other differences, the company is great place work\." The Good Life Denise West April 14, 2013 Siena Heights University Gail Ryder Introduction A good life is what everyone desires. But what is actually a good life? Many people have their own interpretation of what a good life is. Society today has a different outlook on what is an acceptable lifestyle. We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Life essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many people are influenced with the perception of how an individual should live their life. Some often find themselves trying to fulfill their happiness through America’s perception on how they should live. Instead they become disappointed with the disapproval of others and often forget what happiness really means to them. A good life consists of maximizing happiness. Many believe wealth, power, and respect brings happiness. I happen to disagree. I believe wealth and power bring sorrow and problems. The philosopher Socrates did not approve happiness was result of affluence and material consumption. He believed a rich and active mind is happier than a consumer of finer foods and expansive clothing (De Botton, 2000). Whether it is positive or negative, as long is the individual accepts and is happy of his or her own life, then they are living a good life. My life revolves around a combination of these six themes: education, work, ethics, relationships, spirituality, and success. In my essay, I will give my expertise of a good life. I will share thoughts of my life and give examples of each theme of why live the way I do. Education I believe education is a lifelong process that consists of both formal and informal experiences that lead to the individual learning something. The setting could be a home, a school, a workplace, a volunteer position, or an internship learning experience. Education is an ongoing mix of experiences; I think an educated person is a one who has made the most of each experience and learned from it. One should possess the general knowledge needed for making informed rational decisions and inferences on familiar and novel situations in personal and intellectual life. An educated person should also master of the general thinking abilities required for making informed intelligent decisions, estimates, assessments, and inferences. Philosopher Montaigne was an educated man with great wisdom. He spent most of his spear time in a circular library reading books (De Botton, 2000). I was raised by a family who is very educated. My mother and father have master degrees. My sister is a graduate student at Kansas State University. My father pushed my sister and I our entire lives of the importance of education. I receive a tremendous amount of support from my parents, family and friends. They continuously motivate me to be successful in completing and continuing my education. My plans for education are to continue to graduate school. Later in life, I am interested in teaching secondary education. I have a lot of inspiration and support from others and I am determined to succeed. I instill the importance of intelligence to my children. I agree with Montaigne’s two categories of knowledge: learning and wisdom. â€Å"In the learning category his placed logic, etymology, grammar, Latin and Greek. And in the wisdom category he places a far broader, more valuable kind of knowledge, everything that could help a person to live well† Montaigne’s intentions were to assist people† live happily and morally â€Å"(De Botton, p 153, 2000). These are two categories that keep me hungry for more. I often find myself harder on my son, because the graduation rate has dropped tremendously and it continues to decline. Depending on what aspiration a person has, having an education qualifies for great employment. Work The will power, motivation, and education are a good start in performing the ideal job in the workplace. The ambition and excitement of commuting to work daily is great feeling. A good work environment improves satisfaction and productivity. When a person is unhappy in the workplace, it is a drag waking up each day to return to that place of business. Philosopher Epicurus believed the tension starts to show at home and we often point the finger at work (De Botton, 2000). It is important to be able to balance work and home to manage a positive work environment. Having a stress free job as well having fun and believe in your work is part of the good life. A good working environment is important for employee morale. It builds strong relationships between associates and among the biggest motivating factors in the workplace. I enjoy the work I do on a daily basis. It is a challenging job that requires an outgoing personality, sales drive, and patience. The down fall of my workplace is the associates and environment. We lack communication and the ability to coach each other to improve the workplace. The location in an urban area limits the opportunity of sales growth, variety customer base, as well as deepening relationships. At times, I felt the same pain as Epicurus. We both started to wonder if were on the correct career path. One thing I lack in the workplace is empathy. I meet a lot of people each day. Many customers have personal problems they choose to share with me. Many times I can’t relate, because I have not experienced it. I represent my employer, and I am branded by them. I have to maintain a certain image and give great impressions. My supervisor has coached me on empathizing with my customers. We role play each week, and he has given me different conversation tools to better assist my customers. I want to give my customers a great experience each time they visit. To minimize tension, and misinterpretation, I will start utilizing 360 coaching. This is a tool recommended by my employer. Associates coach each including management. We give positive feedback to each other on how we could improve. This should help my team with any disagreements one may have with another associate. After opening up with one another and sharing each other differences, the company is great place work. You read "A Good Life essay" in category "Essay examples" Communication is the key to every success. With our recent suggestions and improvement, I believe everything will work out great. Ethics Ethics is a concept of morality principles. It defines the standard behavior which tells us the most common way of society: good, bad, right and wrong. The book Affluenza written by authors Graff, Wann, and Naylor have great information on living a good life daily minimizing consumption. â€Å"Affluenza is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, deft, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more† (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, p. , 2001). Afflenza respects those perfectly human desires, and seeks to create ways to make comfort, elegance, and enjoyment more genuine and durables than purchasable, perishable commodities (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). Unfortunately, I struggle with Affuenza. My finance and I live a certain lifestyle. Our lifestyles boil down to become expansive. We often find ourselves caught u p in what we feel we have to have or need, such as hair, nails, brand name clothing, jewelry, and restaurants. We also have plenty of unnecessary bills only because they are available resources to us. We are not utilizing the product or service for what it is worth. We have more stuff, less time, and our quality of life seems to be deteriorating (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). As we move forward in our lives, I try to educate my finance of Affluenza and suggested a variety of ways will can save time and money. I plan to start tracking our daily spending habits more closely. If we cut back on luxury habits we could save thousands a year. We are coming to together and taking it one day at time. It is difficult to change some things you are accustomed to. Overcoming this disease is important to us, because we are embarking on a higher level in our relationship. We are currently testing our new ideas to happiness in our lives. Hopefully the results give us some leeway to plan what matters most to us, and how we will cherish our years to come. Relationships One of my biggest challenges of my life is my relationship. There is nothing more important than the quality of my relationship. My relationship influences the major decisions I make and is a large part of my happiness. Relationships can be very stressful at times. They require at lot of listening, effort, and compromising. Both parties have to be willing to sacrifice in order to move forward. A fundamental to a strong relationship is commitment. Commitment to making a relationship strong and healthy is the basis on which it will mature. Relationships take plenty work and effort. Compared to life itself, relationships are aggressive and intense because we are forever changing. A durable relationship need continuous nurturing and that takes commitment from both parties. Our commitment to the relationship is unconditional caring about maintaining and improving our relationship, even during times of anger or disappointment. There may be times when I am not even sure I like him, but I am committed. My strong commitment reminds me of Epicurus views of friendship. At first he thought pleasure brought him happiness. He eventually had a change of heart and found that the loyalty of friendship is what matters most (De Botton, 2000). I will spend the effort to sustain relationship during tough times. The motivation of keeping our family together saved us. We put our differences aside and our children first. Their security is most important. Our determination led us to our engagement. We are set to wed next summer. Spirituality One doesn’t need either the bible to instruct one in prudence; nor the fear of divine retribution to provide the incentive† (De Bottom, 2000). Epicurus shows us how morality can be founded upon prudent self-interest. I was raised a Christian. Philosopher Nietzsche called Christianity â€Å"the religion of comfortableness† (De Bottom, p. 238, 2000). Until my grandmothe r died in 1993, my family and I attended church regularly. As an adult, continue to believe in the Christian Religion; however I do not practice it. I currently do not the bible for a number of reasons. I do not want to be put in a category as a hypocrite. I am uncomfortable in committing to a religion if I am not ready to live righteously. I don’t want to find myself going back and forth and continuously repenting to the Lord for sins I have committed. The second reason I do not practice Christianity is because I do have a church home. I have not find a church where I felt comfortable worshiping. In the past, I found myself visiting a variety of churches and none felt right to me. I started to wonder, I am looking in the right religion? Maybe there’s another religion that makes more sense to me and has a place where I could worship and feel comfortable. The significance of any religion lies simply in the answer to the question: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to the infinite universe that surrounds me? â€Å"It is impossible for there to be a person with no religion as it is for there to be a person without a heart. He may not know that he has a religion, just as a person may not know that he has a heart, but it is no more possible for a person to exist without a religion than without a hear â€Å"(Leo Tolstoy, 1879). As I read this statement from Tolstoy Confession, I thought about my current situation. Tolstoy was a philosopher who came to believe that he had â€Å"accomplished nothing and his life was meaningless† (Patterson, p. 5, 1983). The third reason I do not practice Christianity is because my finance study’s another religion. I have taken in to consideration to research his religion and to a common ground and decide which religion is best for me. Either way, we both have to agree on the same religion. It is important we raise our children with the same values to live a good and happy life. Success The meaning of Success comes in many forms, and a variety of meanings. It defines what you are searching for in life. It is within the perception of the individual. A large portion of one’s life is spent working to become successful. People are told during the upbringing to work hard so they earn make lots of money. People have a variety of interpretations of what success means to them. Socrates says, â€Å"One who understands the limits of the good life knows that what eliminates the pains brought on by need and what makes the whole of life perfect is easily obtained, so that there is no need for enterprises that entail the struggle for success† (De Botton, 2000). Success is often measured by social status and wealth. I determined success by the amount of happiness one feels. I live my life by planning. This is task that I put in place to organization my life. Time management is important to me. I currently have a blue print for my life. It is sectioned in four categories which are three weeks, three months, one year, and three years. This is a tool used to set goals and manage my life. Each year I review my blue print to ensure each goal is accomplished. My goals are similar to the six themes I have discussed. I consider myself to be a successful person. I have managed to complete every major task I have set forth. I have an outstanding family with two beautiful children. I am scheduled to graduate in December 2010, and I have an awesome job. I am in process of simplifying consumption, and we are working toward spirituality. These are important goals that I and my family discuss on a regular basis. I continue to stay open for suggestions and constructive criticism. I am willing to explore whatever is necessary to work toward a wonderful and happy life. This year is a successful year. Conclusion We think happiness is good, therefore we seek it. The search for happiness can be endless if you do not know what you are searching for. Individuals find themselves never accomplishing their goals. We can choose to enjoy the adventure and explore as much as possible. Try to make a conscious resolution to be content. By having a peace of mind and satisfaction means you are happy with what you have and what you are. I received my results of a good life with a history of effectiveness and success. I have a general sense of what I feel are the best ways to get things done. I set of process and principles that has worked well for me over many years. I am a detailed person who manages time, plans for the future, and a fan of great strategy. I choose to ignore the setbacks and I look at the big picture in order to guide myself and my organization to maximum results. A good life is a combination of many things. Everyone has their own interpretation of what a good life is. It starts with self development within individual. Many philosophers such as Epicurus and Socrates believe pleasure brings forth happiness (De Botton, 2000). I happen to agree. Nothing matter to me more than my happiness. It is up to the individual to decide what pleasures them most. My life has had its many shares of a rollercoaster. I have made and learned from my mistakes. There is not anything that I regret nor wished didn’t happen during the years of my life. Without my mistakes, I would not have the opportunity to learn and grow. As a whole, I cherish my life I believe it is great. I am thankful for awaking each morning and for blessing me each day I have no reason to complain. I have experienced more than I ever dreamed of. Most importantly, I am blessed in being a mother. My family is extremely important to me. They complete each and every accomplishment. In combination of each principle, task, and theme they all relate and evolve around one specific goal which is my family. What a great life! References De Botton, A. (2000). The Consolations of Philosophy. New York: Pantheon Books. Graaf, J. , Naylor, T. , Wann, D. (2001). Affluenza. San Francisco: Brerrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Tolstoy, L. (1993). Confession. Translated by David Patterson. 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Code of Conductof the Department of Education Division of Escalante City free essay sample

INTRODUCTION 1. Abstract 1. 1 This Code of Conduct clarifies the standards of behavior that are expected of staff of the Department of Education Division of Escalante City in the performance of their duties. It gives guidance in areas where staff needs to make personal and ethical decisions. 1. 2 The Code does this by providing an ethical framework to guide actions, but also by highlighting the existing requirements for staff behavior so that staffs are aware of the standards expected of them. 2. Applicability of the Code 2. The use of â€Å"DepED DEC† in this Code indicates that the material applies to all parts of the Department of Education, Division of Escalante City, including schools Non-Teaching Personnel â€Å"DepED DEC Staff† is implied. 2. 2 The use of the terms â€Å"schools† or â€Å"districts† in this Code indicates that the material applies to only those areas. 2. 3 This Code applies to all DepED DES Staff. In this context â€Å"staff† includes all persons employed by the Division. We will write a custom essay sample on Code of Conductof the Department of Education Division of Escalante City or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Employed† includes staff employed on a permanent, temporary or casual, full time or part time basis, as trainees, or as secondees from LGU or NGO’s and other agencies. . 4 This Code should also guide the behavior of contract staff, volunteers, and employees of other organizations with which the DepED DEC has contracts or agreements. Where the contract or agreement refers to this Code then the arrangement in the contract or agreement applies. 3. 1 The Department is committed to the highest standards of conduct in public education, training and administration. To meet this commitment, the Division has issued this single Code of Conduct to cover all employees and to more closely align staff conduct with the organizational values and thics which underpin the Division’s policies and procedures. 4. Policy statement 4. 1 Much of this Code is derived from legislation and other departmental policies and procedures of the Department of Education of the Republic of t he Philippines. The Code of Conduct is a policy of the Department of Education of the Division of Escalante City. 5. Rights of staff 5. 1 Public employment carries with it an obligation to serve the public interest, however division staff should not be subject to unnecessary restrictions unrelated to the public interest. DepED DEC Staff have all of the normal rights and obligations of employees under common and statute law. 5. 2 Staff should comply with a lawful direction given by an authorized officer. DepED DEC Staff however have a right to question any instruction which they think may be unlawful or unethical. 6. Responsibility of staff 7. 1 All DepED DEC Staff have a responsibility to comply with legislation, departmental/regional/divisional policies, procedures and this Code, perform their duties effectively and provide impartial and accurate advice.

Author used their literacy work to get a message a Essays - Film

Author used their literacy work to get a message across to the people about the story "The Crucible". The author miller use events and characters to show his message of McCarthyism. McCarthyism was a time were Joe McCarthy accused Americans of being communist and in the crucible people were accused of being witches. It is known that miller wrote this story as a reaction to a tragic time in history which they showed injustice and power which both situation people were and found guilty without any evidence. The actions of characters reveals miller message of McCarthyism because he states similar things that happen during the trial of McCarthyism which was just like the trial held in the crucible by the deputy governor. Bearing to send her away to be hang with no proven facts that she was a witch and lying to the deputy and being let off shows the author message of McCarthyism on this being injustice. In the text it stated that Abagail and Betty were accusing multiple people of witchcraft.in the text it states "he sentenced her. He must but not Sarah good. For Sarah good confessed y'see". Stated in lines two-hundred and nineteen thru two-hundred and twenty seven. The action which the girls accused many people were most effective because it end up being nineteen people being hanged. While Sarah good had confessed, goody Osborn had not confessed and was still was put in jail to be hanged. Also you couldn't tell who was lying or telling the truth. Also in lines 1105 thru 1114 it states "(pointing a t proctor ). You're the devil's man! (He stopped in his tracks)". This shows that after the girls making Mary warren to be the witch she blame it on proctor. Mary warren, Abagail, and Bett y actions show injustice because the deputy couldn't tell if they were lying or telling the truth and he still didn't have any evidence and some people have the power to make people form a lie of injustice to the wrong people being the victims. Furthermore, the deputy governor has the power and so does Abagail who the one is preventing someone to tell the truth on her to being a witch. In line 1070 thru 1100 it states "do you confess this power? (He is an inch from her face.) Speak". This states that Abigail's new founded power are used to make Mary warren to be the witch and force her not to tell on her and what they did in the forest. Also in act three it states "and folks are brought before them, and if they scream and howl and fall- the person clapped in the jail for bewitching' them". This shows if you scream and make a whole bunch of noise the deputy will let you go free. This is show the power of the deputy is used to condemned people. To conclude, McCarthyism is the message Miller was trying to reveal in the story to show that there were injustices and overused of power of the powerful leaders. Also it was unfair because you couldn't have done anything and if you were accused, you were force to go on trial with no evidence. It not your fault can't nothing be done but lie to get out of being hang would you lie knowing that you weren't involved or apart of witchcraft?

Water Desalination

Water Desalination Desalination (also spelled desalinization) is the process of creating fresh water by removing saline (salt) from bodies of salt water. There are varying degrees of salinity in water, which affects the difficulty and expense of treatment, and the level of saline is typically measured in parts per million (ppm). The U.S. Geological Survey provides an outline of what constitutes saline water: 1,000 ppm – 3,000 ppm is low salinity, 3,000 ppm – 10,000 ppm is moderate salinity, and 10,000 ppm – 35,000 ppm is high salinity. Water that contains saline levels less than 1,000 ppm is generally considered fresh water and is safe to drink and use for household and agricultural purposes. For a reference point, typical ocean water contains about 35,000 ppm, the Great Salt Lake contains variations of 50,000 – 270,000 ppm, and the Caspian Sea contains an average of about 12,000 ppm. The more concentrated saline is in a body of water, the more energy and effort it takes to desalinize it. Desalination Processes Osmosis Reverse Osmosis There are several setbacks of reverse osmosis. The membranes are currently prone to gather too much bacteria and â€Å"clog up,† although they have improved since they were first used. The membranes deteriorate when chlorine is used to treat the bacteria. Other setbacks are the arguable water quality that reverse osmosis produces, along with the considerable pre-treatment that the salt water requires. Forward Osmosis Pressure gradient desalinating water The main setback to forward osmosis is that it has great potential, but is still fairly new to large-scale desalination and therefore needs funding and research to explore the possibilities that could improve it and reduce energy costs. Electrodialysis Thermal Desalination Multistage Flash Distillation Multiple-Effect Distillation Negatives of Desalination Fossil fuels Geography of Desalination Middle East Saudi Arabia is currently the world’s number one producer of desalinated water. They use multi-flash distillation in several large plants, providing water for many large cities, including the largest city, Riyadh, situated hundreds of miles from the coast. In the United States, the largest desalination plant is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, though it has a very small output compared to most facilities in the Middle East. Other states that are developing plans for large desalination plants include California and Texas. The United States need for desalination plants is not as severe as many other countries, but as the population continues to explode in dry, coastal areas, the need increases. Future Options of Desalination Desalination is a process primarily done in developed countries with enough money and resources. If technology continues to produce new methods and better solutions to the issues that exist today, there would be a whole new water resource for more and more countries that are facing drought, competition for water, and overpopulation. Though there are concerns in the scientific world about replacing our current overuse of water with complete reliance on seawater, it would undoubtedly be at least an option for many people struggling to survive or maintain their standard of living.

New media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New media - Essay Example pose of promoting ticket sales of Paramount Studios’ latest thriller, a combination of traditional and modern approaches to marketing has been adopted. The integration of sales promotion and direct marketing involves a particularly big clash, combining dissimilar disciplines practiced by different types of people. Direct marketers tend to think long term about building relationships, while sales promotion has traditionally focused on boosting short-term return. Direct marketing is about one-to-one relationships, while sales promotion is focused on the offer. But put together, the approach can offer great opportunities for commercial success. The first media chosen for my campaign will be Internet. Internet has unparalleled reach in todays world and is accessed by billions of people worldwide for information and entertainment. There can be no better place to promote the new thriller than internet. These days, integrating e-mail across various channels of communication has become a top priority for many marketing strategists, and their challenge lies in determining how best to utilize this tool in their integrated marketing strategy. Recent trends show that the internet is increasingly being used for shopping. In this context, combining search and email features together can be very effective. For example, a media arrangement that combines direct marketing mailing with email can captivate a a customers or prospects attention and move them along in a buying cycle, which could then result in a sale of the movie ticket. Employing such enterprise marketing management systems as are offered by multimedia companies-such as Aprimo, Eloqua Corp., Vtrenz, Bronto Software, etc are quite appropriate for the marketing campaign of Paramount Studios. With the help of these systems, Paramount Studios can come up with a sophisticated cross-channel campaign; also the performance measurement and analysis of such campaigns can be carried on the back end. In other words, the

Literary Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literary Theory - Essay Example To cater to a wider audience, Horace suggests including both these elements in a poem. Besides, the setting, time and location should have unity and coherence. Longinus feels that a prom should immediately elevate the reader to a sublime state as if he has experienced it himself, which element has not been taken into account by Horace. Horace merely suggests that poems should begin in the middle of a situation so that the reader immediately plunges into the poem. Longinus finds that conflicting feelings can be united while Horace feels decorum and coherent effect are essential for unity. Horace believes that learning can come only when there is in an innate quality to be a poet. Learning without innate talent would serve no purpose. Longinus on the other hand feels following too much of formal elements can create or ruin the poetic effect, which is the very purpose of creating poetry. Both agree that poets are innate and not made. As a critic or a writer, being able to express conflicting feelings would be more appealing. Most people do experience such conflicts in their life and it would be easy to transport people to such heights so as to merge the reader and the writer and the written passage or poem. Compare/contrast the rhetorical theories of Plato and Longinus. Try to identify areas of agreement and disagreement in their discussions of how poetry affects its audiences. Do you think one theory is superior, or do they both have value for your work as a critic and writer? Which theory do you think is more helpful in understanding the effect of literary texts in the 20th century? Plato believes that poems do not reflect reality while Longinus contends that poets are innate and hence their creation has to be truth. Plato believes being a poet is a skill that can be created. Longinus asserts that a poem should elevate the reader to such a state that he feels he is the composer which is

The Significance Of Outer Space Tourism Marketing Essay

The Significance Of Outer Space Tourism Marketing Essay Outer space tourism is not such a novel idea, after all. In 1954 Thomas Cook of Great Britain offered a Moon Register. Potential space tourists could purchase options on the earliest available commercial lunar tour, and more than one thousand people signed up, although Cook reportedly did no advertising (Eilingsfeld and Abitzsch, Space Tourism, 1993, 1). In 1968, after the motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey excited the public imagination about space, airlines such as Pan American (Pan Am) and Trans World Airline (TWA) began taking reservations for trips to the moon. A paltry $5 got you a spot on the waiting list (Anderson, Space Tourists, 2005, 11). The only outer space tourists to date were Dennis Tito in 2001 and Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. In 2003, Russian space officials and employees at Space Adventures announced plans to send four tourists to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz missions by 2007 (Anderson, Space Tourists, 2005, 15) Travelling to space is not exactly a stroll to the park, but it is no longer a journey confined to the imagination, either. Knowledgeable instructors are ready and willing to help, advanced simulators are accessible, spaceports abound, and new spacecraft are making the trip easier and more comfortable than before {Space Tourists, 12) Near-term projections for the emergence of a viable outer space tourism industry are very encouraging, taken at face value. Near-term projections for the emergence of a viable outer space tourism industry are very encouraging, taken at face value. Virgin Galactic has purchased five spacecraft for $120 million from space pioneer Burt Rutan, and expects to begin operations in 2008. Virgin Galactic sources claim that 38,000 people have paid deposits towards the $120,000 ticket, and that ninety passengers have paid in full in advance (Radliffe, The News, 2006, 3). According to another report, it aims to eventually launch 10,000 passengers into space each Year (Webb, Spaceports Next, 2006, Al). By 2020 there might be 430 such tlights annually, according to one study, creating $550 million to one billion dollars in local revenue and 4,000 jobs. This estimate excludes the employment of 2,500 construction workers generating about $350 million in local spending during the building of the spaceport (Webb, Spaceports Next, 2006, A2). Collins et. al (1995) claimed that if costs per person were in the $10,000-20,000 range, approximately 100 million people in Japan, the U. S. and Europe would be willing outer space tourists (Demand for, 3). The Futron Corporation (2002) analysis. Space Tourism Market Study, decided that by 2021, there couid be 15,000 outer space tourists annually, resuiting in $700 million in revenue (2). Tens of millions of private citizens in the United States want to travel into space, far more if the global market is addressed, Aldrin and Jones (2002) suggested (Changing the, In Hudgins, Space, 180). Spencer and Rugg (2004) predicted {Space Tourism, 56). Edward L. Hudgins, one of the most esteemed individuals involved in outer space activity, concluded that Space tourism indeed seems to be a potential killer application that will offer opportunities and incentives to the private sector to develop low-cost access to space and places in orbit for private adventurers to go (Space, 2002, xxi). It has been concluded that the main barrier to outer space tourism demand is the price point, while the major barrier to supply is start-up cost. With current technology and systems, space flight is too expensive for most people. However, adequately capitalized space tourism firms could begin operations gradually, and over time expand operations to the point where per-person prices would be more affordable. The key to adequate capitalization may well be investor relations, since existing space tourism firms have found it difficult to attract sufficient capital for start-up needs Another expert analysis offered a rather gloomy conclusion, Unfortunately, the present tight payload market and the glut of existing launch vehicles means that any space launch new start-up is doomed to encounter serious difficulty in raising venture capital One thing is certain. The very future of the outer space tourism industry may depend on public relations, including Promotion, Marketing Public Relations, Lobbying, Investor Relations, Coalition-Building, Crisis Communication and Public Information. A ZOOM WITH A VIEW Space tourism may be closer than you think By David Wade TEN YEARS AGO, SPACE TOURISM was the stuff of fantasy. Not anymore. Already three tourists have paid $20m (Â £12m) each to spend a week aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with many more waiting their turn. You dont have a spare $20m? No matter. Other, more modestly priced options are currently in development, but youll have to join the queue of 34,000 other would-be astronauts. Lets assume that money is no object when it comes to booking your own trip into space. Would you really want to just visit the ISS? After all, three tourists have already beaten you to it. How about a vacation that is truly unique? The Russian Space Agency and the Space Adventures travel company recently announced that they could arrange a tourist flight which will circumnavigate the Moon en route to the ISS. The price for the two seats available on this inimitable voyage is $100m (Â £60m) apiece! Better start saving now. WINNING THE PRIZE On 4 October 2004, the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, SpaceShipOne was released at a height of 15km from its White Knight carrier aircraft. 76,000 Newtons of thrust, applied for 84s, then propelled SpaceShipOne to a speed in excess of Mach 3. At an altitude of around 80km, the crafts motor cut out, leaving it to continue, without power, to the apex of its trajectory a height of over 112km. To the astonishment of a watching world, the X-Prize competition had been won. The rules of the X-Prize competition were exacting in the extreme stipulating, among other demands, two 100km-high flights to be completed within a fortnight, a vehicle capable of carrying three people (or at least ballast sufficient to represent three people), and no more than 10% of the dry mass of the vehicle to be replaced between flights. Twenty-six teams registered an initial interest in competing for the prize, with many proposing extremely outlandish designs, including plans to modify fighter aircraft and the use of vertical take-off and landing. In contrast Burt Rutan, the designer of SpaceShipOne, backed by his Scaled Composites team, opted for an approach that was both elegant and simple. Rutans first decision was to go for an airlaunch (from the White Knight carrier aircraft) saving on fuel and dispensing with the need for a launch pad. His second crucial design decision was to use a hybrid rocket motor. THE MASS MARKET The objective of the X-Prize had been to kick-start space tourism following the example of early aviation prizes. The business still has a long way to go, but its on its way. Virgin Galactic, unveiled by Sir Richard Branson, is a service company that will operate a fleet of SpaceShipTwo vehicles, each carrying five fare-paying passengers. The company is already attracting attention, despite the first flight not being scheduled until 2008. So far, over 34,000 people have registered an interest in the $200,000 (Â £120,000) flights, and over $10m (Â £6m) of hard cash has been paid as deposits. Fortunately, the prospects for space tourism do not depend on anyone winning the ASP. The flight of SpaceShipOne and the establishment of Virgin Galactic have opened our eyes to the possibilities of commercial human spaceflight. Consumer demand is now expected to start to drive technological progress as much as competitions, just as it did in the aviation industry. The space tourism business is now firmly into first gear, and will just keep on gathering momentum. David Wade is a Lloyds satellite underwriter and specialist space writer GATEWAYS TO THE STARS worlds first private commercial spaceport in New Mexico Spaceport America will serve clients of Virgin Galactic, who have signed a 20-year lease on the building and have been involved in the design and construction phase. Its astronaut passengers will pay $200,000 a ticket for a threeday event, culminating in a two-hour flight to suborbital space, reaching 110km above the surface at the apogeeTo date, over 450 deposits have been received from people aged from 18 to 80 plus from all over the globe. All have passed medicals; many are wealthy, but not all; and they range from single individuals to whole families. Of Virgins first 100 customers the Founder group 81 have already taken part in centrifuge training that replicates the G-forces expected in flight Commercialization in Space Changing Boundaries and Future Promises ANTHONY L. VELOCCI, JR The concept of private enterprise exploiting space to build and grow thriving business ventures is nothing new. It has been around since 1965. Today, the commercial utilization of space is an essential component of telecommunications, financial markets, and a host of other critical sectors. But now the private sectors involvement in space is fast approaching a new paradigm, courtesy of a growing number of entrepreneurial pioneers, mostly in the United States. They are combining a vision, a can-do spirit and varying degrees of technical knowledge to set the agenda. A few of them-each a high-profile figure in aerospace circles who have a track record of disruptive innovations and self-promotion-have been claiming for a decade that commercial space was on the cusp of a new paradigm, but it never quite materialized. That is about to change, and a new era in commercial space is dawning. This is the decade in which skeptics will witness various firsts in commercial space. The Players That the private sector is pushing the boundaries and are on the threshold of achieving what amounts to a critical mass should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying close attention. Enabling technologies, such as propulsion and aerodynamics, have made huge advances to the point where they can now be adapted to commercial ventures. The private sector also possesses the know-how developed over decades of collaborating with the government on manned and unmanned systems designed specially for space. Just as the idea of space tourism was unimaginable 50 years ago except to science fiction writers, the evolutionary paths that commercial space could take in the next decade or two might seem equally far-fetched. But the projects currently taking shape are no fantasy. Even the most well-grounded space program veterans agree that space tourism-among other bold new commercial space ventures-is likely to emerge as a niche but growing industry within the next 10 years. Like any nascent field of commerce, space tourism will begin modestly. As it now appears. Virgin Galactic, a spin-off of Richard Bransons Virgin Group, is apt to lead the way. Within the next year or two, a Virgin Galactic Spaceship will be carried alofr underneath a large aircrafr flying high above the ground. After it is released, the unusual looking craft will fall freely to a safe altitude and ignite its rocket engine to transport eight people on a brief excursion to the edge of space. Two of them will be pilots; the other six will be paying customers. In the meantime, scientists and would-be space tourists are taking a short course in suburban Philadelphia to learn what they open for business before the end of the decade. Orbital is collaborating with Russian space agency Roscosmos and Rocket and Space Corp., Energia to develop the Commercial Space Station (CSS), with financing f^rom private investors. The company is working with Vienna-based Space Adventures to market flights to the CSS, with prices comparable to flying tourists to the International Space Station (ISS)-US$50-60 miUion. That is the same price as top-of-the-line business jets, such as the Gulfstream 650 or the Bombardier Global Express. The commercialization of space is a fait accompli, and the thing that will change the whole equation is [space] tourism to low-Earth orbit, with revenue passengers circling our planet for a couple of days experiencing weighdessness and photographing Earth, says futurist Norman R. Augustine. Space Branding The end of the space shuttle era marks a new beginning for the Space Age. A new Generation of entrepreneurs are working with the worlds space agencies to bring down the costs of commercializing the high frontier. By the 2020s and beyond,we could see a historic expansion of human activity in space. The range of new commercial space businesses seems to be expanding almost Exponentially. To date, space tourism has been limited to an elite few. The space tourism company Space Adventures has flown a total of seven commercial passengers to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz spacecraft. This level of exclusivity is about to change. In 2012, Virgin Galactic is scheduled to begin suborbital passenger flights, and Bigelow Aerospace plans to have its orbiting hotel operational that same year. Its anticipated there will be significant growth of commercial space tourism during the coming decade. Futron/Zogby estimates that by 2021 there will be 13,000 suborbital passengers annually, resulting in $650 million in revenue. Many companies are currently working to make commercial space flight a viable industry. But even once the hurdles of developing commercial spacecraft have been overcome, there will still remain many challenges to protecting the health and well-being of paying space travelers. ADVENTURE CAPITALISTS: MEET TUE SPACE BILLIONAIRES Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., and one of the 50 richest people on Earth. As one of six space billionaires who are fueling a new commercial space revolution, Allen financed the SpaceShipOne spaceplane that won the X Prize. He has helped to fund the Space- ShipTwo development that will carry Virgin Galactic passengers into space in 2013. He is also backing Stratolaunch Systems construction of the worlds largest aircraft, which will be powered by six 747 aircraft engines. This vehicle will carry commercial space launcher systems to very high altitude for launch, thus dramatically lowering the cost of commercial flight to orbit. Sir Richard Branson, the tycoon at the heart of Virgin Ltd. Branson has worked in partnership with Burt Rutan and Paul Allen to create Virgin Galactic. The space adventures enterprise now has 500 passengers signed up to fly on a suborbital flight to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (about 65 miles) out into space. This high-risk enterprise is designed to accommodate celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Victoria Principal, as well as anyone with the money (about $200,000 per ticket) and the daring to want to see our planet against the blackness of the cosmos. Four minutes of weightlessness, some citizen astronaut training, and a waiver of all liability comes with the package. Elon Musk, The young billionaire who founded PayPal and then went on to found Tesla Motors and Space X. He developed the Falcon 1 rocket and is now testing the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with its Dragon spacecraft that is designed to fly cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA as a robotic system. The rocket and the capsule, however, could be upgraded to hold human crews, as well. Musk is also a partner with Allen and Rutan in the Stratolaunch Systems venture. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. His Blue Origin spacecraft company, shrouded in secrecy in rural Texas near the border with New Mexico, is developing launchers that could fly people into space-first on suborbital flights and then to low- Earth orbit. Robert T. Bigelow, the owner of the Budget Suites hotel chain. Bigelow has already launched two private space stations, called Genesis 1 and 2. These orbital stations are based on inflatablesystems technology that was developed but abandoned by NASA. He has plans to launch a private space station in low- Earth orbit that has more inside space than the ISS and could accommodate space tourists who wanted a hotel suite in space, as well as flight experiments. Bigelow has backed a $50 million prize for a private developer who could demonstrate a commercial flight capability to his space station, but his stipulations were sufficiently strict that no one was able to collect the prize.