The importance of EVAs to space tourism

Spacewalks have developed a reputation as events to be avoided if at all possible, being perceived as difficult, time-consuming, and dangerous. Yet, ask almost any astronaut who has performed one, and they’ll describe the wonder of floating in space, free from the confines of the space shuttle or space station. In an article in this week’s issue of The Space Review, Richard Speck argues that a lot of those perceived drawbacks to spacewalks are either myths, or can be easily circumvented (such as using reduced-pressure air, rather than pure oxygen, in suits.) Spacewalking by tourists on orbital missions will be analogous to scuba diving by people visiting Caribbean beach resorts—and maybe safer, too.