Lessons from 'The Little Prince' on Space Flight

摘要

Space flight by private parties, whether "space travel" or "space tourism", for centuries seems to have had a certain fascination for humans, and in our times, what once was myth, has become reality. In 2004, the Ansari Prize was awarded to "Spaceship One", for achieving two sub-orbital flights within a designated time period. This feat seems to have opened the doors to other entrepreneurs seeking to expand on these achievements: at least one other prize (worth US $50 million) has been established, and "Virgin Galactic" has been incorporated to provide sub-orbital commercial space flights in the future. While these accomplishments are bringing down the barriers to access the "final frontier", perhaps we can learn some lessons from other sources, from other unsung heroes, like St. Exupery's "Little Prince,"1 in regard to private endeavors in outer space and space law.