If I come up to you and pose the above question, what would you say? You´d probably be like: ´Why? Since when is that a choice at all?´ I would say: well, since they can both serve as an option to go into space. I guess you´d look at me, frown your eyebrow and say: ´Ok, in that case I pick the rocket. Isn´t that the most appropriate?´.

By Marcella Das

Your reasoning that a space rocket would be the best way to explore the universe is fully understandable, I mean: so far it has been obvious to associate space with astronauts, science-fiction movies, silver futuristic uniforms and high-tech rockets. This will change soon though. Being in the midst of the big turning point where space is no longer preserved for astronauts, mankind will soon adjust all their ideas around this mysterious and intriguing area too.

Of course, in the near future only rich and notable people like Richard Branson, Ashton Kutcher and Leonardo DiCaprio will be able to explore the universe as non-austronauts, but you have to admit that those are not quite the people that came into mind when you thought of the crew of space rockets. The same counts for space ports: you may have heard of the few that exist nowadays – if that was of your interest at all - but the idea that a holiday in Curacao in the future may go hand in hand with seeing space tourists walking by, hasn´t probably been one of your expectations so far.

Getting back to the balloon: I bet you have seen them passing by on those sunny days, being pointed at by kids who love them for their big variety in colors. They give this cozy feeling of a family gathered in the bucket beneath, floating between the clouds and earth. However, in the future you will also associate a balloon – ok, a way bigger version – with going into space. Rockets indeed seem more appropriate, but seeing space from a high-altitude balloon has a lot of advantages according to World View Enterprises that is one of the companies that offer the experience. Let´s sum up a few:

• lower costs
• lower crew training requirements
• longer duration → so more time to observe
• longer low-level exposure
• less G-forces and vibration
• lower speed
• no zero-G → so a ´ground-like´ environment

Artemy Lebedev, who is a well-known Russian designer and blogger, has signed up to be the first Russian ´bloonout´ with the company Zero2Infinity. Founder and CEO José Mariano Lopez Urdiales is very excited to have Lebedev as the first pioneer, because ´he is a true adventurer and an entrepreneur who sees opportunities and uses existing technology in innovative ways in his design, and this fits well the values of the company´. An adventurer is Ledbedev for sure: by the age of 37 he had already visited 170 countries and now he is looking forward to ´really seeing the whole world´, according to his blog.

So whether you ever plan to go into space or not, the question ´balloon or rocket?´ may in the future be a very common question during that Friday-noon-beer with your peers in the bar.