Their problem may not be with what you said, but how you said it. I fear the particular "brand" of space tourism offered by Virgin is probably frivolous in tha

Their problem may not be with what you said, but how you said it. I fear the particular "brand" of space tourism offered by Virgin is probably frivolous in that it's at a level not too far removed from the "Vomit Comet" that astronauts, and paying customers, frequently use. Space tourism that does reach Low Earth Orbit is probably a play-thing for the rich as well, but I see that as a stepping stone to a greater voyage in our solar system and beyond. We're getting better at recycling our waste products and there is already a ton of research coming from the ISS on long-duration living in space. These alone have already contributed immensely to our understanding of the world around us and have lead to new technologies that are already in use or are about to enter the market soon. Likewise, space tourism will bring its share of productive advances. Let's not forget that it took millennia after the invention of sailing to get to flight. Although it only took decades from flight to space travel, it's unrealistic to expect such exponential advances in the next phase of our exploration. I doubt we'll have humans landing on Mars in my lifetime, but I wouldn't put it past the lifetime of the next generation.