Why is Space Tourism So Expensive?

Space tourism is becoming increasingly popular and some people hope it will become the next big attraction and maybe the ideal family vacation, sometime in the near future.

So popular, in fact, that the ticket prices are skyrocketing. This phenomenon is not so much linked to the burning desire of the world's billionaires to see the Earth from outer space, but rather to the poor exchange rates for the US dollar. For now, only the Russian Soyuz space shuttle can send people to the station, but other companies are announcing their intention to do that in a few years.

Since the dollar is losing ground to the Russian ruble, the price of a space trip has expected to increase from $25 million earlier this year to between $30 million and $40 million for trips planned in 2008 and 2009.