I think space tourism for the rich and powerful is a great way for these leaders to enjoy the yield of their hard work.
Once upon a time, air travel was the purview of the rich and famous. Early aviators like Amelia Earhart were celebrities, but their once-dangerous routes are now flown hundreds of times a day by commercial jets that most people can afford to fly on. The reason we all fly around today is that aviators discovered a virtuous cycle of scale -> profit -> investment -> scale that enabled the industry to develop ever larger and ever more efficient aircraft.
The same thing is going to happen with Spaceflight over the next few years. It took us about 60 years, but we have finally reached the point where lots of ventures can make profits in space, which should hopefully trigger another virtuous cycle that will end with affordable space travel for all
People also used to dress up for flights like it was a special occasion. Eventually, we’re going to have people going into space in sweatpants and flip-flops.
If you look at what makes really good sci-if stand out, its that the authors figured out how to make the incredible seem mundane
