November 13, 1997: Commerce In Space - Gene Meyers

Art Bell welcomes space commerce advocate Gene Meyers, a colleague of rocket scientist David Adair, to discuss a bold vision for commercial tourism in orbit. Meyers outlines a plan to repurpose the space shuttle''s massive external tanks into rotating ring-shaped space stations, each capable of hosting 300 people. He explains how connecting twelve of these tanks could create artificial gravity on the outer ring and zero gravity at the center, all for a fraction of the cost of NASA''s International Space Station.

The conversation covers the engineering details behind these proposed "Space Islands," including agricultural tanks for growing food, hydroponics systems for oxygen recycling, and inflatable interior modules designed decades earlier by Goodyear. Meyers reveals that major cruise lines have expressed interest in the concept, comparing the cost of a commercial shuttle to that of a luxury cruise ship at roughly $500 million.

Art and Meyers explore the possibilities of booking two-week orbital vacations, with tourist suites positioned in the zero-gravity core of the station. The discussion expands to even grander ambitions, including propelling entire stations into orbit around the moon within three days or reaching Mars in nine months.