Carbon Neutral Space Travel? - Jane Poynter, Space Perspective

“People who have been to space really do speak about it with great reverence. And it is for that reason that we want to take people to space in our car. Neutral zero emission spaceship, spaceship vacuum, which as you saw is not a rocket. Enormous balloons. It's a very gentle flight. We want to take leaders to space. We want to take artists to space. We want to have teachers go to space.”

Jane Poynter at Earth Day Network’s Climate Leadership Gala

With all the news coverage of NASA and private companies going to space, including with civilians, it’s important to remember the carbon footprint of those journeys. Imagine how much energy those trips use. And, though they are also doing climate research up there, the capsules and rockets are not generally carbon neutral. Can they be?

Jane Poynter says they can be carbon neutral and is putting her money and reputation on the line to prove it. The veteran space executive and Biosphere 2 leader now founded Space Perspectives, with the blessing of Carl Sagan’s widow too, to take civilians into space in a carbon neutral way. Listen to Jane Poynter explain how in this extraordinary conversation with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson conducted at the Earth Day Network Climate Leadership Gala (so there will be a lot of background sound). 

You’ll hear:

• How Space Perspective is making space travel carbon neutral (from fuel to materials).
• Who is paying for it (and what it will cost you to take ride with them)
• The general carbon footprint of today’s space shuttles and private companies’ space travel.
• How her experience in Biosphere 2 led to Space Perspectives.
• Plus,