An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital（亚轨道的）space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.
It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. “If there’s more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good.”
Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.
None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists — but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow.
A celebrity launch isn't Shostak’s only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling（充满）with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission.
Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially transformative industry, saying it could serve as a stepping stone to the exploration and exploitation of space on an unprecedented scale. While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.
小题1:Why may Justin Bieber be sent into suborbital space?
A．To show his bravery and make him a role model for teenagers.
B．To arouse the American public’s interest.
C．To help reform the spaceflight industry.
D．To film an advertisement about space.小题2:What can we learn about suborbital spaceflight?
A．A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap.
B．The whole trip will leave passengers weightless.
C．Each trip can take 500 passengers.
D．The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities.小题3:What can we infer from the text?
A．SpaceShipTwo will be the first to fly.
B．Famous people will be the main passengers in the future.
C．The space trip is still in preparation.
D．Every space trip will be made into a film.小题4:The last paragraph suggests that _________.
A．space is too mysterious to explore
B．the suborbital market is promising
C．the spaceflight industry is more successful than people think
D．developing the industry is risky小题5:What is the main purpose of the text?
A．To predict a change in the space market.
B．To discuss a recent launch.
C．To introduce the status of the spaceflight industry.
D．To remove public doubt about the spaceflight industry.