IMBO Magazine Nov. 2014 | Page 56

TECH SHIFTERS T O I N F I N I T Y. . ! Space Tourism is a fast approaching reality. It seems the idea of relocating from this planet to another may not be as absurd as people think… H istory keeps a reliable record of humanity’s relentless ingenuity and zeal when breaking boundaries previously thought impenetrable. 1876 saw the world ‘shrink’ with the first telephone, eventually shrinking even more in 1952 when we first took to the skies. Since then, the aviation industry has evolved to meet the needs of society. And as Virgin Galactic gears up to go beyond the skies, making space tourism a reality, we should all be excited about what the future may hold. A PLANE FOR EVERY NEED The evolution of aviation happened slowly, developing mainly to satisfy the needs of certain individuals and relative circumstance. For instance, military planes were a common IMBO/ ISSUE 31/ '14 feature during war time when nations needed effective ways of obliterating