When your next door neighbor is a glittering spaceport (4 minute read)
Spaceport America is a $220 million facility based in the deserts of New Mexico. If everything goes to plan, it may launch its first spaceships in 2020. Spaceport America's primary tenant is Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic sells seats for its spaceplane at $250,000 a ticket, and around 600 people have paid a deposit so far. Passengers will spend a few days at the spaceport to train before their trip. A nearby town approved a tax in the last decade to help build the spaceport as it promises to bring an influx of business to the area. Virgin Galactic has taken longer to get into space than originally expected, with a fatal in-flight accident in 2014 causing more delays to the program. It has since flown its spaceplane to the edge of space and back twice.
The family in 2050: artificial wombs, robot carers and the rise of single fathers by choice (10 minute read)
Many of the predictions about what 2020 would be like for families didn't pan out, but things have definitely changed in the last couple of decades. Women are working more, the number of people choosing not to have children is increasing, and same-sex and transsexual parents are becoming more common. As reproductive technology develops, the definition of a typical family is likely to change significantly. Science will soon be able to create artificial sperm and eggs, as well as wombs. A change in the process of reproduction may mean that women can continue to work while being 'pregnant', and people who could not produce their own children previously (eg. single men, transgender and same-sex couples) can have their own children. Genetically modified designer babies will also likely become a reality. Many other factors such as an aging population, increased travel, and economic inequality will also affect the future of the family unit.