"Space Perspective" tourist balloons

[Orionblamblam]

Space Perspective to launch balloon-borne tourist flights from 'marine spaceport'​

I'm dubious: a ship-launched balloon will carry passengers who paid $125,000 each up to 100,000 feet. They will subsequently splash down... and be picked up by the same ship. That had better be a *fast* ship.

 

[Grey Havoc]

A separate recovery ship, say a SEV based design, might have indeed been a better idea. And I suspect the biofuel for the launch/recovery ship might prove to be yet another potential issue.

 

[Orionblamblam]

I suspect the biofuel for the launch/recovery ship might prove to be yet another potential issue.

Use an onboard nuclear reactor to power a thermal depolymerization system that turns the plastic garbage that the ship scoops up into synthetic petroleum. Easy.

 

[TomcatViP]

Let's wait for more engineering data. The graphics are superb but the ratio b/w inhabited volume and gas cells baffles me.