“Oh help! The sky is falling!”

You might remember the character Chicken Little crying those words. The sky didn’t really fall on the chicken’s head. An acorn did. But that didn’t stop Chicken Little from panicking!

A new disaster has struck the space tourism business—and some people are quite frightened by it. A spaceship designed to give wealthy people a space-view of Earth crashed. One pilot died. The other was severely injured. The plane was carrying no passengers. It was still being tested.

More than 600 people paid $250,000 apiece for seats on future flights into space. The spaceships can carry up to six passengers at once. Large windows in the ceilings and walls show a view of Earth and space. But this accident might make potential passengers think twice about boarding.

A NASA scientist named Alan Stern signed up for a future flight. He hasn’t changed his mind. After all, the spaceship made 55 successful practice flights before it crashed. "Let's not be Chicken Littles here," Mr. Stern says.

Space tourism is one way to use what we have learned about space. But God made people with limits. They can’t do everything. They can’t even breathe outside Earth’s atmosphere! With hard work, though, people might find new, safe ways to go to space. Is the risk worth it?