Lunar Tourism
Wolfram Donat
October 26, 2005
Have you got an itch to do something unique? Do you want a vacation and the pictures to go with it that none of your friends will be able to match? Are you insanely wealthy? If so, then have I got just the thing for you. For the insignificant, miniscule price of only 200 million dollars, you and a friend can go to the moon.
Yes, you read that correctly. In three to five years, a company called Space Adventures, based in Arlington, Virginia, plans to offer a trip to the moon for only $100 million per passenger. On August 10 of this year they announced plans to work with the Russian Aviation and Space agency to offer a 10 to 21 day trip in a Soyuz-type capsule. The length of the trip will depend on whether the passengers stop at the International Space Station or not. Passengers wouldn’t actually land on the moon, but would fly extremely close to it before turning around and heading home.
Now, believe it or not, there’s a catch to this whole endeavor. First of all, whoever goes can’t just write a check and board the next day. Passengers will be required to spend several months in intensive training before the voyage. It is space, after all. Unlike a vacation to Bermuda, where the worst thing that can probably happen to you is a bad sunburn or bumping into a grumpy jellyfish, any number of things can happen on a space mission, and most of those can kill you. Vacationers would receive training on operating the space capsule and coping with emergency situations that may arise.
The other catch? It’s a working vacation. Would-be space-goers would also be trained in operating various experiments designed to increase scientific knowledge. During the voyage they would perform these experiments and take notes and observations of their experiences.
The whole thing seems to be an excellent idea, but there are drawbacks. First and most important is the whole price issue. Rather than opening up space to private citizens, it reserves it for the ultra-wealthy. If you’re not Bill Gates or a Walton, you’re probably not going. Secondly, who wants to spend their vacation working? It wouldn’t bother me (I’d be happy to test how well margaritas can be mixed in free-fall) but it might put off others. Let’s face it: Anyone with 200 million dollars they can blow on a 2-week vacation probably isn’t really used to working too hard, at least not physically. And space travel can be extremely physically challenging, from pulling several G’s at takeoff to bumping your head in the capsule while you scramble around trying to find where you put the space-sickness tablets.
According to Space Adventures, as time passes the price of the trip will probably decrease. Space tourism will increase, and costs will go down. So I might be able to afford the trip in several hundred years, assuming I keep rolling over my CDs until then. If I save wisely, perhaps my great-grandchildren will be able to go, but as it stands right now I don’t have enough money to sneeze in the general direction of the spacecraft.
So you want a trip to the moon? Start saving your pennies. You could also start frequenting billionaire clubs and make some friends. Me? I’d rather handle a grumpy jellyfish.
Yes, you read that correctly. In three to five years, a company called Space Adventures, based in Arlington, Virginia, plans to offer a trip to the moon for only $100 million per passenger. On August 10 of this year they announced plans to work with the Russian Aviation and Space agency to offer a 10 to 21 day trip in a Soyuz-type capsule. The length of the trip will depend on whether the passengers stop at the International Space Station or not. Passengers wouldn’t actually land on the moon, but would fly extremely close to it before turning around and heading home.
Now, believe it or not, there’s a catch to this whole endeavor. First of all, whoever goes can’t just write a check and board the next day. Passengers will be required to spend several months in intensive training before the voyage. It is space, after all. Unlike a vacation to Bermuda, where the worst thing that can probably happen to you is a bad sunburn or bumping into a grumpy jellyfish, any number of things can happen on a space mission, and most of those can kill you. Vacationers would receive training on operating the space capsule and coping with emergency situations that may arise.
The other catch? It’s a working vacation. Would-be space-goers would also be trained in operating various experiments designed to increase scientific knowledge. During the voyage they would perform these experiments and take notes and observations of their experiences.
The whole thing seems to be an excellent idea, but there are drawbacks. First and most important is the whole price issue. Rather than opening up space to private citizens, it reserves it for the ultra-wealthy. If you’re not Bill Gates or a Walton, you’re probably not going. Secondly, who wants to spend their vacation working? It wouldn’t bother me (I’d be happy to test how well margaritas can be mixed in free-fall) but it might put off others. Let’s face it: Anyone with 200 million dollars they can blow on a 2-week vacation probably isn’t really used to working too hard, at least not physically. And space travel can be extremely physically challenging, from pulling several G’s at takeoff to bumping your head in the capsule while you scramble around trying to find where you put the space-sickness tablets.
According to Space Adventures, as time passes the price of the trip will probably decrease. Space tourism will increase, and costs will go down. So I might be able to afford the trip in several hundred years, assuming I keep rolling over my CDs until then. If I save wisely, perhaps my great-grandchildren will be able to go, but as it stands right now I don’t have enough money to sneeze in the general direction of the spacecraft.
So you want a trip to the moon? Start saving your pennies. You could also start frequenting billionaire clubs and make some friends. Me? I’d rather handle a grumpy jellyfish.
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