This article is focused on the future of space vacations, what you hope it might be and if a space vacation might be for you!
To set the context, assume that travel from earth to space and back again is just as safe and affordable as commercial airlines are today. Also assume that major hotel chains have recently constructed space hotels in orbit around earth and the moon, and also on the surface of the moon.
So let’s jump into it, here are some topics to contemplate and explore…
Does the idea of you traveling to space excite you, or fill you with fear? Why?
Would you want to be among the first to book a space hotel vacation? If not, how long would you wait before trying to book?
What would you be worried about if you decided to take a space hotel vacation? What would you look forward to?
If you had to sign a liability waiver in order to buy a ticket to a space hotel, would you? Why or why not?
What space hotel location would you prefer to visit? Orbiting the Earth? Orbiting the moon? On the moon’s surface? Why?
How long would you like your space vacation to be and why? How much time would you be willing to devote to ground-based training before embarking for your space vacation?
What would you pack in your suitcase for your stay in a space hotel?
What type of activities would you expect to be available for you to do at an earth orbital space hotel? If the hotel’s only activities are experiencing zero gravity and views of earth, how would that influence your decision to book a vacation at the space hotel? What if they also offered private rooms specially equipped to allow guests to safely engage in zero gravity sex? What if they also offered an opportunity to walk in space?
Once you’re settled into your orbital space hotel room, what is the first thing you would want to try in zero gravity? What activity would you be most apprehensive about doing in zero gravity?
What do you think it will take to make a space hotel successful? What do you think would make it a failure?
What type of things do you think could go wrong that could endanger your life? What type of safety features would you expect the space hotel to provide for you?
On Earth we all live in a particular time zone. In space there are no time zones. Some religions have rituals to be performed on specific days or specific times. If this affects you, how do you accommodate your religious obligations?
If you were to die during your visit to the space hotel, would you want them to return your body to earth or give you a burial in space (or a burial on the moon if that’s the space hotel you were at)?
If you knew that there was a 60 to 80% probability that you will experience space motion sickness for two or more days during your space vacation – how would that influence your thinking?
If you knew that there would be a chance that you might develop cancer sometime in the future due to radiation exposure during your space vacation – how would that influence your thinking?
