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Space Tourism, Here We Come!
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 I remember being extremely excited as a child when our class visited the planetarium. Looking through the telescope and getting a closer look at the stars and other heavenly bodies - wow! Now imagine, if a simple look-see through the telescope can be so cool, how much cooler do you think it would be to see these heavenly bodies really 'up, close and personal'? Yes, that may be possible earlier than you think - courtesy the amazing advances in the concept of space tourism!
The year was 2001 when Mr. Tito (a millionaire, no... make that billionaire) from the US decided he wanted to experience what outer space was like and approached NASA to send him there. Obviously, with no qualifications and certainly no training to survive in outer space, his proposal was rejected. However, $20 million and a huge political row later, Tito got what he wanted and spent 8 days in outer space at the International Space Station. The first space tourist had been born!
Yes, not everyone can fork over 20 million dollars for the experience of a lifetime. But, since there are quite a few people around the world for whom such an amount is pocket change, the idea of space tourism took off and is now all set to become a reality. This is what you can look forward to in the next few years:
Suborbital Space Tours
As early as 2009, Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures and other such companies involved in space tourism may start offering suborbital space tours. While these tours won't exactly take you into outer space, they will take you 100 kms into the sky to the very edge of space. Here, you will feel the same weightlessness that one does in space and will be able to see the Earth sitting like a globe on your desk. And the best part - you won't have to shell out nearly as much as Mr. Tito, just a measly (phew!) $100,000!
Space Hotels
Would you be satisfied with a flight to outer space where you have to experience a new world inside your space craft, or would you actually like to live in space for a few days? Because the answer is so glaringly obvious, space companies are doing all they can to make housing and lodging available in outer space. Luxurious hotels may come up in space by 2012 if Bigelow Aerospace has its way. One thing you can be certain of - these hotels will literally be 'out-of-this-world'!
So you see, with the dream of space tourism all set to become a reality, already thousands of prospective Mr. Tito's have registered with various space companies to become space tourists. And for the rest of us who will wait till the price of a ticket into outer space becomes more affordable, here's what we can do in the meantime.
Visit the Kennedy Space Centre
The Kennedy Space Centre in the US sees millions of visitors every year, all of whom can see how astronauts prepare for space and know more about life outside Earth. But, with the launch of the latest Shuttle Launch Experience, you can now take a virtual space ride that feels exactly like a real jaunt into outer space!
Other space centres around the world (Singapore & UAE) are also going to offer Zero Gravity Airplane Rides in the very near future. Apart from that, you have the choice of being part of a realistic space camp, where you get to do underwater space training and circuits on a high-G centrifuge. Now is that cool or what?
So, the next time you are in any of these countries, do stop off at their space centres for an out-of-this-world experience; till the time you can make it into real space as a tourist of course!
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Ruchi Agarwal
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