Space tourism – what you need to know

about taking a trip into space

Fancy a holiday that’s out of this world? Wannabe astronauts are signing up for trips into
space with companies like Virgin Galactic. Here’s how you could join the queue…
Taking a trip to outer space might be the stuff of sci-fi for most of us, but soon it could be a
viable holiday destination.

A number of companies are offering to take tourists on a trip to space. While the fares are
suitably astronomical, no scientific qualifications are needed, although you may have to undergo
fitness tests and training ahead of your flight. Interested in signing up? Read on for all you need
to know.

What is space tourism?

It’s exactly what it sounds like – space travel for the man or woman in the street. Soon it won’t
only be Nasa-trained astronauts who can experience the wonder of space travel, but us mere
mortals too. You won’t need any science qualifications either, as a fully-trained crew will be on
hand to make sure your journey goes smoothly.

Who is involved in space tourism flights?

A few different companies are pioneering space tourism. The most well-known is probably
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which has been talking about taking civilians to space for
years now. More recently, SpaceX – started by Elon Musk, co-founder of the Tesla electric car
company – has vowed to take two tourists on a trip around the moon. Then there’s Blue
Origin, which was founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Is there any history of space tourism?
Throughout the early 2000s, the Russian Space Agency took seven paying members of the public
into space. It cancelled the programme in 2010 when the end of Nasa’s Space Shuttle
programme meant the US agency needed seats aboard Russian flights to send its astronauts to the
International Space Station.

So what’s different this time around?

While the Russian Space Agency let a handful of ‘space tourists’ join flights that were already
planned, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin are all private companies, set up with the sole
purpose of taking members of the public into space. These companies’ flights will be purely for
tourism purposes, and promise to take a much more diverse bunch of people out of Earth’s
atmosphere.
When does space tourism begin?
SpaceX has announced it will fly two paying tourists around the moon in 2018. The lucky pair
have already paid a deposit, and will undergo fitness tests and start training later this year. “Like
the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and
dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal spirit of exploration,” the firm said in a blog
post.

Like SpaceX, Blue Origin’s New Shepard (below) is more of your standard rocket that takes off
and lands vertically. Its interior capsule is 530 cubic feet – that’s big enough for six astronauts,
with ample space for the obligatory weightless somersaults. It also claims to have the biggest
windows of any spacecraft, which should help when you’re taking in the view.
How can you become a space tourist?
“What’s exciting is that anyone can go, as long as they’re physically fit,” says Tamela Maciel
from the National Space Centre in Leicester.
While Virgin Galactic doesn’t reveal the identities of its ‘Future Astronauts’, as it calls them, it
does give us some details. Ages vary between 10 and 90 years old, they come from diverse
backgrounds, speak a variety of languages and practice a huge range of professions. The only
thing they have in common is a desire to go to space.

What will space tourism be like?

You’ll need to brace yourself, as space travel is quite demanding physically. “In the first 24
hours you feel really nauseous and dizzy,” Maciel says. “You don’t know which way is up.
You’re trying to adjust to floating around, you feel all the blood in your head because it’s not
being pulled down by gravity, you feel really disoriented. But it’s amazing how quickly the body
adjusts.”

Then when you get back to Earth, you’ll feel very heavy – astronauts returning from long stays
on the ISS say just holding their heads up is an effort because their neck muscles haven’t had to
work for months. But if you’re only up there a short while, readjusting to life on Earth shouldn’t
be too hard.

Thankfully the fitness tests and training schedule the companies put you through should prepare
you for all this. All that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the view.