Space Tourism Is Getting Interesting (...And Weird)

Girl looking out of spaceship window — Getty

For less than a century, humans have been sending objects, both organic or inorganic, into space. We have not yet managed to travel beyond our galaxy, but our descendants will possibly find a way to travel to distant galaxies in the future.

Though human exploration of space is in its infancy, how we nurture the infancy of space exploration will determine its maturity for future generations. We must consider the opportunities space exploration presents to us now and how we can use those opportunities to prepare for a better life for future generations.

Here are nine innovative, and sometimes strange ways, some companies are preparing now for the future of space exploration.

The Scent Of Space

To most people, the smell of burnt cookies brings back memories of baking and burning cookies for the holidays or other special occasions. But to astronauts, the smell of burnt cookies or lingering gun powder (depending on their childhood activities) may remind them of the smell of space.

For more than a decade, NASA has used the smell of space in-field training to prep astronauts for any unusual events they may experience in space. But now a team of people in the fashion, tech, design, and logistics fields are bottling the smell of space in a scent called “Eau de Space” and bringing it to the general public.

Space Elevators

In 1895, when Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky visited Paris, he was inspired by the sight of the newly constructed Eiffel Tower and imagined constructing a space elevator. He based his concept on designing a compression structure built to run along a free-standing tower from the earth to the height of the geostationary orbit.

Now, more than a century later, while humans’ chosen mode of transportation to outer space is the shuttle, companies like Obayashi, are reimagining space elevators. Modern designs consist of Carbon nanotube composite ribbon running from a giant platform in the middle of the ocean into space, and Obayashi hopes to start transporting people into space by 2050.

Space Luggage

The world’s youngest astronaut in training, Alyssa Carson, collaborated with Berlin-based, Horizn Studios, to develop a concept for a smart, carbon fibre suitcase suitable for space tourism.

Carson is said to be on track to be the first person to set foot on Mars and the concept luggage they developed is called HORIZN ONE, the world’s first luggage for space travel. What will you pack when you go to space?

Space Agriculture

With the desire for any type of exploration comes the need for supplies, and food is a supply we must consider for long term space exploration. That is why U.S. Air Force Colonel Nick Hague is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) studying how to grow plants in space.

Right now, astronauts carry processed, pre-packaged astronaut food that contains the required nutrients. The difficulty with making space food is the research and development costs required for it to meet the many necessary criteria. Growing plants in a zero-gravity environment also comes with challenges, but NASA and Hague are determined to keep astronauts and other space explorers well fed.

High-Altitude Space Balloons

Starting in 2021, one space focused startup company, Space Perspective, will start sending scientific research payloads into space via a balloon called “Spaceship Neptune.” The intent of “SpaceShip Neptune,” which will reach a height of 30 miles, is that it will carry eight passengers at a time on six-hour flights within about the next three-and-a-half years.

While passengers traveling to sub-orbital space via “Spaceship Neptune” will not experience weightlessness, they will hover above 99% of our atmosphere for two hours. And during that time, they will enjoy a panoramic view of earth and the stars from a cabin with wrap-around windows.

Space Burial (Yes, Just Like Spock)

Another part of life we do not always like to talk or think about is death, but one company wants to help families honor the deceased in space while also aiding in mankind’s space exploration. Enter Space Coffins, which is literally working on space coffins.

While the idea of space burial my seem far fetched to some, this company is hoping to make it a reality w/ an interesting twist. Per Space Coffins, they offer a space-age alternative to traditional options by organizing the preparation, celebration, and shipping of a person's body to travel through space on a trajectory of their choosing. The coffin is designed to protect their body in peace while collecting data & broadcasting. Any data collected by the coffin can be donated or commercialized to further space exploration.

In essence, you can check in on Grandpa Joe’s voyage thru space in the afterlife, which is transmitting data & is probably connecting to other interstellar coffins.

Their co-founder Chris Johnson says the company wants to change the Death Care industry from a negative expense to something positive for that person & mankind. He also sees it as a way for everyone to have a chance to participate in the Space Industry and help space start-ups & companies gain funding.

So after reading this, does a space coffin seem so far fetched?

Space Hotels

While NASA works on making long-term and long-distance space travel more convenient, Voyager Station plans to make space exploration more comfortable. The station is planned for a polar orbit (sun-synchronous) launch and it would the first of a new class of large rotating space stations that are luxurious and have artificial gravity, in some ways making it the first space hotel.

Along with using this space hotel, which will feature 24 individual pods and accommodate 400 guests, for luxury stays, they hope to also use it for educational seminars. Voyager Station hopes to attract 100 guests every week, as well as they plan to build a much larger space hotel that will accommodate 1400 guests.

Space Billboards

A Russian startup called StartRocket is working on creating and launching an orbital display or billboard that will beam ads from space. They would do this using an array of cubesats, but have gotten pushback from scientists, researchers, and even advertising professionals. We’re not sure that humanity really needs space ads.

Space Potty

While for-profit companies imagine ways to explore space in profitable ways, NASA is giving anyone the chance to make space exploration more practical. A few months after the toilet paper crisis of 2020, NASA’s Lunar Loo Challenge gives anyone the opportunity to ensure astronauts and Astro-tourists never experience an out of this world crisis.

The Lunar Loo Challenge consists of a $35,000 prize that will be split between the top three designs (by individuals or teams of people over 18 years of age) for a toilet for the Artemis astronauts. There is a junior division, but they will only receive public recognition and an official NASA item.

To Explore Space and Beyond

With as much as we don’t yet know about our own planet, one must wonder how far our exploration of the final frontier of space will extend. Future generations may explore parallel galaxies, discover what is on the other side of a black hole, and walk on the surfaces of more planets.

For those who watched Star Trek, you may remember the opening words of almost every episode, “Space: The Final Frontier . . . .” Captain James T Kirk said those words at the beginning of all but two episodes of the original Star Trek. In this first century of space exploration, we will see innovation beyond our wildest imagination as companies and individuals continue to pioneer this final frontier.

And to quote Captain Jean Luc Picard, “Things are only impossible until they're not."

Search This Blog

Snowflake's Forum