Yes, what you read here is very much true. Space travel is a reality now, and there are many companies that have already started up to explore this industry, examples being Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace. In fact, as per the market studies, this industry, which is yet to be explored to its fullest potential, is all set to grow exponentially over the next century.
Space tourism – what is it?
There have been a lot of fictional stories and movies made over the years based upon Space travel and exploration, the famous being Star Trek and the Star Wars. As you can infer from the name, Space tourism is the travel to space by humans for business and recreational purposes.
If you are wondering whether this is possible, you would be delighted to know that NASA has already confirmed on opening up the international space station for business and tourism at a price, of course. In fact, the businessman Dennis Tito was the first of the tourists to pay a visit to the International space station way back in 2001. In fact, we can trace back the travel to space even before that to the year 1967 when Barron Hilton wanted to open a hotel on the moon.
While space tourism as a concept sounds profitable and equally exciting, there is also apprehension on how it will fare for everyone. Let us now take a brief look at the various pros and cons of Space travel as we see it today.
The best of space tourism
It is undeniable that space holds mysteries, and there is always an intrigue surrounding space travel, which makes it even more lucrative. Until now, the majority of the people to have visited space are astronauts who were there for research purposes.
The very notion of being able to explore those parts of the universe to which others have not been privy to is very exciting. Apart from being an excitable journey, there are also other advantages of space tourism which makes it a business to consider for the future.
- From a scientific and an explorer standpoint, there are many truths to be discovered in our universe, and space travel paves the way to do so.
- It helps us prepare well for threats from outer space and other hazards that can cause damage to lives on Earth.
- Furthermore, when we are trying to explore the options to reach out to space, we also cultivate the innovation with which the lives on Earth can be made better.
- With satellites, we have been able to tap into many other natural resources on our earth. Imagine having the chance to explore outer space and finding more resources that could make our lives on this planet better.
And of course, there are plenty of job opportunities awaiting those who want to venture into this industry, and there will be plenty more created in the future.
What could go wrong?
There is always a flip side to every process, and so is space travel or space tourism.
- The cost is among the biggest to consider for space travel. Not everyone will be able to afford it, and it will be a luxury reserved only for the richest of the rich. And it is not just the cost of travel but is also true for the cost of the launch to setup for travel which is the main driver for the total cost.
- The launching process itself is a big danger where the space travelers are strapped onto the seats and launched at an undefinable speed in the rocket, defying gravity. This needs travelers to be in prime health and have no underlying medical conditions before traveling.
- There are also other natural dangers that await you in outer space. For instance, there is no atmosphere to filter out the radiation from the sun.
- There is, of course, the constant uncertainty on whether we will make it to the destination and back. From past experiences, we can say that it has not always been a two-way trip for the astronauts.
Despite the above drawbacks, space travel is still a venue open to exploration. We have come a long way from the first time we landed on the moon and now having our space stations up there. While space travel itself may not happen instantly, we are on the path to finding a pragmatic solution to make it into space safely. We cannot lose sight of the hope and still keep all other factors into consideration as we, as an entire human race, venture out to explore the unknown.
References:
https://www.trendytourism.com/space-travel/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48560874
https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/space-tourism/
https://futureofworking.com/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-space-exploration/
