There was once a time when travelling between different continents on Earth was simply not possible because such a feat wasn’t under our umbrella of capabilities but with time that changed and today people fly all over the world. 

The same has been true for space. We have been to the moon and are planning manned missions to Mars in a bid to create Civilisation 2.0 but still the ‘normal’ people who want to experience the wonders of space for themselves are all but left behind. 

Till now only astronauts have been able to witness the true magnificence of what lies out there and we have only been able to read about it or watch it on the internet or the TV. The idea of space tourism has existed for a while now but the technology just wasn’t ready to do it in a very safe manner with affordable costs. 

But as is usually the case, our technological prowess keeps on improving with every passing year and now we are finally planning to realise the dream of space tourism giving rise to an entirely new meaning to the word ’travel.’

To The Moon

Elon Musk led SpaceX, has just made an announcement that it will be sending two private citizens around the moon. They have even paid an initial deposit for it. Of course, they would need to go for training and all the usual tests that astronauts go through, but this is huge that two private citizens will be able to take a trip around the moon.

The trip will take place in 2018, possibly in the last quarter of the year. This will be the first time in 46 years that humans will leave the lower Earth orbit and visit the Moon. The last manned mission took place in 1972. 

A lot of technologies had to come together to make this possible but perhaps one of the most important one is that of reusable rockets. Space travel have historically been very expensive costing in the billions because the rockets were a one time use thing. 

This is being changed by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origins both of which have developed reusable rockets. This means that the same rocket can be used again and again to carry humans out of the Earth just like how we reuse airplanes. 

This will drive the costs down significantly and will make space tourism in the reach of many. As years progress, it will only get cheaper and in the coming 50 years, maybe a common man will be able to see the moon or even Mars for himself and in the more distant future, say 100 years, it could be just as common as visiting different continents. Things like “Visa for Mars” may be commonly used then. 

Space really is the final frontier. 

If you want to see how SpaceX wants to make Space tourism and a human presence in space in general a possibility, check this video out:

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