Have you ever thought about going to space? Many of us have dreamt about being an astronaut and going to outer worlds. But what if I tell you that in future you won’t have to be a professional to go out there?
According to ResearchGate, “Space journeys seem to be a great adventure and a new era of space tourism is coming. Positive trends and the progress made in this domain suggest that space tourism could become a factor of space popularization1”
In this article, I’ll discuss transcending limits with space tourism: the future of travel.
Journeying Beyond Earth
Over time, we have evolved a lot, and now we are exploring things outside our natural habitat, and if we look back centuries ago no one would’ve thought that there would be a time when we’ll be walking on different planets.
But we are doing so now, we’ve explored the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Now we are looking for ways where people can go and take a tour of these places. New technologies are in development which would make this possible.
Space tourism is going to be another big step taken by humans, and it will be marked in history. So far only professionals like astronauts have been able to go out, but in the near future ordinary people can go out into the cosmos for a vacation or as I like to say “spacecation.”
Key Developments in Space Tourism
There have been several key developments in space tourism, including:
Use of AI
AI has become a major part of all the industries and our daily lives. Space tourism is no exception as Artificial Intelligence is shaping it by creating safe flight paths, and monitoring/maintaining spacecraft systems.
AI is also giving space training to tourists so that they’ll remain at ease there. AI has been used to increase safety and efficiency. Timely and predictive maintenance would be done so there would be no issue with the aircraft.
University’s Offering Space Tourism Courses
Institutes like Brown University offer courses on space tourism, so the upcoming generation can come up with new ideas on how it could be improved. MIT on the other hand is finding new engine designs and fuel sources to uplift their propulsion systems.
You might wonder who owns the most market share of space tourism. In the infographic below, you can find that out.
Economic and Environmental Development
As space tourism is expanding, it is also paying close attention to economic and environmental development. With the rise in this sector, people are met with new jobs, attract investment, and drive innovation.
Researchers and developers are trying to find new ways so they can limit leaving behind carbon footprints in the space and anticipate higher levels of space particulates.
The Future of Space Travel
So far, we’ve successfully landed on the Moon and managed to send different robots to Mars and Venus. It’s safe to say that we are on the right path. In the future, humans will go to other planets instead of sending robots.
With the help of human spaceflight and robotic spacecraft, we’ll travel in outer space. Exploring the solar system by yourself sounds like a daydream, right? But this is the future of space travel.
Potential Challenges in Space Exploration
There are several challenges that we might face during space exploration. Like:
- Space Radiation: It’s invisible to us, but it is dangerous. For example, if you are exposed to it, there’s a risk of cognitive impairment, damage to the skin/eyes, increased chances of cancer, and more. Even though there are specialized suits for this, it might still not be enough.
- Lack of Gravity: As u may already know there is less gravity in space which could result in distorted vision, motion sickness, and loss of bones/muscles.
- Temperature: Outer space is cold, the average temperature is -270 degrees Celsius. Humans cant survive it.
- Isolation: Going to outer space with a group of people and living in a small place for a while is not for everyone. It can be suffocating to many individuals.
These are just a few of the challenges that we’ll face during space exploration. Yes, they can be overcome, but right now it’s still a work in progress.
DID YOU KNOW?
NASA is planning on sending humans to Mars by 2039!
Final Take
While space tourism is going to happen, we still don’t know when. Several things need to be done, and are we ready to explore outer space on our own? I don’t think so, right? Everything needs to be perfect, or it could be fatal.
No one is in a hurry, developers, and researchers can take their time. But, yes, that day isn’t so far when we’ll be able to go to the moon or Mars and not to gather data but to enjoy it.
