Megan McArthur who is an Astronaut working for NASA, recently warned the future space tourists. With technology advancing a bit further every day, Space tourism is now emerging as an industry. Spaceflights are being sold to the wealthy classes. As of now, two crews of tourists are to go on a trip to the space with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship. It is fascinating and risky at the same time. Megan focuses on the risky part, knowing about the technicalities of such space journeys.
List of warnings by Megan McArthur
- Firstly, she wants the rich passengers to stop expecting the journey to be comfortable and glamorous, simply because it is not. It can definitely baffle anyone but it is not going to be smooth like a normal trip to mountains.
- The discomfort is a part of the experience and in no way can anyone expect a luxurious way up there. People taking the journey would not be able take a bath or sleep comfortably on a bed. The most disgusting part comes when someone has to use the loo. There is a lot of compromise one has to do in that case. Simple daily tasks seem a lot more complex.
- Microgravity is yet another factor to which humans are not acquainted. One could argue saying lifting heavier objects would be much easier in space due to microgravity. However, there are several uneasy sides of it. For instance, swallowing toothpaste because spitting it out will make the liquids float all around. Moreover, the tourists will have to fit themselves inside small compartments so that they don’t float away.
- Tourists also have to bear in mind that nit all spaceflights are successful. The risk involved is much higher than an aeroplane flight. Spaceflight can never be treated like an aeroplane flight. U.S. has witnessed fatal spaceflight accidents, that occupy 1% of total.
- To prepare for such an unusual tour, one has to prepare well, physically as well as mentally. Training involves climbing on top of mountains such as Washington’s Mount Rainier. This specific location has been selected for training of the first crew to travel space. As told by one of the travellers that the food and the temperature are terrible on mountains. Now imagine how harder it will get in the space.
There are several other concerns of being inside a spaceflight and actually flying into the space. But does that stop the millennials from taking the trip to space? Of course, no. It is their increasing demand in spite of the risk involved that led to the creation of the new sphere of space tourism. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are the two private companies producing spaceships and rockets. We already have our first space tourists Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos. The suborbital flight tickets are being sold and booked, opening a scope of huge profits for this newly emerged industry.
In fact, plans are being formulated on creating a human colony in Mars. This is one of the reasons why Elon Musk says he founded Blue Origin in 2000 and SpaceX in 2002. The spaceflights are a step towards his ultimate goal in association with NASA which has plans of marking a permanence in human presence on moon and Mars.
Future Space Tours
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship is all set to be launched next month. It will take Jared Isaacman along with three other important members to the space – Air Force vet and Engineer Chris Sembroski, Physician-assistant Hayley Arceneaux and Dr. Sian Proctor, a scientist and analogue Astronaut.
Next year, in the month of January, the flight named AX-1 is to be launched by Axiom Space. The company will build a private space station for its launch. The members of the crew include Larry Connor who is a real-estate investor, Canadian investor Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe, former fighter from Israel. The mission will be commanded by former NASA Astronaut and now Axiom Space’s Vice President Michael Lopez Alegria. This crew is to dock at ISS for 8 days.
