Our lives inch closer and closer to our sci-fi dreams every day, from driverless cars on the streets to the iPhones in our pockets (as near to a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as we can hope to get!). If you can imagine it – those boffins will deliver it sooner or later. And so, as we approach the age of space tourism, it’s time to think about strapping yourself in for the final frontier. Which stars and planets do you hope to step foot on in your lifetime?
The moon is perhaps the most feasible destination, given the time some professional space travelers have spent there already. At under 400,000km from Earth, it’s just a hop away these days – and you’ll hop plenty once you get there: the gravity is less than a fifth as strong as that on our home planet.
Humankind also has some representatives on Mars right now, although they are of the robotic variety. Those remote-controlled rovers are doing their best to figure out what that planet is all about, and have even upturned evidence that the planet may have supported life in the past. As Matt Damon discovered in The Martian (2015), it’s certainly good for growing potatoes! Who will be the first to serve fries there when Elon Musk finally completes his plan for a Martian settlement?
An inspiring new infographic from Expedia explores several such possibilities of space tourism to different destinations in the stars. With several of them already inhabited or explored, it really is just a matter of time before the average space geek gets a chance to mingle with the alien gases of far-off worlds. So tighten your dressing gown, stick that Babel fish in your ear, and get ready for take-off – but above all, never forget those sage words of advice: Don’t Panic!
