This is a question I have always thought about. How cool would it be to be able to casually travel to the Moon! With the speed of technology adaptation and the continuous discoveries about Space and Space exploration becoming more and more frequent the possibility of opening space travel to the general public isn't just a dream but could be a reality in the very distant future.
Obviously there are a lot of things to consider such as; how much would it cost to travel through Space? and where could we travel too? What kind of transport would there be? Would we need training before going? All these questions are important to know and I would like to point out that any answers I give is just speculation and my opinions.
Firstly, i can only imagine how expensive space travel for the public would be. I mean now it costs around 450 million for one NASA Space mission so imagine the cost to travel there as a tourist. There would be a number of expenses for a traveller including the flight and travel insurance would be a must and expensive. When i think about how much it would cost I always think that it will be for the rich but this may not be true. Think about how travelling by boat use to be expensive and for the rich and now its a common mode of transport for anyone and a great holiday idea. And the same with planes. Flights are generally still expensive but there are budget options and different classes that people can fly. This could be the same for Space Travel. It will probably still be expensive but if there were budget options and different classes then i think it will eventually be for everyone.
But where could we travel to? Movies like The Martian and A Space Between Us shows us life on Mars being possible and pretty awesome but travelling to Mars is still only a dream for us. However, the Moon is a big possibility because astronauts have been travelling there for decades. Could a holiday on the Moon work? If humans were able to build places that could replicate life on Earth then maybe, but we wouldn't be able to go outside without a spacesuit.
How to get there is another obvious question. Again, the Martian shows a nice big Spaceship that could fit a lot of people so that could be an option. I imagine something similar in layout to an aeroplane but with the aerodynamics of a space shuttle so it could tolerate space travel.
I feel like training would be an absolute must. Space travel is so unpredictable even as there are more discoveries everyday it is impossible to know what to expect and everyone going would need the training of an astronaut in order to travel through space safely. Even if we talk about this idea in the long-term future I think it would definitely be a requirement of going.
Obviously there are a lot more questions that need to be answered but if i talked about them all now this post would go on forever so stay tuned for a part 2! As always, leave a comment with your thoughts.