Space Tourism 101: How to Prepare to Fly Around the Moon

SpaceX – Fly Across the Moon – 2018

It can be a rare privilege going to space but it evolves a lot of hard work. This was only restricted to the prosperous government having the expertise who had the funds in making trips into space wherein these trips were for the extremely well trained astronauts in the highest physical form. Presently a 14 year old company, SpaceX had made a brave historic announcement disclosing their intention to fly two average Joes all across the moon in 2018.

Vacation in space has now become a business affair just like the purchase of tickets to an African safari. According to Charles Simonyi who had travelled to the International Space Station with the Russian cosmonauts as a tourist in 2007, commented that the tourists have recognized a new low standard for flying in space.

Some non-astronauts have cut deals with Russia in making such a trip and a teacher had been on the ill-fated Challenger in the year 1986. However, no space tourist has ventured as far as proposed by SpaceX. Since the final Apollo mission in 1972, it would be for the first time that any person has been beyond the low earth orbit that is in actual fact the threshold of space.

Eight Months of Training – Russia

Later in the year, the SpaceX customers would be beginning their training and will have to complete their health and fitness tests. Nothing has been mentioned by SpaceX regarding the process though it is likely to be quite demanding.

 It had been narrated to CNNTech by some space tourists about the months of training they had undergone in order to make their trips. The first space tourist, Dennis Tito had described his journey of 2001 as eight days of solid excitement, the best of his life. He thinks of the trip daily. However before the space trip there had been eight months of training most of which had been spent in Russia.

In one of the memorable experience, Tito had been trained by the Russians to use an unusual weapon which had resembled a sawed off shotgun that could fire flares, shotgun shells and rifle bullets. Tito being no marksman had put in his best efforts to fire precisely during the target practice.

G Forces/Sudden Speeding – Stress Bodies

The handle of the weapon a leather covering could be removed to expose a machete. It was believed that if the capsule of Tito had returned to Earth in an unexpected area he probably would need the same to defend himself.

Tito had also mentioned that some of the treasured training he underwent was in experiencing G forces, sudden speeding up which tends to stress the bodies. He was of the belief that it was necessary for space tourist to spend time spinning in a centrifuge. His landing on the Earth had not gone as intended and he experienced more G forces than planned and the training got him over and done with.

The tourists of SpaceX are undertaking a risky trip though it does not seem to be easing the workload for the space tourists. As per SpaceX, the capsule which they will be flying in would be entirely autonomous. The rocket which tends to propel it to space would probably return to Earth landing upright, to be reused on a future journey.