The dream of hotels in space has been around unrealized for so long now that most of us have given up hope. In the 1960s, Pan Am established a waiting list for future flights to the moon, issuing free “First Moon Flights Club” membership cards to those who requested them. Perhaps a bit optimistic, no?
But it looks like our Star Trek-style dreams of holidaying on Mars could finally become a reality. A Russian company has unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a “cosmic hotel” for wealthy space tourists. Russia’s RIA news agency reports that Orbital Technologies aims to have its “comfortable” four-room guesthouse in orbit by 2016. Up until now, “space-holidays” have looked cramped, complicated and unstylish; let’s face it, space suits don’t look good on anybody. “Our planned module inside will not remind you of the ISS (International Space Station). A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at Earth through large portholes,” said Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies. The guests would live in luxury, or as close to it as you can get in a zero gravity space ship, with food suited to individual preferences. Organizers even said they were thinking of employing celebrity chefs to cook the meals before they were sent to space.
To be honest, NewsFeed still aren’t holding their breath for a summer holiday to the moon any time soon, but there’s no harm in dreaming. (via BBC)
