• Question: In the future would humans be able to go to Mars or the Moon for a holiday?

    Asked by lucyy to Adam, Geoff, Rob, Sheila, Suzie on 15 Mar 2011 in Categories: . This question was also asked by maddiee, goatscheese.
    • Photo: Adam Tuff

      Adam Tuff answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      I think this might actually be closer than we think! There are already plans for a commercial space ship that will take people into space for a while, then back to Earth (but the tickets are extremely expensive!). I think in one-hundred years time our great grandchildren will probably be going on holidays to the moon, or at least around the moon! It will probably be very expensive though!

    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      If you are rich! 😉

    • Photo: Robert Simpson

      Robert Simpson answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      I think this will probably happen. First we need to go there and set up camp, then we need to figure out how to make the trip bearable (it could be a six month voyage!). Before that, I think that holidays in orbit will be quite common. there are already people trying to put hotels in orbit 🙂

    • Photo: Geoff McBride

      Geoff McBride answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      I think it’s a bit far for a holiday. I’m actually at a workshop on micro gravity with the UK Space Agency. I have popped in to my office to answer a few questions. The conditions in space are very challenging for astronauts. It’s not good for your bones, heart, and eys to name a few problems.

    • Photo: Suzie Sheehy

      Suzie Sheehy answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      I don’t know, but I really hope so!
      The main problem might be the amount of radiation that people are exposed to. Even on earth you get more radiation the higher up you go (so a long-haul flight gives you a higher dose than staying on the ground, but no-where near dangerous levels!)
      The Apollo astronauts, without knowing it, managed to time each mission for days with little solar activity and so didn’t receive big radiation doses. There is one case where an astronaut missed a big dose by just one day! I find it amazing that they just did that by a complete fluke!

      Nowdays we’d have to time missions for periods of low solar activity and put in some pretty heavy shielding so that the astronauts (or public!) didn’t get a high radiation dose when they went to the Moon or Mars.

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