14 DAY TRIAL // Space tourism is becoming increasingly popular and some people hope it will become the next big attraction and maybe the ideal family vacation, sometime in the near future. The main problem about space is how much it costs to get there: it's too expensive! At around $20 million to go out in space, it's not an affordable ride for mere mortals.
However, some companies say the most popular destinations for space tourism won't be in outer space itself, but right here on Earth. For example, 1.5 million people pass everyday through Kennedy Space Center's visitor complex and will definitely increase after the opening of the Shuttle Launch Experience, the center's virtual space ride, on May 26.
In a few years, a new space attraction will draw tourists from around the world and the best thing is that it won't actually be in space, but on Earth. Space-themed attractions could morph into working spaceports - where crowds of tourists can watch real-life space fliers as they train for the trip of a lifetime.
A company called Spaceport is planning to open two space centers, in Singapore and in the United Arab Emirates. They will be actual launch facilities that will house suborbital spaceships yet to be built, but will also offer Earth-based activities that will give visitors the experience of space.
The theme parks/spaceports will include spaceship simulators, interactive exhibits and displays of rocket replicas, just like today's space museums and visitors will be able to take a ride in a zero-gravity airplane flight, and even a realistic space training camp with centrifuge and underwater simulations of zero gravity.
In the near future, tourists could watch the actual preparations for the flights and even take a front seat for the take off.
The investment for building a full-fledged suborbital space operation is around $115 million for Singapore alone, but the builders are confident that profits will soon come, after this type of attraction becomes more popular among vacation lovers and space enthusiasts.