Nasa to open International Space Station to tourists

[brooklynite]

Source: BBC

Nasa is to allow tourists to visit the International Space Station from 2020, priced at $35,000 (£27,500) per night.

The US space agency said it would open the orbiting station to tourism and other business ventures.

There will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, the deputy director of the ISS.

Nasa said that private astronauts would be permitted to travel to the ISS for up to 30 days, travelling on US spacecraft.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48560874

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Is there valet parking?

[BootinUp]

1. Is there good food and drinks? Nt

[jpak]

7. Tang, jerky and freeze-dried ice cream

[Maeve]

23. Bet Mitch will try to get the franchise for Dippin Dots!

Headquarters are in Paducah, KY

[htuttle]

2. Is he planning to brand it with a gaudy TRUMP sign?

[jmowreader]

3. Is travel to the ISS included?

[Dave Starsky]

5. There might be a travel package.

I'll call Triple-A!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. I thought I saw a price of 50 mil for the ride, then 35k per night.

Hopefully, the 50 million is a round-trip ticket.

It's probably more, if you want a seat with leg room.

[atreides1]

4. Uh huh

What US spacecraft????

[jmowreader]

10. SpaceX and Boeing are building human rated spacecraft.

[truthisfreedom]

12. Perhaps SpaceX?

[blugbox]

6. Get ready for never ending weird smells...

and odd build-ups of bacteria, and whatever else you can think of when you introduce untrained masses into a contained environment.

Don't get me wrong... I love the idea of space hotels. The ISS was not built for those sort of working conditions.

[jmowreader]

11. I read the article

Anyone wanting to fly to ISS will have to go to astronaut school.

[blugbox]

14. Totally.

This is extremely high risk, so they would need significant training at this stage in our space ventures.

I just don't think they would put as much care into small details like otherwise insignificant smells, like the astronauts that are stuck there for half a year at a time.

[lagomorph777]

8. My Dog that's horrifying.

Unless, say, a Trump were to visit and do the Spacewalk Package...you know, those are kinda dangerous...

[Nitram]

15. Trump would never go into space, due to his congenital cowardice and his utter

lack of curiosity. Plus, there's no golf.

[lagomorph777]

16. Don't show him this, then.

[keithbvadu2]

20. Not a Trump golf course.

[lagomorph777]

28. Not yet.

[paulkienitz]

22. tell him he can hit a golf ball around the world

[More_Cowbell]

9. It seems like it should cost more than that. nt

[blugbox]

13. The trip there still costs the big bux

Probably makes the nightly costs seem like pocket change to anyone who can actually afford this haha

[lagomorph777]

17. About the same as a night at Trump Emoluments Hotel in DC.

Coincidence?

[blugbox]

19. Haha right?

Pocket change for the people who can afford it... and likewise, it won't be the price of the room that "costs them".

[More_Cowbell]

27. Ah! I didn't even think of that

Thanks! that makes sense

[blugbox]

29. Yeah no problem!

In fact, fuel costs are pretty much the last hurdle for major space expansion. It just costs a ton of money to defeat earth's gravity haha!

That is why innovations like SpaceX's reusable rockets are so important. Getting us into space cheaper is the key.

If we are somehow able to set up a moon base as like a staging area for longer trips, we would only be concerned with the moon's low gravity, and it has a negligent atmosphere. Fun stuff to dream about!

[Mr.Bill]

18. So happy that my tax dollars

can provide a playground for the ultra rich.

[paulkienitz]

21. given that Blue Origin and Virgin are charging six or eight times the price

for a far shorter trip, Nasa is probably throwing away money here.

[3Hotdogs]

24. Boing will be one of the tour operators.

What could go wrong?

[DeminPennswoods]

25. Can the Trumps be the first visitors?

Maybe we can just lose their return ticket.