STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR MISSION
Going to space should be about more than just doing it for the ’gram. Aim higher. Like, life-alteringly higher.
“The experience of seeing the Earth and the universe it spins through with one’s own eyes, tends to shift a person’s internal worldview,” says David Beaver, co-founder and director of cognitive research at The Overview Institute, an organisation working to understand this existential shift and, believing it to be paramount to change our fate, make it happen for more people through media like virtual reality. Beaver stresses the significant impact this could have on humanity as a whole, particularly given that “the current state of the world is increasingly turning towards greater separatism at the very time that world-scale threats are increasing.”
Beaver’s comments echo those made by astronauts throughout history. Sunita Williams, who has spent a total of 321 days in space throughout her career as an astronaut, has said, “You don’t see any borders between countries from space. That’s manmade, and one experiences it only when you return to Earth.” Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man on the moon, said of his experience, “There was a startling recognition that the nature of the universe was not as I had been taught … I not only saw the connectedness, I felt it. I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally extending out into the cosmos.”
Could shooting off into the far corners of the universe be the best way to help us understand the importance of togetherness on Earth? If you’re the type who likes to travel and come back changed, a journey to space might just scratch that existential itch. to see the curvature of earth against the blackness of space. These short “hops” into space, lasting about 2.5 hours, will make space tourism available at a lower price point, and with far less time and preparation required. The price for a ride with Virgin Galactic is US$250,000.
For more ambitious adventurers, orbital travel, like what Tito and Shuttleworth experienced while travelling on the ISS, is a lot more complicated, requiring extensive training and preparation, and, as such, is astronomically more expensive. To orbit 200 km above Earth, a spacecraft must travel at an astounding speed of 28,000 km/h. By comparison, a suborbital flight will travel at an average of 6,000 km/h, while a commercial aeroplane travels at about 925 km/h, so there’s not only turbulence to reckon with but also g-force. And be prepared to bring some extra traveller’s cheques. Both Tito and Shuttleworth shelled out US$20 million for the trip of a lifetime, and they both say it was worth every penny.