Posted on 04/17/2018 11:47:38 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Are you ready for a luxury hotel in space? We all knew it was coming, even though it seems impossibly futuristic. But this time its not just science fiction; somebody actually has a plan.
The space hotel will be called Aurora Station and the company behind it is Orion Span, a Silicon Valley and Houston-based firm. Orion Span aims to deliver the astronaut experience to people, by delivering the people into space. The catch?
We developed Aurora Station to provide a turnkey destination in space. Upon launch, Aurora Station goes into service immediately, bringing travelers into space quicker and at a lower price point than ever seen before, while still providing an unforgettable experience Frank Bunger, CEO and founder of Orion Span.
First of all, a 12 day stay aboard Aurora Station for two people will cost $19 million US, or $9.5 million per person. Even so, you cant just buy a ticket and hop on board. Guests must also sign up for three months of Orion Span Astronaut Certification (OSAC). Then theyll be trained at a facility in Houston, Texas.
So once their cheque has cleared, and once theyre trained, what awaits guests on Aurora Station?
Aurora Station will orbit Earth at 320 km (200 m) and will make the trip around Earth every 90 minutes. If you do the math, thats 16 sunrises and sunsets each day, and guests will enjoy this slideshow for 12 days. Other than this compressed schedule of 96 sunsets and 96 sunrises during their 12 day stay, guests will also be treated to stunning views of the Earth rolling by underneath them, thanks to the unprecedented number of windows Aurora Station will have.
Aurora Station is the brain-child of Orion Spans CEO, Frank Bunger. We developed Aurora Station to provide a turnkey destination in space. Upon launch, Aurora Station goes into service immediately, bringing travelers into space quicker and at a lower price point than ever seen before, while still providing an unforgettable experience, said Bunger.
Guests wont be alone on the station, of course. The space hotel will have room for 6 people in total, meaning 4 guests and 2 crew. (You didnt think youd be alone up there, did you?) Each pair of guests will still have some alone time though, in what Orion Span calls luxurious private suites for two.
Theres no doubt that staying on a space hotel for 12 days will be the experience of a lifetime, but still, 12 days is a long time. The space station itself will be 5600 square feet, with two suites that can be configured to four. Each suite will be about the size of a small bedroom. Once youve gotten used to seeing Earth below you, and youre used to your suite, what will you do?
Well, therell be Wi-Fi of course. So if youre the type of person who gets bored of orbiting the only planet that we know of that hosts life, and the only planet on which every human civilization has lived and died on, you can always surf the web or watch videos. Aurora Station will also have a virtual-reality holodeck, the cherry-on-top for this science-fiction-come-to- life space resort.
But apparently, boredom wont be a problem. In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Orion Span CEO Frank Bunger said, We talked to previous space tourists, they said 10 days aboard the space station was not enough. Maybe the extra 2 days in space that Aurora Station guests will enjoy will be just the right amount.
As far as getting guests to the station, that will be up to other private space companies like SpaceX. SpaceX has plans to send tourists on trips around the Moon, and they have experience docking with the International Space Station, so they should be able to transport guests to and from a space hotel.
It doesnt seem like theres any shortage of customers. Aurora Station was introduced on April 5th 2018, and the first four months of reservations sold out within 72 hours, with each guest paying a deposit of $80,000 US.
Theres another side to Aurora Station, though. Other than just a nice get-away for people who can afford it, theres a research aspect to it. Orion Span will offer Aurora Station as a platform for micro-gravity research on a pay-as-you-go basis. It will also lease capacity for in-situ manufacturing and 3D printing research.
But Aurora Station would hardly be in the news if it was only a research endeavour. Whats got people excited is the ability to visit space. And maybe to own some real estate there.
Orion Span is designing Aurora Station to be expandable. They can attach more stations to the original without disrupting anything. And this leads us to Orion Spans next goal: space condos.
As it says on Orion Spans website, Like a city rising from the ground, this unique architecture enables us to build up Aurora Station in orbit dynamically on the fly and with no impact to the remainder of Aurora Station. As we add capacity, we will design in condos available for purchase.
I think we all knew this would happen eventually. If you have the money, you can visit space, and even own a condo there.
No word yet on what that will cost.
Write me when the more affordable Motel 6 version is launched
supply chain could be a problem - especially if space truckers strike
Supplies no problem. Just tell the replicator ( or obama) what you want and it will be gug n to you instant gratification
If Motel 6 overbooks, they find you another motel nearby.
If THIS one overbooks, someone has to go out the airlock!
this may look strange, but this is a good thing. all real adventures start like this. the rich pay for the initial part and then competition drives the prices down. this is the first step to the commercialization of space. it will move faster and faster from here.
only a matter of time now before the cost of flights start to plummet.
Unless there’s a holodeck, why bother? And if they ever invent a holodeck, I won’t need to leave Earth anyway.
I’m all for the VR travel experience.
Save the money, hassles, and time involved in getting wherever. After a few hours I’ve usually seen enough.
We’ll leave the docking bay lights on for you.
If the toilet backs up how do you call in a plumber?
I have “visited” the ISS via VR and it was really cool. Tgat place is CRAMPED btw and the only windows are in tge newer Japanese module.
Once you start visiting places and having experiences in VR you can never go back to 2D
Obiwon Bodett
I’m with you. Love the concept...I mean, it won’t be luxurious, but who the HELL would pay that money to go into space and expect the Ritz?
I’ll gave to put 3d on the list.
Nice to see far off places but travel really isn’t my thing now.
At most, I generally like to go about a half mile from home. The pet projects live there.
Write me when the more affordable Motel 6 version is launched
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That might be the Bigalow ballon version. They were the first to announce on the subject. Was a while back and have not heard anymore about it.
Wake me up when they get something going on the dark-side of the moon, maybe a short distance from where you can go to see Earth.
I’d think a clearer view of ‘what’s out there’ would be far more interesting than seeing our blue marble (after 2-3 days :))
Yeah yeah yeah!! :)
“They were the first to announce on the subject. Was a while back and have not heard anymore about it.”
They attached a balloon module to the Space Station. It isn’t huge but it is working well.
ha!
i will make sure to leave my sharpies at home, then
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