A Space Holiday
It is the year 2050. Space is now one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. I am booked on the space shuttle ‘Voyage? for a seven days space holiday.
After five minutes of powered acceleration and a few hours of weightlessness aboard the shuttle, we move through the access tube to where our hotel, aptly named ‘Spaced Out’, floats in space.
The concept of artificial gravity ensures that the hotel is as comfortable as any of it’s counterparts on earth. As I enter my room and peer out of the large window, I am astounded by the stupendous view below. I realize that the blue ball I am looking at is our Planet Earth!
The most fun part of the hotel is the ‘Zero-G. room where we get to play zero gravity versions of table tennis, football and even basket-ball.
Each of us takes a ten-minute spacewalk everyday. Gingerly stepping into the nothingness between earth and space, I am transported into a surreal world, and am humbled by the vastness and mystery of the universe we belong to.
As I get ready to return to earth I am reminded of an article I read as a school girl in the year 2010. Space travel, then, was a distant dream for many. I silently thank the countless scientists and astronauts who have made this dream a reality for me today.
