How would you like to go up into space as early as 2024?
Whether you want to physically go up, or experience space virtually, the technology is improving at rocket speed.
Keep reading for a quick guide to the different types of space travel you can look forward to.
Types of Space Travel: Unmanned
Although these spacecraft do not have people on board, they are still traveling through deep space. Furthermore, they send back important data, photos, and videos, allowing us to experience space virtually.
This includes flyby spacecraft, which are sent in a straight path into deep space to gather information from objects they pass. Voyager 1 is an example of a flyby spacecraft. This probe is our most distant manmade object, at 14.5 billion miles from Earth.
Other craft we have traveling in space are orbiters, designed to stay in the orbit of a planet, and landers, which can reach the surface. The Mars rover Perseverance is a lander. It has enabled us to get a close-up look at the surface of the Red Planet.
Types of Space Travel: Manned
For those who want to actually go up into space, there are two types of space travel from which you can choose: government-led and private.
Government-Led Space Travel
If you live in the US, this means NASA. In order to become a NASA astronaut, you must have a graduate degree in a STEM field, be a US citizen, and pass certain experience and training qualifications.
NASA pursues research and technology innovation. It is not commercial, so it isn’t trying to make a profit. However, as a government agency, it is subject to many bureaucratic hoops that can make it slow-moving.
The use of the International Space Station is determined by intergovernmental treaties between NASA and other countries. It is a special laboratory that stays in low earth orbit and conducts a variety of ongoing research projects.
Government-led space travel is anticipating exciting new projects, such as the NASA flight to the moon scheduled for 2025.
Private Space Travel
These privately-owned space travel companies have sprung up and flourished in the last few years. Some examples include SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos.
The commercialized space industry will take you into space for a price. If you have six figures to spend, this could be a viable option. You don’t have to endure years of physical training or receive any diplomas.
This “space tourism” will take you in a rocket to the closest edge of space, about 60 miles above sea level. Then, like William Shatner, you can see the earth from afar and experience weightlessness.
The commercialization of space is changing the whole playing field of space travel. Check out Symposium 365 by the Space Foundation to learn more.
Full Speed Ahead!
All types of space travel are making light-years of progress right now. This is due to increased competition between private companies and government agencies.
This competition only benefits those of us who dream of traveling into space. And that dream could become a reality within the next decade!
If you liked this, be sure to read more of our articles about Travel and Technology.
