Hotels in Space

It was just a matter of time. In 2001 the first tourist travelled to outer space. Now, preparation is underway for the first space hotels. Bob Bigelow, owner of Budget Suites of America hotel chain is spending $(US)500 million on developing hotels in outer space.

He has had an experimental inflatable spacecraft in orbit since July last year, testing the durability of its design. The walls of the inflatable hotels are made of the same material as bullet-proof vests – to offer some protection against flying space debris and micro-meteorites.

Some of the possible activities available to these space travellers could include laser light shows on the dark side of the moon, short space walks, and phone calls to envious friends back home.

So start saving – Bigelow is hopeful of getting the cost of a space stay down to as low as $50,000-$100,000.