Vacation Illustration by Magictorch

CCSS

R.1, R.2, R.6, R.8, W.1, SL.1

Are Space Vacations a Good Idea?

People are spending big bucks to visit space. Would you buy a ticket?

February 2025

by Mackenzie Carro and Tricia Culligan

Illustrations by Carolyn Ridsdale

Tired of your regular vacation spots? Looking for some adventure? Forget that family outing to Six Flags. Book a trip to space!

That’s right. Spaceflight companies are now sending regular people into space. This type of travel is called space tourism. The trips currently range from 10 minutes on a rocket to 10 days on a space station. People are paying millions of dollars for these experiences.

But that’s not all. Companies like SpaceX and Above Space plan to build fancy hotels in space. One company is even booking future tickets to the moon! Experts say that nearly 58,000 tourists may travel to space by 2031.

Is this a good idea? Or is space tourism a disaster waiting to happen?

Tired of your usual vacation spots? Looking for some adventure? Forget that trip to Six Flags. Book a trip to space!

That’s right. Spaceflight companies are now sending regular people into space. This type of travel is called space tourism. The trips range from 10 minutes on a rocket to 10 days on a space station. People pay millions of dollars for these trips.

And there’s more. Companies like SpaceX and Above Space plan to build fancy hotels in space. One company is even booking future tickets to the moon! Experts say that nearly 58,000 tourists may travel to space by 2031.

Is this a good idea?

Tired of your regular vacation spots? Looking for some adventure? Forget that family outing to Six Flags—and book a trip to space instead!

That’s right. Spaceflight companies are now sending regular people into space. With this type of travel, called space tourism, the trips currently range from 10 minutes on a rocket to 10 days on a space station. People are paying millions of dollars for these experiences.

Is this a good idea—or is space tourism a disaster waiting to happen?

Epic Thrills

For many brave travelers, going into space would be the adventure of a lifetime. After all, the trip would be filled with epic thrills. You could do things you can’t do anywhere else.

Passengers will blast off at 2,200 miles per hour. (That’s nearly four times faster than most airplanes!) They’ll also experience a loss of gravity—the force that keeps us pulled to Earth. Space travelers will be able to float through a spaceship or jump 12 feet in the air.

But paying customers aren’t just going to space for the thrills. Tourists on a recent SpaceX mission tested new spacesuit designs. Experts say these types of experiments could help future spaceflights.

Plus, the views from space can be life-changing. Many astronauts say that seeing Earth from above helped them appreciate it more. Could a trip to space inspire you to take better care of our planet? It’s certainly possible.

For many people, going into space would be amazing. The trip would be filled with epic thrills. You could do things you can’t do anywhere else.

You’d blast off at 2,200 miles per hour. (That’s nearly four times faster than most planes!) You’d experience a loss of gravity—the force that keeps us pulled to Earth. You’d float through a spaceship. You’d jump 12 feet in the air.

But it’s not just about thrills. Tourists on a recent SpaceX mission tested new spacesuit designs. Experiments like these could help future spaceflights.

Plus, the views from space can be life-changing. Many astronauts say that seeing Earth from above helped them appreciate it more.

For many brave travelers, going into space would be the adventure of a lifetime. After all, the trip would be filled with epic thrills. You could do things you can’t do anywhere else.

Passengers will blast off at 2,200 miles per hour—nearly four times faster than most airplanes! They’ll also experience a loss of gravity, the force that keeps us pulled to Earth. Space travelers will be able to float through a spaceship or jump 12 feet in the air.

But paying customers aren’t going to space only for the thrills. Tourists on a recent SpaceX mission tested new spacesuit designs. Experts say these types of experiments could be valuable for future spaceflights.

In addition, the views from space can be life-altering. Many astronauts say that seeing Earth from above increased their appreciation of it. Could a trip to space inspire you to take better care of our planet? It’s certainly possible.

Safety First

Illustrations by Carolyn Ridsdale

On the other hand, space travel is dangerous. Many things could go wrong. A piece of equipment could break. A hotel could get hit by flying space junk. Over the past 60 years, about 30 astronauts have died on missions or while training. Many wonder: Is it worth risking your life for a vacation?

Some experts also worry that space tourism could be bad for the environment. Rockets release harmful gases that pollute the air. If space vacations really take off, what does that mean for our planet?

But the biggest problem is probably the price. Right now, even the cheapest flights cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many argue that this money would be better spent solving problems here on Earth.

So what do you think? If you had millions of dollars, would you take a vacation to space?

On the other hand, space travel is dangerous. Things can go wrong. A piece of equipment could break. A hotel could get hit by flying space junk. In the past 60 years, about 30 astronauts have died on missions or while training. Many wonder: Is it worth risking your life for a vacation?

Also, space tourism could harm the environment. Rockets release gases that pollute the air. If space vacations really take off, what does that mean for our planet?

And then there’s the price. Even the cheapest flights cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many say this money should be spent solving problems here on Earth.

So what do you think? If you had millions of dollars, would you take a trip to space?

On the other hand, space travel is dangerous. Many things could go wrong, such as a piece of equipment breaking or a hotel being struck by flying space debris. Over the past 60 years, about 30 astronauts have died on missions or while training. Many people question the wisdom of risking your life for a vacation.

Some experts also worry that space tourism could be damaging to the environment. Rockets release harmful gases that pollute the air. If space vacations really take off, what does that mean for our planet?

But the biggest problem is probably the expense. Right now, even the cheapest flights cost hundreds of thousands of dollars—money that many people say would be better spent solving problems here on Earth.

So what do you think? If you had millions of dollars, would you take a vacation to space?