The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Space Tourism

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent was quite unprepared for his experiences of space travel, yet commercial space travel is fast becoming a viable possibility.

But what would it feel like to be a space tourist? Travelling into space can push the human body to its limits, making space tourism more like an expedition than a holiday. How dangerous are the physical effects of space travel and how does your body cope with them?

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent was quite unprepared for his experiences of space travel, yet commercial space travel is fast becoming a viable possibility.

But what would it feel like to be a space tourist? Travelling into space can push the human body to its limits, making space tourism more like an expedition than a holiday. How dangerous are the physical effects of space travel and how does your body cope with them?

Mark Shuttleworth, the second tourist into space, will share his own experiences of space travel, Natasha Loder, The Economist aerospace journalist, will discuss the recent developments in commercial space travel and the expectations of future space tourists and Andrew Smith author of Moondust will provide an insight into the life-changing experiences of lunar astronauts and question whether space tourism would feel the same.

2005 is fast becoming the year of science fiction, and now the Science Museum’s Dana Centre is launching a series of debates to explore the fact and fiction behind one of the nation’s best-loved sci-fi classics, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as the Science Museum launches its major Hitchhiker’s exhibition.

Since the 1950s science fiction has marvelled at the weird and wonderful possibilities of science, including time-travel, teleportation, androids and aliens. But how much of this speculation has become science fact?

The events at the Dana Centre – London’s only venue for adults to discuss contemporary and controversial science – will take experts from a variety of fields to explore artificial intelligence, space tourism and the science of Hitchhiker’s through three evenings of informal discussion and debate.

Each evening will raise a range of perplexing questions including: Which ideas in science fiction have been developed further in true scientific research and development? Could a robot eventually have human feelings and emotions and should developments like these be encouraged or suppressed? What would it feel like to be a space tourist?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Exhibition opens at the Science Museum on 28 May. The exhibition has been specially created by the Museum and makers of the new movie, recreating the fantastic voyage of Arthur Dent, and along the way exploring some of the science which shapes our lives, the universe and everything.

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