StarLust

Space Tourism: How Much Does it Cost & Who's Offering It?

Last Updated: December 17, 2022

Many of us dream of going to space and over 600 people have traveled to space as astronauts in government-funded agencies such as NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos. But how much does spaceflight cost in today and how is that expected to change in the coming years? 

With new advancements in spaceflight technology, the costs of space travel are decreasing, making the dream of spaceflight a little closer for us all.

Evolution of Spaceflight Costs and Technologies

During the space race, the cost of sending something into space averaged between $6,000 to over $25,000 per kg of weight not adjusted for inflation and NASA spent $28 billion to land astronauts on the moon, about $288 billion in today’s dollars.

In recent decades, it has averaged around $10,000 per kg though certain missions have been higher due to other factors including the destination, the size of the rocket, the amount of fuel needed, and the cost of fuel. 

After the retirement of the space shuttle program, NASA paid Russia to transport astronauts to the ISS at about $80 million per seat on the Soyuz rocket. NASA’s biggest and newest rocket, the SLS (Space Launch System) which is currently being utilized for the new moon missions including Artemis and Orion, currently costs about $2-4 billion per launch.

But recent years and the addition of private space companies have drastically changed the game. NASA allowed private space companies to develop equipment for missions, including a 2006 partnership with SpaceX under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide resupply for crew and cargo demonstration contracts to the International Space Station (ISS). 

This partnership has continued to flourish over the years with SpaceX successfully launching two NASA astronauts in May 2020 on a Crew Dragon Spacecraft, making SpaceX the first private company to send astronauts to the ISS and the first crewed orbital launch from American soil in 9 years.

With the revolutionary technology of reusable boosters from SpaceX, the cost has plummeted, achieving less than $1,600 per kg with the Falcon Heavy (still totaling more than $100 million per launch) and even a projected cost of under a thousand for their next generation model Star Ship.

 These recent innovations are even making SLS the more expensive, less efficient option if SpaceX’s projections continue to progress as expected within margins of error. We shall see how NASA plans to adapt goals in light of this.

falcon heavy taking off

The Falcon Heavy is a cost-effective option for launching payloads into space.

The rise of private space companies

With private space companies, the opportunity for civilians to book a trip to space similar to booking a flight came closer to reality. Dennis Tito was the first private citizen to pay for a trip to space with a trip to the ISS from April 28th to May 6th, 2001 for $20 million dollars. Tito purchased his experience through Space Adventures Inc. which was founded in 1998 and offers a variety of different space experiences. They even acquired Zero Gravity Corporation, NASA’s provider of Reduced Gravity Training (not in space) for its astronauts, in 2008. They offer similar experiences for private individuals starting at about $8,200 as of this publishing (December 2022).

Space Adventures sent seven other space tourists to the ISS through 2009, but due to a number of factors, Space Adventures had to put their ISS offerings on hold until 2021 when they were able to purchase two Soyuz seats due to NASA moving their contract to SpaceX. Space Adventures sent two people to the ISS via the Roscosmos Soyuz rocket in December 2021 and is working on expanding its offerings.

In addition to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, there are a number of other private space companies getting into the commercial spaceflight/ space tourism market, most notably Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origins.

Flight Providers & Rates

What are the current rates for commercial spaceflight tickets? What commercial spaceflight trips have already happened? All prices are per person/ per seat.

SpaceX has had the most experience in sending humans to space thanks to its partnership with NASA and Musk has made it clear that he wants to make space travel an option for the public. To date, SpaceX has offered two commercial spaceflight options and has one big one planned for the future:

  • SpaceX completed a Multi-Day Orbital Voyage, the first of their new plan to offer private astronaut experiences through their NASA partnership.  
  • Estimated $55 million for a 3-day stay inside a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule orbiting the Earth at 357 miles (574 km) with three crewmates, sponsored by billionaire Jared Isaacman to raise money for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital
  • Partnership between SpaceX and Houston-based Axiom Space Inc.
  • $55 million for a 10-day trip to ISS at 408 km with a weeklong (8-day) stay in the orbital lab. 
  • Expected to continue in 2023
  • Axiom plans to build a stand-alone space station to replace the ISS with the first module expected to launch in 2024.
  • Steve Aoki: American DJ and record producer
  • Everyday Astronaut Tim Dodd: American science communicator, content creator, photographer, and musician
  • Yemi A.D.: Czech choreographer, art director and performer
  • Rhiannon Adam: Irish photographer
  • Karim Iliya: British photographer and filmmaker
  • Brendan Hall: American filmmaker and photographer
  • Dev Joshi: Indian television actor
  • Choi Seung-hyun (stage name: T.O.P.): South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor
  • Cost is unknown, likely a minimum of $500 million

2. Blue Origin

Blue Origin: currently offers a 100km 12-minute ride to the Karman Line, the recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space; pricing is still unclear and dependent on a variety of factors 

  • On July 2021, Jeff and Mark Bezos went into space on the New Shepard rocket with Oliver Daemen (who won the trip through an auction bid of around 28 million) and honored guest Wally Funk (a member of Mercury 13, the private program in which women trained to be astronauts but ultimately never went to space)
  • Blue Origin has completed 6 commercial space flights as of this publishing. Some “honorable guests” have been invited free of charge, such as Funk and actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek). Some have been sponsored or have received special deals due to their nonprofit status.
  • $28 million winning auction bid for the first flight ( $19 million was donated)
  • $1 million for a board member of a nonprofit
  • About $1.25 for a Dude Perfect comedy group crew member, hosted by MoonDAO in August 2022

3. Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride

Virgin Galactic Subortbital Joy Ride: $450,000 for a 90-minute ride to suborbital space 50km above sea level 

  • In July 2021, founder Richard Branson flew to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere with two pilots and three other Virgin Galactic employees as the first test of commercial spaceflight for the company
  • Each VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo carries up to four passengers
  • Expected flights are currently anticipated to begin in 2023 
  • Includes training accommodations and amenities; launches from New Mexico

how much to travel in space

4. Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip

Roscosmos/ Space Adventures Customized ISS Trip: $50-60million for a 12-day trip to the ISS at 408 km

  • In October 2021 an actress and director shot scenes for the first movie filmed in space
  • December 2021 Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano for two days (same billionaire planning to go to the moon with SpaceX)
  • With the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, this option is effectively nonexistent currently

5. Space Perspective

Space Perspective: a six-hour balloon ride to space/ the stratosphere on their “Spaceship Neptune” at $125,000

  • Rides are currently scheduled to begin by the end of 2024. 
  • A pressurized capsule will be slowly lifted by a football-field-sized hydrogen-filled balloon 19 miles (30 km) into the stratosphere, about 3 times the altitude of commercial planes. 
  • The passenger cabin features a bar, bathroom, and windows for sightseeing and is expected to carry 8 passengers and 1 pilot per trip.

6. Aurora Space Station (no longer in development)

Aurora Space Station was supposed to be the world’s first luxury space hotel, offering a 12-day stay for $9.5 million allowing them to free float, observe space and earth, practice hydroponics and play in a hologram deck, but they shut down operations and refunded all deposits in March 2021. They received a lot of media attention and therefore are noted here due to that notoriety.

Conclusion: the current cost of flying to space

Currently, it is only available to those who can spend an average of $250,000 to $500,000 for suborbital trips (about a fifteen-minute ride to the edge of space and back) or flights to actual orbit at more than $50 million per seat (though typically a longer trip than 15 minutes).

It could be free/ discounted if you can find a sponsor, often for nonprofit/ charity purposes, or if you are someone of notoriety that can help spread the company’s mission. 

Waitlists are available for most offerings, with a deposit, with many stretching years into the future, which might end up helping you have a spot at a more reasonable price in the future if you can save up.

Many companies are looking to provide extended stay options on private space stations in the future, similar to how you might book a flight somewhere and stay in a hotel for a few days. Again, for the immediate future, this is estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars. The biggest portion of the cost would be launching them, though it is still estimated that a couple million dollars will be needed to cover the expenses of your stay while you are on the space station, whether that is included in the ticket price or added on top of that.

Many companies are hopeful they can eventually price a trip to space down to $100,000 but that will likely take some time, even with the cost-saving measures of reusable boosters. Many forms of recent technology have evolved exponentially in recent years and with dropping price rates as well. Just as plane travel was originally prohibitively expensive, but has now become fairly reasonable for the average consumer, the hope is that the same will eventually happen with space tourism, but we will have to see how long that takes. 

While the possibility of going to space is still out of reach for many of us, hopefully, the advancements in recent years and those yet to come will help to continually lower the costs of going to space, just as has occurred in many other fields. This author, for one, truly hopes that the interest of the elite who are currently able to participate in these offerings will spur research and development, not just of space tourism but space exploration in general, to help fuel a quicker journey to space access for all

Sarah H.

Written by Sarah Hoffschwelle

Sarah Hoffschwelle is a freelance writer who covers a combination of topics including astronomy, general science and STEM, self-development, art, and societal commentary. In the past, Sarah worked in educational nonprofits providing free-choice learning experiences for audiences ages 2-99. As a lifelong space nerd, she loves sharing the universe with others through her words. She currently writes on Medium at  https://medium.com/@sarah-marie  and authors self-help and children’s books.

Wow! There's more to read 🚀

This page is part of our collection of articles about astronauts . If you enjoyed the read, then you’ll love the following articles.

astronaut under the stars

How much do astronauts get paid?

The requirements to become an astronaut are extremely rigorous. Does their salary match the difficulty of their profession?

apollo 15 landing

How many flags are on the Moon? The up-to-date list

astronauts wearing EVA spacesuits

What are the different types of astronauts suit?

Artemis mission astronaut underwater training

How do astronauts train for zero-gravity environments?

More From Forbes

How much is a ticket to space $100,000 if you can wait a decade—but here’s how to pay nothing.

  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Linkedin

The interior of the Blue Origin capsule, which can hold six people.

How much does a ticket to space cost? That depends on who you book with, how you want to get there and whether you get lucky or not.

On the day that billionaire Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos goes to space it’s worth knowing that a ticket to reach space can cost as much as $55 million for a “proper” orbital flight and a visit to the International Space Station (ISS)—and as little as nothing at all. 

Can you really get to space for free? Sure you can, by entering a competition to win Virgin Galactic tickets via Omaze.com . As space tourism flights on Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic get scheduled, likely in 2022, look out for more competitions. 

In an article on the MoneyTransfers.com website an expert predicts that sub-orbital space travel—like that of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic—could cost around $100,000 within a decade.

Space tourism is an industry previously predicted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch as one that could grow to $2.7 trillion in 30 years.

Best Travel Insurance Companies

Best covid-19 travel insurance plans.

The distinction between sub-orbital and orbital space tourism is key. While sub-orbital “up and down” missions in supersonic planes and rockets—such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin—orbital missions are much longer and much pricer. 

The private 10-day Axiom Mission 1 including an 8-day stay at the ISS, planned for January 2022, is costing each of the four private astronauts a whopping $55 million for a seat in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

That makes the $28 million paid to Blue Origin during an auction for a seat on the first 11-minute sub-orbital flight—a seat that will now be used by an 18-year old from The Netherlands —appear vastly over the odds. 

Although “space for all” is a phrase often heard from space tourism industry, demand for the first batch of flights is likely to be huge, leading to big asking prices. It’s rumoured that Blue Origin could ask $500,000 , though prices aren’t yet known.

The same goes for Virgin Galactic, which plans to begin private flights to space during 2022. It charged $250,000 for tickets until it paused ticket sales a few years ago. While it has said it wants to charge $40,000, that’s in the long term. 

The most affordable way to pay to get to space would be appear to be via a company called Space Perspective, which plans to launch a pressurized capsule propelled by a high-performance space balloon.

In a six-hour flight costing $125,000 per person, passengers in Spaceship Neptune and Neptune One will lift-off from Space Coast Spaceport in Florida, though not until 2024. 

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Jamie Carter

  • Editorial Standards
  • Reprints & Permissions

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

How to travel to space, Earth’s hottest new destination

Go boldly, but pack lightly.

The space just above our planet is booming . Off-world trips are rapidly increasing: 42 of the 51 commercial astronauts recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration left Earth within the past two years.

The FAA predicts their ranks will balloon in the next decade — which may also bring new destinations, such as a rotating space hotel whose construction, planners claim, will begin in 2026 — and some experts have expressed optimism that relatively affordable space travel could be possible by the middle of this century.

For now, though, costs remain enormous. A $450,000 ticket reserves a spot on Virgin Galactic’s space plane, which flies 50 miles above Earth — six times a passenger plane’s cruising altitude. Expect to pay even more to go higher. Blue Origin’s 11-minute journey by rocket, which reportedly cost more than $1 million, shoots above the 62-miles-high Kármán line, the generally agreed-upon boundary between Earth and space. Others spend days in space. In September 2021, four civilian Americans orbited for three days aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. No word on how much it cost them.

For $55 million , Axiom Space will send astronauts via a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station, a laboratory that circles Earth once every 90 minutes. For two weeks last April, the ISS’s first Axiom crew members worked in the lab while forgoing proper showers.

The New Space Age

Space “ought to be on everybody’s bucket list,” said former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría , the Axiom Space vice president who commanded the April mission. “We’d be the first to admit that it’s not quite democratic yet, because it’s still pretty expensive, but we’ll get there.” The Houston-based company has already begun to build a segment of what will be a private space station.

Here’s how to pack and prep for Earth’s hottest new destination.

Getting ready

Training takes days to months. Axiom Space crew members spent at least 700 hours learning new tasks: how to run experiments, dock a transport vehicle to the ISS and respond to fires.

They also practiced on a centrifuge, the rapidly spinning machine that simulates the extreme acceleration of space travel. You don’t need to be in tiptop shape — floating in microgravity is effortless, López-Alegría said — but you will have to endure intense G-force as you exit and reenter the atmosphere.

You should be mentally prepared for a unique psychological experience called the overview effect , which occurs when people witness their home planet from above. “When we came back to Earth, I could not stop crying,” said aerospace PhD student Sara Sabry, founder of the Deep Space Initiative , who traveled to space last August via Blue Origin (whose founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post).

Aboard SpaceX, you’ll wear spacesuits: sleek, pressurized white outfits with black-visored helmets. On Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flights, the fit is closer to a jet pilot’s, with gear that’s not designed for loss of pressure. Sabry said her suit was comfy and custom-tailored. Under Armour makes the clothes — underwear, jumpsuit and zip-up boots — for Virgin Galactic, which founder Richard Branson wore in his July 2021 journey to space’s edge.

Going boldly, packing lightly

Space may be the one place you can fly without packing an ID or passport . “When we walk onto the vehicle, we’re wearing our spacesuits and pretty much nothing else,” López-Alegría said.

Expect to leave the rest of your worldly possessions on Earth, with a few exceptions. Sabry packed three pounds of mementos in a bag, including photographs and a single dirty sock belonging to her niece. On Inspiration4, the Earth-orbiting SpaceX mission, one astronaut brought his ukulele to serenade his teammates in the capsule.

Snapping selfies

Don’t plan on filling your Instagram feed with your space travels to make your friends jealous. You won’t have your phone.

On Sabry’s Blue Origin flight, a few people had a GoPro strapped to their wrists to capture video — especially of the three minutes of weightlessness.

The ISS provides cameras to use. Astronauts can browse the internet on the space station, but posting requires help. Pictures snapped in space are beamed to Earth, López-Alegría said, where someone on the ground uploads them to social media.

Eating and drinking

There wasn’t any snacking on the Blue Origin craft, Sabry said, and the up-and-down trips don’t leave time for in-flight meals. Hot food isn’t always an option with other carriers, either. The first course served on the orbiting Dragon capsule was cold pizza, though SpaceX founder Elon Musk apologized for the unheated pie and promised future astronauts would have a food warmer.

Why NASA and other space agencies want to return to the moon

That’s how the crew heats dinner on the ISS, which boasts a varied menu: about 200 options , mostly freeze-dried or thermostabilized. Tortillas replace bread to avoid crumbs; what’s just a tabletop mess on Earth becomes a hazard when bits can float into electronics or eyeballs. There’s no soda or beer because, according to NASA, carbonation bubbles would be unpleasantly routed through the digestive system without gravity to help an astronaut burp.

Staying clean-ish

Space is like backcountry camping. Both lack laundry machines and require some hygienic compromises. When astronauts must bathe, they squeeze packets of soap and water on their skin and apply rinseless shampoo to their hair. Toilets on the ISS and Dragon Capsule collect waste via suction hoses and fans. On the space station, urine is recycled into drinkable water . Toothbrushes and paste are the same, but without sinks, there’s no spitting.

Falling asleep

You’ll roll out sleeping bags in the SpaceX spacecraft or as an Axiom crew member on the ISS. Vehicles are temperature-regulated because the outside of the ISS can swing from minus-250 in the shadows to 250 degrees in the sun. Still, some modules, or sections, of the ISS can be chillier than others: López-Alegría said he donned long underwear to be cozier when drifting off in space.

Illustrations by Elizabeth von Oehsen. Editing by Amanda Finnegan.

how much to travel in space

William Shatner went to space. Here's how much it would cost you.

how much to travel in space

It's the dawn of a new space age.

William Shatner , who for decades explored space on screen as "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk, finally launched into the final frontier.

"Everybody in the world needs to do this," he said. "Everybody in the world needs to see it." 

On Wednesday, the 90-year-old became the oldest person in space, a title briefly held by  Mary Wallace "Wally" Funk  and previously held by legendary astronaut John Glenn . At age 82, Funk, a longtime champion of women in space, joined Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Blue Origin's flight to the edge of space in July.

What does this mean for the future of civilian space travel? Will space become the next ultimate human amusement park?

NASA Director Phil McAlister weighs in after more than 20 years working in the space industry.

►'I hope I never recover': William Shatner gets emotional after historic Blue Origin flight

►Sorry, Jeff Bezos: You're still not an astronaut, according to the FAA

How much does it cost to go into space?

It depends, says McAlister. For a trip on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin's New Shepard, seats typically cost $250,000 to $500,000.

"Those are suborbital transportation systems. They are about a 15-minute ride, and they just barely touch the edge of space and then come back down. They don't go into orbit," McAlister says.

SpaceX's  Inspiration4  mission in September was different.

The spacecraft of civilians was in orbit and circling the Earth for three days, similar to orbital spaceflight required for astronauts to get to the International Space Station. 

► Rocket visuals:  Visual explainer: SpaceX flight puts all-civilian crew of 4 into Earth orbit for 3 days

►The Inspiration4 mission:   No professional astronauts: SpaceX will launch first all-civilian crew into orbit tonight

Jared Isaacman, a 38-year-old billionaire high-school dropout who promoted the flight as a massive fundraising effort for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, paid for it all.

Issacman, a pilot who is qualified to fly commercial and military jets, reached a deal with SpaceX in late 2020 for the mission.

Neither is saying how much he paid SpaceX, an Elon Musk-founded company, for the launch, though Isaacman has said it was far less than the $200 million he hoped to raise for St. Jude.

For NASA astronauts, McAlister says, orbital trips can have a $58 million price tag, based on averages calculated from commercial contracts with SpaceX and Boeing. 

While $58 million may seem like a lot, it's actually a great bargain for NASA.

After retiring its space shuttle, NASA had to pay Russia around $80 million for each seat on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The privatization of space by American companies

This initiative to partner public and private resources for American space exploration has been years in the making.

NASA has been working with SpaceX and Boeing on their systems for the last 10 years, transferring their knowledge from more than 60 years of human spaceflight and innovation in low Earth orbit.

"During that 60 years, only about 600 people have flown the space, and the vast majority of them have been government astronauts. I think in the next 60 years, that number is going to go up dramatically, and the vast majority of them are going to be private citizens," McAlister says. 

►Inspiration4 mission makes history:  Cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux to become youngest American in space with SpaceX launch

The goal for NASA is to eventually retire the International Space Station and allow companies to build their own space stations with the latest technological designs that require less maintenance.

In the future, astronauts could just rent seats on space shuttles and stay at rooms in space stations, similar to how business travelers buy plane tickets from airlines and sleep in hotels.

"If you remember back when airline travel first debuted, it was very expensive, and it was only for the very wealthy that can afford it. And then entrepreneurs entered the market. Forces of competition brought prices down to the point where today, most people, not everybody, but most people can afford a flight from New York to California," says McAlister. "I'm hoping that the same thing happens with human space transportation."

What would a trip to space look like?

Getting onto a spaceship definitely wouldn't be as simple as a check-in process at the airport. The participants on Inspiration4 had to train for months, understand spacecraft systems and prepare for the physical toll of space.

Here's who joined billionaire Jared Isaacman on the mission:

►Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude. She was treated for bone cancer herself at the hospital as a child.

►Chris Sembroski, an aerospace worker from Seattle who was selected from among 72,000 entries based donations to St. Jude.

►Sian Proctor, an educator and trained pilot who was a finalist in NASA's 2009 astronaut class.

SpaceX and Isaacman unveiled their project to the world in a TV ad that ran during the Super Bowl in February encouraging people to apply for the mission.

The crew ran a series of experiments  related to health research, such as drawing blood and measuring sleep activity.

Research institutes and medical schools will use the data to understand how the human body is affected by space, and how to make space a potential travel, or living, destination.

In a SpaceX press briefing , SpaceX Director Benji Reed said, "We want to make life multiplanetary, and that means putting millions of people in space."

McAlister also imagined that a big chunk of the crew's time was spent just looking out the window, staring in awe at the curvature of the Earth and the thin blue line of atmosphere encircling it.

"You can see the Earth, the whole Earth from space, and there's no boundaries. There's no borders, and you feel a connectedness to the human race that you didn't necessarily feel before," says McAlister. "You come back with a better appreciation for our home planet."

Florida Day contributed. Michelle Shen is a Money & Tech Digital Reporter for USATODAY. You can reach her @michelle_shen10 on Twitter. 

How much does space travel cost?

Image: SpaceX

Spaceflight has traditionally been a government-led activity — and it's never been cheap. But the stratospheric cost of putting people and payloads into space is finally starting to fall, thanks in part to the rise of SpaceX and other private spaceflight companies.

Here’s a look at what it costs to go to space, whether it’s another satellite that needs to be placed in orbit or an adventurous billionaire looking for a joyride around the moon .

Sending up a satellite

Using its 230-foot-tall Falcon 9, SpaceX charges $62 million to send into orbit commercial satellites weighing up to 50,000 pounds. The closest American competitor is the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, which starts at $73 million for a 41,000-pound payload .

Science Sign Up for the Daily MACH Newsletter

Those are just starting prices; government agencies typically pay more for a long list of extra services. The Air Force, for example, is paying SpaceX $96.5 million to launch a GPS satellite in 2019 .

Flying to the International Space Station

Since NASA mothballed its space shuttles in 2011, NASA has relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get astronauts to the ISS. Russia has been steadily raising the price of Soyuz seats, reaching $82 million each in 2015. The agency last purchased Soyuz seats for $75 million apiece in 2017.

NASA hopes to end its reliance on Russia in 2019, when SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules begin “taxi” flights to the ISS. Seats on those spacecraft are expected to cost about $58 million .

How much would I have to pay for a flight into space?

Depending on where you're going, a ticket could set you back anywhere from $250,000 to tens of millions of dollars.

If you're looking simply to cross the 62-mile-high Karman line that marks the boundary between the upper atmosphere and outer space, Virgin Galactic says it will take you there for $250,000. The company says about 650 people already have tickets for the suborbital flights, to be made aboard a winged vehicle called SpaceShipTwo. A date for customer flights has yet to be announced.

VSS Unity gliding home after activating the feather re-entry system for the first time

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, plans something similar — sending space tourists on brief suborbital flights using its New Shepard rocket system. The company has yet to set ticket prices or say when paid flights might begin.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin passengers will join the fewer than a dozen private citizens who have funded their own trips into space. From 2001 to 2009, the Vienna, Virginia-based firm Space Adventures worked with Russia’s space agency to send eight people to the ISS on flights lasting 10 or more days.

how much to travel in space

Space A colossal elevator to space could be going up sooner than you ever imagined

The world's first private astronaut, a wealthy American engineer named Dennis Tito, reportedly paid $20 million to spend eight days in space in 2001. More recently, Guy Laliberté, the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, shelled out $35 million for an ISS trip in 2009 . Space Adventures still advertises Soyuz flights and plans to start booking trips to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner.

In September 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would ride the company’s yet-to-be-built Big Falcon Rocket on a trip around the moon. Neither Musk nor Maezawa, who said he would take along seven artists, would discuss the mission’s cost.

What about other rockets?

Small satellites may qualify for a free ride to space through NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, which helps universities and research groups fly standardized satellites called CubeSats aboard rockets as secondary payloads.

If your satellite can’t hitch a free ride, you can book a NASA sounding rocket to the edge of space for as little as $1 million . For orbital flights of payloads weighing less than 500 pounds, Los Angeles-based Rocket Lab offers launches of its Electron rocket from New Zealand for about $5 million .

From there, the price goes up steeply. Northrop Grumman's Pegasus rocket, which is air-launched from the belly of a jumbo jet, can place 1,000 pounds in orbit for about $40 million . Stratolaunch, a new venture bankrolled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, plans to launch Pegasus rockets from its own colossal airplane before offering an expanded line of rockets capable of carrying up to 13,000 pounds. The company has yet to disclose prices.

NASA is developing its Space Launch System, which will carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. The rocket’s per-launch cost has not been disclosed, but the agency now spends at least $2 billion per year on the project. The maiden flight isn’t expected until 2020.

WANT MORE STORIES ABOUT SPACE TRAVEL?

  • NASA solar probe to go where no spacecraft has gone before
  • Space shuttle relic to be resurrected as deep-space habitat
  • The animals that paved the way for humans in space

FOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER , FACEBOOK , AND INSTAGRAM .

What will space tourists get when they fly with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic? Spacesuits, sleeping bags ... and Jeff Bezos

  • Virgin Galactic's $250,000 ticket to the edge of space includes a spacesuit.
  • Passengers paying $55 million for SpaceX's mission to the ISS get sleeping bags, hygiene products.
  • Blue Origin's $28 million spaceflight comes with a seat next to Jeff Bezos.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page .

Insider Today

The era of space tourism has dawned.

Richard Branson  is scheduled to blast off in Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity on Sunday for the company's first fully-crewed rocket-powered test flight .

If the launch goes ahead as planned, he'll be 9 days ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who plans to travel to the edge of space on July 20 in Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.

Meanwhile, SpaceX's private mission with Axiom Space is scheduled to fly four passengers to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2022.

Read more: As Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson blast off, here are 11 of the most exciting space startups according to VCs

The journeys certainly aren't cheap. Trips aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity will cost passengers $250,000 apiece. A seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard craft was auctioned off at $28 million in June. And the four passengers traveling to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon will pay a cool $55 million a head.

The question is, what bang will they get for their buck?

SpaceX and Axiom

A ticket for Axiom's mission to the ISS will include:

  • Mission planning
  • Life support
  • Medical support
  • Crew provisions
  • Eight days aboard the ISS

Staying on the ISS costs the astronauts about $6.8 million a day, NASA told The Verge in January.

According to NASA's 2021 price list , it should cost $2,000 per crew member per day for food and drinks aboard the ISS. It'll also cost each person as much as $1,500 per day   for things like clothing, hygiene products, office supplies, and sleeping bags.

Blue Origin

The unnamed winner of Blue Origin's auction will accompany Jeff Bezos and his brother on an 11-minute trip on the New Shepard craft. For their $28 million they will be getting:

  • On-site accommodation

Blue Origin hasn't yet disclosed commercial seat prices for flights on New Shepard.

Before stepping aboard, passengers must show they can deal with heights, walk on uneven surfaces, and support up to three times their weight, Insider previously reported.

"There are a couple days of training in advance of the flight," a Blue Origin spokesperson told Insider in June. "Some of the training includes learning procedures for getting into and out of the capsule, a mission simulation, and learning techniques for how to move around in zero-g."

Virgin Galactic

Around 600 customers across 58 countries have already forked out up to $250,000  for a seat on Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft, which will take them to the edge of space.

A spokesperson from Virgin Galactic told Insider that the ticket includes:

  • A spacesuit

Unlike Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, Unity won't pass the Kármán line, an imaginary boundary between the atmosphere and space. When Virgin Galactic's Unity reaches this height, passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness before the spacecraft returns to Earth.

Branson, 70, has gone through months of training in preparation for his flight, which is scheduled for July 11.

Watch: How SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic plan on taking you to space

how much to travel in space

  • Main content

Champion Traveler

How Much Does it Cost to Travel to Space?

cost-of-a-trip-to-space

Fast facts: 

  • As of right now (2021), the cost of booking a trip to space in the near future is approximately $250,000 .
  • The immediate cost of a trip to space (via something like SpaceX) in the next 2-3 years is in the tens of millions per passenger .
  • In the medium-future, the cost of individual tickets into space will drastically fall in price.
  • Based on estimations, it is likely that the cost of space tourism tickets will be around $10,000 – $25,000 within the next twenty years .

How much will it cost for a private citizen to travel to space?

Since the Champion Traveler research team is heavily focused on private travel (as opposed to how much it costs astronauts to fly to space), all data used in this article will be based on the idea of privatized space tourism. This industry is expected to hit a major milestone in the 2020s, and it is likely that space tourism will become not only more common but more affordable within the next twenty to fifty years.

As of right now, based on early estimations from several major private space exploration companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic), the first privatized space travel will cost adventurous travelers somewhere around $250,000 for a short trip into Earth’s orbit. This quarter of a million dollar price tag for private space tourism will likely include somewhere between a few hours and a few days orbiting the Earth.

This type of space travel will remain expensive for several years, but as all things improve and become more efficient within the process, the cost will very likely start to decrease within a matter of years. There is likely a heavier price tag on the first couple of trips simply because of the historic nature of them. As market demand balances out and more space tourism is available, it seems likely the cost of a ticket for a short adventure into space will be somewhere around $10,000 to $25,000 depending on the length of the trip and the number of passengers included on each flight.

When will space travel become more affordable?

As of right now (2021), space travel is more likely a pipe dream for many than a realistic vacation. A quarter of a million dollars for one trip into outer space is likely not something many people will be able to afford in the short term. But as costs drop and space tourism becomes more efficient (and likely sees more competition), ticket prices for space travel will fall back down to Earth.

As for how long this will take, within 20 years (by about the year 2040), space travel should see a gradual decrease in price to somewhere in the $10,000 – $25,000 range (in 2021 dollars) where it will likely flat line for a while based on current cost estimations of scale, fuel costs, production costs, and regulation.

It is possible that we will see privatized space tourism drop down to somewhere in the $5,000 – $10,000 range as well if more competition enters the market if demand stays high.

Will space travel ever be cheaper than air travel?

The problem with comparing space travel to the current price of air travel is that the current market for air travel remains in high demand for both tourism and business purposes.

In the medium term, the only purpose that space travel as tourism will serve is for quick trips into space and back. There won’t be necessarily, at least in the foreseeable future, a spike in travel demand for business purposes and thus the overall market demand for space tourism will remain relatively small.

Because of this, it is very unlikely that we will ever see space tourism anywhere near comparable flights for something like a transatlantic flight to Europe from the United states for $500-700.

When will space travel be available to more people?

Based on current development of spaceships capable of carrying a larger number of private citizens, we expect that by the 2030s it will be possible to book a ticket via one of the current major space exploration brands (SpaceX, Blue Origin), and that we also will likely see between two and five new companies enter the market in that time.

With a growing number of companies producing spacecraft capable of allowing for space tourism, there will likely be hundreds of available seats in a given year within the next decade, and thousands of available seats a year after that.

Is space tourism safe?

This is something nobody has enough of a firm grasp on to say definitively one way or the other just yet, but it seems fair to assume given how long it has taken to commercialized space travel, that the early flights will take every precaution possible.

It’s fully reasonable to expect that over the course of space tourism expansion there will be accidents and likely death, but at the same time, the same can still be said about traditional air travel. While statistically considered extremely safe, there will always be a minimal amount of risk associated with any type of travel.

What companies offer private space travel?

There are many now-defunct companies who have tried to establish footing in space tourism, but as of now there seem to be three main companies we will be watching closely when it comes to offering one of the grandest possible adventures for private citizens:

  • SpaceX – Led by Elon Musk, this company seems the most likely to begin ramping up space tourism within the next two decades. They have a planned launch for their first space tourists in the coming two years.
  • Virgin Galactic – Led by Richard Branson, this company has been around the longest (of the surviving companies), but has yet to launch their first commercial space tourists into space.
  • Blue Origin – Led by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has focused mostly on commercial space travel, but has also discussed expanding their efforts into personal space travel in the near future.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Location Search

About our travel data.

We compile multiple data sources from top tier travel companies around the world to create our guides and advisories. Our goal is to provide critical, timely and accurate information for all of your travel needs.

  • Marketplace
  • Marketplace Morning Report
  • Marketplace Tech
  • Make Me Smart
  • This is Uncomfortable
  • The Uncertain Hour
  • How We Survive
  • Financially Inclined
  • Million Bazillion
  • Marketplace Minute®
  • Corner Office from Marketplace

Marketplace Logo

  • Latest Stories
  • Collections
  • Smart Speaker Skills
  • Corrections
  • Ethics Policy
  • Submissions
  • Individuals
  • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Foundations

how much to travel in space

How much will a ticket to space cost?

Share now on:.

  • https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/13/how-much-will-a-ticket-to-space-cost/ COPY THE LINK

how much to travel in space

Get the Podcast

how much to travel in space

  • Amazon Music

William Shatner was beamed up into space on Wednesday morning, along with three other passengers, as part of Blue Origin’s second launch into space with tourists. 

Shatner, who returned with the crew after an 11-minute flight on the New Shepard, became the oldest person to go into space at age 90. 

The highly publicized event marks an aggressive push from some companies to enter the realm of commercial space travel. Blue Origin auctioned off a seat on its first spaceflight, which took place back in July and included billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, for $28 million . 

Bezos said that the company has sold $100 million in tickets for future flights. Back in 2018, Reuters said that Bezos had planned to charge between $200,000 to $300,000 per ticket for a spaceflight. 

Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic said it’s reopened ticket sales for flights a t $450,000 a pop. The spaceflight company, whose billionaire founder Richard Branson also ventured into space in July, has ambitions to open commercial flights next year. 

“As we endeavour to bring the wonder of space to a broad global population, we are delighted to open the door to an entirely new industry and consumer experience,” said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier in a statement. 

The company previously sold tickets for $250,000 each in anticipation for future flights, but suspended sales in 2014 after a test flight crash.

Axiom Space, a private aerospace company that wants to build the first commercial space station, is planning to send private citizens to the International Space Station in 2022 aboard the Crew Dragon from billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Tickets sold for a whopping $55 million each. Back in 2019, NASA opened up the ISS to private flights. 

The market for space tourism 

The focus on space flight reflects a broader shift in who the tourism market now caters to. 

As the ranks of very wealthy individuals have grown, the middle-class has been priced out of the market, which now focuses more on “exotic luxury,” said Howard McCurdy, a professor of public affairs at American University.

He said, for example, experiences might now consist of taking a trip through the Drake Passage to Antarctica, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

“That’s pretty expensive,” McCurdy said. “ It’s not there for everybody, but it is there for a substantial number of people who didn’t exist 40 to 50 years ago in that income category.” 

Mark Sundahl, a professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law with expertise in space law, said he sees space tourism as a viable industry.  

“There’s been a lot of interest and a large number of deposits made by prospective spaceflight participants, as they’re known in the industry, and it’s going to be very popular,” Sundahl said. 

But while the rich will be able to afford these tickets, some don’t think space tourism will ever become a mass market opportunity. 

“Projections of price and access to space going way back have always been very optimistic. And it’s still very expensive,” said Henry R. Hertzfeld, a professor of space policy and international affairs at George Washington University. “Space is risky — it’s not as easy as it looks when everything goes right.” 

The economics of private space companies

McCurdy said he does not think companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic can make money solely flying passengers. To succeed, they’ll have to find other revenue streams. 

He pointed to the Air Mail Act of 1925, or the Kelly Act, which allowed private companies to bid for contracts to deliver the mail , which helped financially sustain their operations. 

To finance his Blue Origin operation, Bezos said in 2017 that he was selling $1 billion of Amazon stock a year. The company has also partnered with NASA to carry research and technology payloads into space.  

In 2020, NASA bega accepting proposals from scientists who wanted to fly with their experiments to space on commercial rockets from companies such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. It offered between $450,00 to $650,000 for their proposals, reported The Verge.  

And just last month, NASA awarded $146 million in contracts to five companies, including Blue Origin and SpaceX, to create lander design concepts for its Artemis program (which aims to return astronauts to the moon) and conduct component tests. 

“You get the mail, you get some packages, you get some people, and all of a sudden, it starts to make economic sense,” McCurdy said. “And then of course, you charge the people wildly different rates. To be first, to be with Shatner.” 

Stories You Might Like

how much to travel in space

NASA partners with commercial companies to return to the moon

When bezos and branson head into space, they and their companions fly at their own risk.

how much to travel in space

William Shatner is still the captain of his entrepreneurial ship

how much to travel in space

The evolution of the race to the cosmos

how much to travel in space

Billionaires will have to duke it out to dominate outer space

how much to travel in space

What will be the fallout from SpaceX blast?

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.  

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.  

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on . For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.  

Also Included in

  • Blue Origin
  • Space tourism
  • William shatner

Latest Episodes From Our Shows

how much to travel in space

The business behind HBCU marching bands

Reddit plans to let its users get in on the ground floor of its initial public stock offering

Reddit plans to let its users get in on the ground floor of its initial public stock offering

Car dealers' inventories are up, so haggling and incentives are back

Car dealers' inventories are up, so haggling and incentives are back

Is it possible that the economy has landed softly enough?

Is it possible that the economy has landed softly enough?

how much to travel in space

We have completed maintenance on Astronomy.com and action may be required on your account. Learn More

Astronomy Magazine logo

  • Login/Register
  • Solar System
  • Exotic Objects
  • Upcoming Events
  • Deep-Sky Objects
  • Observing Basics
  • Telescopes and Equipment
  • Astrophotography
  • 20 of the Best Places to See the Eclipse
  • Times, Places, State-by-State Guide to the Eclipse
  • More 2024 Eclipse Articles
  • Space Exploration
  • Human Spaceflight
  • Robotic Spaceflight
  • The Magazine

Six ways to buy a ticket to space in 2021

Interior shot of SpaceShipTwo cabin

Earlier this month, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule safely ferried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken back to Earth following a multi-month trip to the International Space Station (ISS). No privately built spacecraft had ever carried humans into orbit before. But unlike SpaceShipOne, which was a single craft built specifically to win a prize, there are multiple models of the Crew Dragon, each designed to be reused.   

It’s finally looking like the exciting era of space tourism is about to erupt. A handful of so-called “new space” companies are now competing to sell space tourists trips on private spacecraft. Each one has a slightly different means of reaching space, and not all of them will get you all the way into orbit. But as long as you’re rich, you should have no problem purchasing your ticket to space.

SpaceShipTwo during a flight test

Virgin Galactic

SpaceShipOne was retired after just three successful spaceflights, but the technology lives on in Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Unity . Like its predecessor, Virgin Galactic’s rocketplane drops from a specially engineered aircraft before boosting itself to 50 miles (80 kilometers) in altitude. That’s high enough for Virgin Galactic’s pilots to earn their astronaut badges. However, others define space via the so-called Kármán line, the generally accepted boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space that sits 62 miles (100 kilometers) above our planet’s surface.

Virgin Galactic’s goal is to become “the world’s first commercial spaceline,” and eventually they’ll offer regular flights from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. The company is planning to begin regular flights in early 2021, with CEO Richard Branson slated as the first non-professional pilot to travel on Spaceship Unity .

Crew Dragon capsule waits for launch

SpaceX is the only private rocket company to ever send a human into orbit. They’re also the only company now NASA-certified to send people to circle Earth. So, when will SpaceX start selling tickets to private citizens for trips to space? In the past, Elon Musk has said that the spacecraft could have a bright future carrying private passengers into orbit. And SpaceX recently announced that it has already sold seats on future Crew Dragon flights through other companies that are handling the logistics.

Ultimately though, Musk’s goal is to settle Mars. And to do that, he needs a bigger spacecraft. That’s why SpaceX’s engineers are working feverishly on its Starship, which is still under development. If the enormous spaceship works, it could literally rocket dozens of space tourists at a time between a number of destinations on Earth, or perhaps throughout the inner solar system. The company says that Starship would be able to travel between any two locations on Earth in less than one hour.

SpaceX is confident enough in their vessel that they already sold a Starship flight around the Moon to Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. No human has traveled to the Moon in nearly 50 years, and Maezawa, a fashion designer and online clothing retailer, has said he’ll take a group of artists with him.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket landing

Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos started his rocket company, Blue Origin, back in 2000. And he’s been selling Amazon stock to pump billions of dollars into the effort ever since. Like SpaceX, they’re prioritizing reusable rockets and spacecraft that can drastically reduce the cost associated with spaceflight.

Much of Blue Origin’s effort has gone into developing a pair of rockets: New Shepard and New Glenn.

New Shepard can carry six people inside a suborbital capsule some 60 miles (100 km) into space. Blue Origin has already flown a dozen test flights, and they’re still planning several additional tests before launching passengers. However, in March, Axios reported that Blue Origin could send passengers into space in 2020, though COVID-19 has caused delays across the space industry. If the company can still get its space capsule tested in 2020, it could be on course for paid flights in 2021.

Meanwhile, Blue Origin has announced that it will soon start selling tickets. The company’s website doesn’t list the price of a Blue Origin trip, but Bezos has previously said their space tourists can expect to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to fly in its New Shepard capsule.

The company is also working hard on their New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift, reusable launch vehicle that Blue Origin has already invested more than $2.5 billion into developing. It’s larger than SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, but smaller than the rocket planned with Starship. That size could eventually enable regular passenger trips into orbit and even beyond. The company will need that capacity, too. Blue Origin’s goal is to one day have millions of people living and working in space.

Axiom viewing capsule

Axiom Space’s goal is to create the world’s first commercial space station. In the meantime, they’ve inked a deal to send a crew of private citizens to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule in October 2021.

Axiom’s initial crewed mission, dubbed Ax1, should send three paying astronauts to the ISS. Each ticket reportedly costs $55 million. And while it might seem like there’s a small pool of potential ticket buyers at that rate, in the U.S. alone, roughly 75,000 American households have that much money. Axiom also figures it’s just getting started selling tickets to space. In the near future, the company says it will send three crews a year to the ISS.

Boeing Starliner in orbit

Back in 2014, NASA selected two companies — SpaceX and Boeing — to receive multibillion-dollar contracts to build spacecraft that could ferry astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX made good on the first crewed flight of its Commercial Crew Program contract earlier this year. Meanwhile, Boeing has yet to get its Starliner spacecraft safely to the ISS and back. Their first test flight reached orbit but failed to make the space station, and a NASA review outlined numerous necessary fixes.

Boeing will attempt another uncrewed test flight next year. And if all goes well, they could fly to the ISS by late 2021.

But once Boeing is flying to and from the ISS, the iconic aerospace company is also technically allowed to fly private passengers to the space station. They’ve been quiet on this option, but NASA has said they’d accommodate passengers at a rate of $35,000 per night.

Boeing has also hired a corporate test pilot astronaut, Christopher Ferguson. He’s been training alongside NASA’s astronauts and will be among the first to fly on Starliner. He might not count as a space tourist, but Ferguson will ultimately be part of an entirely new group of professional astronauts that work for private companies, not national space agencies.

Soyuz docked with ISS over Florida

Space Adventures

Space Adventures is an American company that offers private spaceflights to the ISS and, eventually, the moon. Since their founding in 1998, the company has sold a number of other spaceflight related experiences, like simulated zero-gravity airplane flights. And unlike their competitors, Space Adventures has sent space tourists into orbit, too. They’ve been responsible for over half a dozen paid trips to the ISS that made use of Russian spacecraft.

Most recently, they booked a launch to the space station on Russia’s veteran Soyuz spacecraft, which is set for December 2021. The mission, dubbed Soyuz MS-20, will fly with a lone cosmonaut and two Space Adventures tourists.

Space Adventures has arranged another path to get paying customers into space, too. They recently announced a deal with SpaceX that will put four space tourists in a SpaceX capsule and send them into orbit around Earth. How much will it cost? For now, both companies are keeping the cost of these tickets private. But those who do make the trip should get an excellent show. The mission will orbit at several times the height of the ISS.

Unfortunately, few of us have enough disposable income to fund a trip beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But with at least a half dozen ways for the wealthy to purchase a ticket into space next year, the hope is that the cost will continue to decline. And if that happens, you might be closer than you think to regularly having your rocket pass checked by the TSA.

An artists' conception of a spacewalk by the Polaris Dawn crew.

The upgrades to spacesuits that need to be made sooner rather than later

The Orion nebula as seen by the JWST, appears like a pillowy, colorful, massive cloud of gas and dust.

JWST data show intense bursts of radiation are vaporizing parts of a young star’s disk in the Orion Nebula

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this artist’s concept traveling through interstellar space, or the space between stars, which it entered in 2012. Traveling on a different trajectory, its twin, Voyager 2, entered interstellar space in 2018. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 1 is sending binary gibberish to Earth from 15.1 billion miles away

Orion's "selfie" of itself and the Moon. Orion will carry astronauts on several space missions.

An updated list of space missions: Current and upcoming voyages

Nasa’s dart mission may have changed the shape of asteroid dimorphos, new study reveals.

Odysseus on the Moon. The photo shows a piece of a landing gear leg that has broken off. Credit: Intuitive Machines

Odysseus traveled to the Moon, broke its leg, and still pinged Earth to tell the story

A microscopic image of a tardigrade.

What happened to those tardigrades sent to the Moon?

An illustration of the dwarf planets Makemake and Eris.

Distant worlds Eris and Makemake unveil surprisingly active natures to the world’s largest space telescope

Supernova 1987A, imaged by the Hubble and JWST. The faint blue source in the centre is the emission detected with the JWST/NIRSpec instrument. The bright stars to the left and right of the inner ring are unrelated to the supernova. Credit: Hubble Space Telescope WFPC-3/James Webb Space Telescope NIRSpec/J. Larsson

JWST’s new look at Supernova 1987A reveals a neutron star

  • The A.V. Club
  • The Takeout
  • The Inventory

Support Quartz

Fund next-gen business journalism with $10 a month

Free Newsletters

How much does it cost to visit the International Space Station?

If you have to ask axiom space's ticket price, you can't afford it.

Mission specialist Rayyanah Barnawi, representing Saudi Arabia, reacts after she was given a pin as the 600th astronaut by Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) Commander Peggy Whitson after their crew's arrival on the International Space Station orbiting Earth May 22, 2023 in a still image from vide

A group of four private astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on May 22, completing a journey from Cape Canaveral to the habitat orbiting 408 kilometers (254 miles) above the Earth.

The mission, managed by Axiom Space , is the second time that paying passengers have flown independently to the ISS. Its crew includes Axiom employee Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut acting as the mission commander, as well as John Shoffner, the former CEO of fiber optics maker Dura-Line, and two government astronauts from Saudi Arabia, Ali Al Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. The latter is the first Arab woman in space.

Getting to space has always been famously expensive, and that’s still the truth today; what’s changed in recent years is that it’s a commodity available for purchase. Past orbital space tourists relied on brokers to make one-off deals with Russia’s cash-strapped space program. With the debut of SpaceX’s crew Dragon spacecraft in 2020, NASA announced that it would welcome private passengers at the ISS if they paid for their room and board.

Now, anyone with sufficient cash can hunt for one of the limited slots to head to orbit. Axiom hopes to fly about a twice a year, but NASA officials say they had trouble finding a window for this mission amid other upcoming activity at the station, including a cargo re-supply, a test flight of a new Boeing spacecraft, and the arrival of the next set of NASA astronauts.

How much will such a trip set you back? At least $60 million—with an emphasis on “at least.” This table shows the publicly available data on how much a private mission might cost per astronaut.

The real cost of flying to the ISS is much higher

But there’s much more to think about. For one, the cost per seat to ride on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is an estimate for NASA (pdf) from 2019, and it has   likely risen.

Presumably, Axiom’s customers also cover the cost of Whitson’s flight, since NASA requires a professional astronaut chaperone onboard. That adds about $20 million to each paying passenger’s ride. Then there’s the question of how much Axiom is charging. Despite the high cost of the trip, the limited supply of seats suggests Axiom could charge deep-pocketed individuals and governments a decent fee for getting them to orbit. By the time everything adds up, the cost of a trip could reach toward $100 million a person.

NASA hopes to replace the aging ISS with privately operated space stations that can serve its needs in low-Earth orbit, while also attracting customers like space tourists, foreign governments, and private companies. Letting private companies visit the publicly funded lab aims to prove that there’s enough demand for these services to attract sizable private investment.

Judging by Axiom’s flight plans and its goal of launching a new module to the ISS in 2025—alongside the other companies plotting to launch their own orbital habitats—NASA’s strategy is working so far.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.

Space Tourism: Can A Civilian Go To Space?

Space Tourism

2021 has been a busy year for private space tourism: overall, more than 15 civilians took a trip to space during this year. In this article, you will learn more about the space tourism industry, its history, and the companies that are most likely to make you a space tourist.

What is space tourism?

Brief history of space tourism, space tourism companies, orbital and suborbital space flights, how much does it cost for a person to go to space, is space tourism worth it, can i become a space tourist, why is space tourism bad for the environment.

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational or leisure purposes . It’s divided into different types, including orbital, suborbital, and lunar space tourism.

However, there are broader definitions for space tourism. According to the Space Tourism Guide , space tourism is a commercial activity related to space that includes going to space as a tourist, watching a rocket launch, going stargazing, or traveling to a space-focused destination.

The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American multimillionaire, who spent nearly eight days onboard the International Space Station in April 2001. This trip cost him $20 million and made Tito the first private citizen who purchased his space ticket. Over the next eight years, six more private citizens followed Tito to the International Space Station to become space tourists.

As space tourism became a real thing, dozens of companies entered this industry hoping to capitalize on renewed public interest in space, including Blue Origin in 2000 and Virgin Galactic in 2004. In the 2000s, space tourists were limited to launches aboard Russian Soyuz aircraft and only could go to the ISS. However, everything changed when the other players started to grow up on the market. There are now a variety of destinations and companies for travels to space.

There are now six major space companies that are arranging or planning to arrange touristic flights to space:

  • Virgin Galactic;
  • Blue Origin;
  • Axiom Space;
  • Space Perspective.

While the first two are focused on suborbital flights, Axiom and Boeing are working on orbital missions. SpaceX, in its turn, is prioritizing lunar tourism in the future. For now, Elon Musk’s company has allowed its Crew Dragon spacecraft to be chartered for orbital flights, as it happened with the Inspiration4 3-day mission . Space Perspective is developing a different balloon-based system to carry customers to the stratosphere and is planning to start its commercial flights in 2024.

Orbital and suborbital flights are very different. Taking an orbital flight means staying in orbit; in other words, going around the planet continually at a very high speed to not fall back to the Earth. Such a trip takes several days, even a week or more. A suborbital flight in its turn is more like a space hop — you blast off, make a huge arc, and eventually fall back to the Earth, never making it into orbit. A flight duration, in this case, ranges from 2 to 3 hours.

Here is an example: a spaceflight takes you to an altitude of 100 km above the Earth. To enter into orbit — make an orbital flight — you would have to gain a speed of about 28,000 km per hour (17,400 mph) or more. But to reach the given altitude and fall back to the Earth — make a suborbital flight — you would have to fly at only 6,000 km per hour (3,700 mph). This flight takes less energy, less fuel; therefore, it is less expensive.

  • Virgin Galactic: $250,000 for a 2-hour suborbital flight at an altitude of 80 km;
  • Blue Origin: approximately $300,000 for 12 minutes suborbital flight at an altitude of 100 km;
  • Axiom Space: $55 million for a 10-day orbital flight;
  • Space Perspective: $125,000 for a 6-hour flight to the edge of space (32 km above the Earth).

The price depends, but remember that suborbital space flights are always cheaper.

What exactly do you expect from a journey to space? Besides the awesome impressions, here is what you can experience during such a trip:

  • Weightlessness . Keep in mind that during a suborbital flight you’ll get only a couple of minutes in weightlessness, but it will be truly fascinating .
  • Space sickness . The symptoms include cold sweating, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. Even experienced astronauts are not immune from it!
  • G-force . 1G is the acceleration we feel due to the force of gravity; a usual g-force astronauts experience during a rocket launch is around 3gs. To understand how a g-force influences people , watch this video.

For now, the most significant barrier for space tourism is price. But air travel was also once expensive; a one-way ticket cost more than half the price of a new car . Most likely, the price for space travel will reduce overtime as well. For now, you need to be either quite wealthy or win in a competition, as did Sian Proctor, a member of Inspiration4 mission . But before spending thousands of dollars on space travel, here is one more fact you might want to consider.

Rocket launches are harmful to the environment in general. During the burning of rocket fuels, rocket engines release harmful gases and soot particles (also known as black carbon) into the upper atmosphere, resulting in ozone depletion. Think about this: in 2018 black-carbon-producing rockets emitted about the same amount of black carbon as the global aviation industry emits annually.

However, not all space companies use black carbon for fuel. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket has a liquid hydrogen-fuelled engine: hydrogen doesn’t emit carbon but simply turns into water vapor when burning.

The main reason why space tourism could be harmful to the environment is its potential popularity. With the rising amount of rocket launches the carbon footprint will only increase — Virgin Galactic alone aims to launch 400 of these flights annually. Meanwhile, the soot released by 1,000 space tourism flights could warm Antarctica by nearly 1°C !

Would you want to become a space tourist? Let us know your opinion on social media and share the article with your friends, if you enjoyed it! Also, the Best Mobile App Awards 2021 is going on right now, and we would very much appreciate it if you would vote for our Sky Tonight app . Simply tap "Vote for this app" in the upper part of the screen. No registration is required!

  • Virtual Events
  • BBC Astronomy
  • How we review
  • Telescope mounts
  • Finderscopes
  • Astronomy accessories
  • Top astro kit
  • Astronomy for beginners
  • Astronomy DIY
  • Buyers' guides
  • Online Planetarium
  • Astronomy news
  • Astrophoto guides
  • Send us your images

Want to go to space? Here's how you can

Have you ever wanted to travel into space? It's theoretically possible. Here are the various options, and how much it will cost you.

Ezzy Pearson

Have you ever wanted to go to space? Is it your dream to leave Earth behind and travel the cosmos? These days getting to space is becoming more of a reality for non-astronauts, even if the cost of doing so remains astronomical.

Go back 60 years and the idea of anyone going into space was little more than a dream. Today, more than 550 people have achieved this ambition, journeying beyond our planet and into low Earth orbit.

For decades it’s been governments footing the bill for training and flying astronauts, but that could all be about to change as space tourism becomes more of a reality over the coming years.

Private spaceflight is on the verge of being able to regularly carry private passengers into space, allowing anyone who wants to travel to the stars to do so – provided they have the money, that is.

The Expedition 63 crew welcomes Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA / Bill Stafford

What companies are sending tourists to space?

The private company closest to sending people into space is SpaceX. In fact, it has already done so, having completed the first successful crewed flight of the Crew Dragon modules in August.

Rival Boeing isn’t far behind and hopes to have its own Starliner spacecraft certified for human spaceflight by the end of 2021.

Both companies are remaining tight-lipped about their fees, but a 2015 NASA estimate put the cost of a round trip ticket to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Crew Dragon or Starliner module at around $58 million.

Though both companies built the spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS, they also plan on selling flights to whoever can afford it, be they academic institutions hoping to conduct research in orbit or deep-pocketed individuals wanting to take the ultimate trip.

Getting into space: your options

Visit the international space station.

On 30 April 2001 Dennis Tito (left) became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space when he visited the ISS. Here he is pictured with cosmonauts Talgat Musabayev and Yury Baturin. Credit: NASA

NASA is already anticipating the coming boom of private passengers, announcing back in March that the American space manufacturer Axiom would be building an ISS module to accommodate them.

Axiom is also helping to facilitate flights to the station. Their first, which will take 3 private astronauts to the International Space Station , is planned for mid 2021. There’s still a seat going spare but you’ll have to pay the $55 million price tag on the ticket.

If your budget can stretch to the billions rather than the millions, however, you can always approach private space exploration companies direct for something a little more bespoke than an off-the-shelf flight.

Take a trip around the Moon

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pictured with Yusaku Maezawa, September 2018, as the pair reveal their plans to send passengers on a flight around the Moon. Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Space X is currently working with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on such a mission, called #dearmoon , which will send 6 to 8 passengers on a flight around the Moon.

Maezawa is even giving away his seats, but you’ll have to be a world-class artist to stand a chance of getting one; his plan is for all the passengers to create works of art attempting to convey the experience of being in space to the world.

Reach 'outer space' with Virgin Galactic

The view from Space on Virgin Galactic's first spaceflight. Credit: Virgin Galactic

At the other end of the fee scale, relatively speaking, is the option of taking a sub-orbital flight with Virgin Galactic .

The company promises passengers three things: to cross the boundary into outer space 100km above Earth’s surface; to let them see the curvature of Earth; and at least 5 minutes of free-floating weightlessness.

After years of postponements, founder Richard Branson has announced that he hopes to take his own first flight in early 2021, before working down the list of 600 people who have purchased a ticket at the early-bird price of $250,000.

Become an astronaut

Uk astronaut Tim Peake gives the thumbs up onboard the International Space Station. Credit: ESA/NASA

While it’s nice to daydream, the reality is that most of us could never afford even the 6-figure option. There is one more possibility, however: become a professional astronaut.

All you need is excellent physical health; a masters in a physical science, engineering or medicine; several years of work experience; a decorated military history; or over 1,000 hours of flight experience. Easy, eh?

If you’re applying to NASA, who select around a dozen candidates every few years, then you’ll need to have US citizenship. For more on this, read the guide to becoming a NASA astronaut .

For Europeans there might be a bit more of a fight, as the European Space Agency (ESA) hasn’t selected a new class of astronauts since 2008, when 8,414 people applied for just 6 places.

Rumour has it that the agency will be sending out a call for new astronauts in 2021, so it might be time to start working on the CV.For more on this, read the ESA guide to becoming an astronaut .

Which non-astronauts have been to space?

Charles D Walker (back row, left) pictured with the rest of the STS-41-D Shuttle crew, with whom he journeyed into space. Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images

In 1984, American citizen Charles D Walker became the first non-government sponsored person to reach space.His employer, aerospace company McDonnell Douglas, paid for him to fly on three Shuttle missions.

NASA charged just $40,000 per flight, though the company spent around $20 million of its own money training him.

Most private spaceflights, however, were not flown on NASA's Space Shuttle but on the Russian Soyuz .

In the 1990s, the Soviet Union’s wider financial problems left its space agency with a shortfall in its ledger, making it more than willing to accommodate paying customers.

Video game developer Richard Garriott (right) pictured with astronauts Greg Chamitoff (left) and Michael Fincke on the ISS, 22 October 2008. Credit: NASA

In 1990, a Japanese broadcasting company paid for reporter Toyohiro Akiyama to fly to the Mir space station, and a few years later Helen Sharman had her flight paid for by various sponsors, becoming the UK’s first astronaut.

In 1998, Space Adventures began working with the Russian space agency to broker future flights to the International Space Station (ISS).

Since then, the company has trained and flown seven individuals, including the second person to wear the British flag in space, gaming entrepreneur Richard Garriott.

In all these flights, the individuals did more than just float around, looking at the view.Instead, they helped to conduct research and experiments, or put on outreach events to educate those back on Earth.

Ezzy Pearson is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's News Editor. This guide originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine .

Share this article

how much to travel in space

Science journalist

how much to travel in space

  • Terms and conditions
  • Manage preferences

Space Travel Calculator

One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity, how fast can we travel in space is interstellar travel possible, can humans travel at the speed of light – relativistic space travel, space travel calculator – relativistic rocket equation, intergalactic travel – fuel problem, how do i calculate the travel time to other planets.

Ever since the dawn of civilization, the idea of space travel has fascinated humans! Haven't we all looked up into the night sky and dreamed about space?

With the successful return of the first all-civilian crew of SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission after orbiting the Earth for three days, the dream of space travel looks more and more realistic now.

While traveling deep into space is still something out of science fiction movies like Star Trek and Star Wars, the tremendous progress made by private space companies so far seems very promising. Someday, space travel (or even interstellar travel) might be accessible to everyone!

It's never too early to start planning for a trip of a lifetime (or several lifetimes). You can also plan your own space trip and celebrate World Space Week in your own special way!

This space travel calculator is a comprehensive tool that allows you to estimate many essential parameters in theoretical interstellar space travel . Have you ever wondered how fast we can travel in space, how much time it will take to get to the nearest star or galaxy, or how much fuel it requires? In the following article, using a relativistic rocket equation, we'll try to answer questions like "Is interstellar travel possible?" , and "Can humans travel at the speed of light?"

Explore the world of light-speed travel of (hopefully) future spaceships with our relativistic space travel calculator!

If you're interested in astrophysics, check out our other calculators. Find out the speed required to leave the surface of any planet with the escape velocity calculator or estimate the parameters of the orbital motion of planets using the orbital velocity calculator .

Although human beings have been dreaming about space travel forever, the first landmark in the history of space travel is Russia's launch of Sputnik 2 into space in November 1957. The spacecraft carried the first earthling, the Russian dog Laika , into space.

Four years later, on 12 April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin became the first human in space when his spacecraft, the Vostok 1, completed one orbit of Earth.

The first American astronaut to enter space was Alan Shepard (May 1961). During the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to land on the moon. Between 1969 and 1972, a total of 12 astronauts walked the moon, marking one of the most outstanding achievements for NASA.

Buzz Aldrin climbs down the Eagle's ladder to the surface.

In recent decades, space travel technology has seen some incredible advancements. Especially with the advent of private space companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, the dream of space tourism is looking more and more realistic for everyone!

However, when it comes to including women, we are yet to make great strides. So far, 566 people have traveled to space. Only 65 of them were women .

Although the first woman in space, a Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova , who orbited Earth 48 times, went into orbit in June 1963. It was only in October 2019 that the first all-female spacewalk was completed by NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch.

Women's access to space is still far from equal, but there are signs of progress, like NASA planning to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon by 2024 with its Artemis missions. World Space Week is also celebrating the achievements and contributions of women in space this year!

In the following sections, we will explore the feasibility of space travel and its associated challenges.

Interstellar space is a rather empty place. Its temperature is not much more than the coldest possible temperature, i.e., an absolute zero. It equals about 3 kelvins – minus 270 °C or minus 455 °F. You can't find air there, and therefore there is no drag or friction. On the one hand, humans can't survive in such a hostile place without expensive equipment like a spacesuit or a spaceship, but on the other hand, we can make use of space conditions and its emptiness.

The main advantage of future spaceships is that, since they are moving through a vacuum, they can theoretically accelerate to infinite speeds! However, this is only possible in the classical world of relatively low speeds, where Newtonian physics can be applied. Even if it's true, let's imagine, just for a moment, that we live in a world where any speed is allowed. How long will it take to visit the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way?

Space travel.

We will begin our intergalactic travel with a constant acceleration of 1 g (9.81 m/s² or 32.17 ft/s²) because it ensures that the crew experiences the same comfortable gravitational field as the one on Earth. By using this space travel calculator in Newton's universe mode, you can find out that you need about 2200 years to arrive at the nearest galaxy! And, if you want to stop there, you need an additional 1000 years . Nobody lives for 3000 years! Is intergalactic travel impossible for us, then? Luckily, we have good news. We live in a world of relativistic effects, where unusual phenomena readily occur.

In the previous example, where we traveled to Andromeda Galaxy, the maximum velocity was almost 3000 times greater than the speed of light c = 299,792,458 m/s , or about c = 3 × 10 8 m/s using scientific notation.

However, as velocity increases, relativistic effects start to play an essential role. According to special relativity proposed by Albert Einstein, nothing can exceed the speed of light. How can it help us with interstellar space travel? Doesn't it mean we will travel at a much lower speed? Yes, it does, but there are also a few new relativistic phenomena, including time dilation and length contraction, to name a few. The former is crucial in relativistic space travel.

Time dilation is a difference of time measured by two observers, one being in motion and the second at rest (relative to each other). It is something we are not used to on Earth. Clocks in a moving spaceship tick slower than the same clocks on Earth ! Time passing in a moving spaceship T T T and equivalent time observed on Earth t t t are related by the following formula:

where γ \gamma γ is the Lorentz factor that comprises the speed of the spaceship v v v and the speed of light c c c :

where β = v / c \beta = v/c β = v / c .

For example, if γ = 10 \gamma = 10 γ = 10 ( v = 0.995 c v = 0.995c v = 0.995 c ), then every second passing on Earth corresponds to ten seconds passing in the spaceship. Inside the spacecraft, events take place 90 percent slower; the difference can be even greater for higher velocities. Note that both observers can be in motion, too. In that case, to calculate the relative relativistic velocity, you can use our velocity addition calculator .

Let's go back to our example again, but this time we're in Einstein's universe of relativistic effects trying to reach Andromeda. The time needed to get there, measured by the crew of the spaceship, equals only 15 years ! Well, this is still a long time, but it is more achievable in a practical sense. If you would like to stop at the destination, you should start decelerating halfway through. In this situation, the time passed in the spaceship will be extended by about 13 additional years .

Unfortunately, this is only a one-way journey. You can, of course, go back to Earth, but nothing will be the same. During your interstellar space travel to the Andromeda Galaxy, about 2,500,000 years have passed on Earth. It would be a completely different planet, and nobody could foresee the fate of our civilization.

A similar problem was considered in the first Planet of the Apes movie, where astronauts crash-landed back on Earth. While these astronauts had only aged by 18 months, 2000 years had passed on Earth (sorry for the spoilers, but the film is over 50 years old at this point, you should have seen it by now). How about you? Would you be able to leave everything you know and love about our galaxy forever and begin a life of space exploration?

Now that you know whether interstellar travel is possible and how fast we can travel in space, it's time for some formulas. In this section, you can find the "classical" and relativistic rocket equations that are included in the relativistic space travel calculator.

There could be four combinations since we want to estimate how long it takes to arrive at the destination point at full speed as well as arrive at the destination point and stop. Every set contains distance, time passing on Earth and in the spaceship (only relativity approach), expected maximum velocity and corresponding kinetic energy (if you turn on the advanced mode ), and the required fuel mass (see Intergalactic travel – fuel problem section for more information). The notation is:

  • a a a — Spaceship acceleration (by default 1   g 1\rm\, g 1 g ). We assume it is positive a > 0 a > 0 a > 0 (at least until halfway) and constant.
  • m m m — Spaceship mass. It is required to calculate kinetic energy (and fuel).
  • d d d — Distance to the destination. Note that you can select it from the list or type in any other distance to the desired object.
  • T T T — Time that passed in a spaceship, or, in other words, how much the crew has aged.
  • t t t — Time that passed in a resting frame of reference, e.g., on Earth.
  • v v v — Maximum velocity reached by the spaceship.
  • K E \rm KE KE — Maximum kinetic energy reached by the spaceship.

The relativistic space travel calculator is dedicated to very long journeys, interstellar or even intergalactic, in which we can neglect the influence of the gravitational field, e.g., from Earth. We didn't include in the destination list our closest celestial bodies, like the Moon or Mars, because it would be pointless. For them, we need different equations that also take into consideration gravitational force.

Newton's universe – arrive at the destination at full speed

It's the simplest case because here, T T T equals t t t for any speed. To calculate the distance covered at constant acceleration during a certain time, you can use the following classical formula:

Since acceleration is constant, and we assume that the initial velocity equals zero, you can estimate the maximum velocity using this equation:

and the corresponding kinetic energy:

Newton's universe – arrive at destination and stop

In this situation, we accelerate to the halfway point, reach maximum velocity, and then decelerate to stop at the destination point. Distance covered during the same time is, as you may expect, smaller than before:

Acceleration remains positive until we're halfway there (then it is negative – deceleration), so the maximum velocity is:

and the kinetic energy equation is the same as the previous one.

Einstein's universe – arrive at the destination at full speed

The relativistic rocket equation has to consider the effects of light-speed travel. These are not only speed limitations and time dilation but also how every length becomes shorter for a moving observer, which is a phenomenon of special relativity called length contraction. If l l l is the proper length observed in the rest frame and L L L is the length observed by a crew in a spaceship, then:

What does it mean? If a spaceship moves with the velocity of v = 0.995 c v = 0.995c v = 0.995 c , then γ = 10 \gamma = 10 γ = 10 , and the length observed by a moving object is ten times smaller than the real length. For example, the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy equals about 2,520,000 light years with Earth as the frame of reference. For a spaceship moving with v = 0.995 c v = 0.995c v = 0.995 c , it will be "only" 252,200 light years away. That's a 90 percent decrease or a 164 percent difference!

Now you probably understand why special relativity allows us to intergalactic travel. Below you can find the relativistic rocket equation for the case in which you want to arrive at the destination point at full speed (without stopping). You can find its derivation in the book by Messrs Misner, Thorne ( Co-Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics ) and Wheller titled Gravitation , section §6.2. Hyperbolic motion. More accessible formulas are in the mathematical physicist John Baez's article The Relativistic Rocket :

  • Time passed on Earth:
  • Time passed in the spaceship:
  • Maximum velocity:
  • Relativistic kinetic energy remains the same:

The symbols sh ⁡ \sh sh , ch ⁡ \ch ch , and th ⁡ \th th are, respectively, sine, cosine, and tangent hyperbolic functions, which are analogs of the ordinary trigonometric functions. In turn, sh ⁡ − 1 \sh^{-1} sh − 1 and ch ⁡ − 1 \ch^{-1} ch − 1 are the inverse hyperbolic functions that can be expressed with natural logarithms and square roots, according to the article Inverse hyperbolic functions on Wikipedia.

Einstein's universe – arrive at destination point and stop

Most websites with relativistic rocket equations consider only arriving at the desired place at full speed. If you want to stop there, you should start decelerating at the halfway point. Below, you can find a set of equations estimating interstellar space travel parameters in the situation when you want to stop at the destination point :

So, after all of these considerations, can humans travel at the speed of light, or at least at a speed close to it? Jet-rocket engines need a lot of fuel per unit of weight of the rocket. You can use our rocket equation calculator to see how much fuel you need to obtain a certain velocity (e.g., with an effective exhaust velocity of 4500 m/s).

Hopefully, future spaceships will be able to produce energy from matter-antimatter annihilation. This process releases energy from two particles that have mass (e.g., electron and positron) into photons. These photons may then be shot out at the back of the spaceship and accelerate the spaceship due to the conservation of momentum. If you want to know how much energy is contained in matter, check out our E = mc² calculator , which is about the famous Albert Einstein equation.

Now that you know the maximum amount of energy you can acquire from matter, it's time to estimate how much of it you need for intergalactic travel. Appropriate formulas are derived from the conservation of momentum and energy principles. For the relativistic case:

where e x e^x e x is an exponential function, and for classical case:

Remember that it assumes 100% efficiency! One of the promising future spaceships' power sources is the fusion of hydrogen into helium, which provides energy of 0.008 mc² . As you can see, in this reaction, efficiency equals only 0.8%.

Let's check whether the fuel mass amount is reasonable for sending a mass of 1 kg to the nearest galaxy. With a space travel calculator, you can find out that, even with 100% efficiency, you would need 5,200 tons of fuel to send only 1 kilogram of your spaceship . That's a lot!

So can humans travel at the speed of light? Right now, it seems impossible, but technology is still developing. For example, a photonic laser thruster is a good candidate since it doesn't require any matter to work, only photons. Infinity and beyond is actually within our reach!

To calculate the time it takes to travel to a specific star or galaxy using the space travel calculator, follow these steps:

  • Choose the acceleration : the default mode is 1 g (gravitational field similar to Earth's).
  • Enter the spaceship mass , excluding fuel.
  • Select the destination : pick the star, planet, galaxy you want to travel to from the dropdown menu.
  • The distance between the Earth and your chosen stars will automatically appear. You can also input the distance in light-years directly.
  • Define the aim : select whether you aim to " Arrive at destination and stop " or “ Arrive at destination at full speed ”.
  • Pick the calculation mode : opt for either " Einstein's universe " mode for relativistic effects or " Newton's universe " for simpler calculations.
  • Time passed in spaceship : estimated time experienced by the crew during the journey. (" Einstein's universe " mode)
  • Time passed on Earth : estimated time elapsed on Earth during the trip. (" Einstein's universe " mode)
  • Time passed : depends on frame of reference, e.g., on Earth. (" Newton's universe " mode)
  • Required fuel mass : estimated fuel quantity needed for the journey.
  • Maximum velocity : maximum speed achieved by the spaceship.

How long does it take to get to space?

It takes about 8.5 minutes for a space shuttle or spacecraft to reach Earth's orbit, i.e., the limit of space where the Earth's atmosphere ends. This dividing line between the Earth's atmosphere and space is called the Kármán line . It happens so quickly because the shuttle goes from zero to around 17,500 miles per hour in those 8.5 minutes .

How fast does the space station travel?

The International Space Station travels at an average speed of 28,000 km/h or 17,500 mph . In a single day, the ISS can make several complete revolutions as it circumnavigates the globe in just 90 minutes . Placed in orbit at an altitude of 350 km , the station is visible to the naked eye, looking like a dot crossing the sky due to its very bright solar panels.

How do I reach the speed of light?

To reach the speed of light, you would have to overcome several obstacles, including:

Mass limit : traveling at the speed of light would mean traveling at 299,792,458 meters per second. But, thanks to Einstein's theory of relativity, we know that an object with non-zero mass cannot reach this speed.

Energy : accelerating to the speed of light would require infinite energy.

Effects of relativity : from the outside, time would slow down, and you would shrink.

Why can't sound travel in space?

Sound can’t travel in space because it is a mechanical wave that requires a medium to propagate — this medium can be solid, liquid, or gas. In space, there is no matter, or at least not enough for sound to propagate. The density of matter in space is of the order 1 particle per cubic centimeter . While on Earth , it's much denser at around 10 20 particles per cubic centimeter .

Circle skirt

Compressibility factor, sunrise sunset.

  • Biology ( 99 )
  • Chemistry ( 98 )
  • Construction ( 144 )
  • Conversion ( 292 )
  • Ecology ( 30 )
  • Everyday life ( 261 )
  • Finance ( 569 )
  • Food ( 66 )
  • Health ( 440 )
  • Math ( 660 )
  • Physics ( 508 )
  • Sports ( 104 )
  • Statistics ( 182 )
  • Other ( 181 )
  • Discover Omni ( 40 )
  • Search Please fill out this field.
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Sweepstakes
  • Space Travel + Astronomy

13 Things Space Tourists Should Know Before Traveling to Space, According to Astronauts

We asked the pros for their best tips on handling a first trip to space.

how much to travel in space

For the vast majority of human spaceflight history, the only ones lucky enough to reach the stars were professional astronauts hired and trained by government agencies around the world — plus seven intrepid travelers in the early 2000s, each of whom paid millions to spend a few days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But we're on the cusp of a new era of space exploration , with commercial companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin developing spacecrafts that are capable of taking paying travelers beyond the Earth's surface. In fact, we'll likely see the launch of the space tourism industry within just a few years.

For all the travelers looking to the stars, we've spoken with former NASA astronauts Dr. Leroy Chiao and Dr. Scott Parazynski to learn what tips they have for first-time spaceflight participants. As a 15-year NASA veteran, Dr. Chiao participated in four missions — three aboard the space shuttle and one to the ISS, in which he served as commander. Dr. Parazynski served NASA for 17 years, flying five shuttle missions throughout his career. Read on to discover their best advice for future astronauts.

Follow Dr. Chiao on Instagram at @cdrleroychiao and Twitter at @astrodude, and Dr. Parazynski on both Instagram and Twitter at @astrodocscott.

1. Your only job on the flight will be to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

If you're taking a suborbital flight, which is what companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are offering, your ride will be a quick up-and-down to reach space, rather than a full orbit of the Earth. While the journey will be short, it's going to be a relatively easy ride for you compared to what professional astronauts experience. For starters, you won't need to worry about flying your spacecraft. That's all up to the spaceflight provider. "You won't have any responsibility other than to enjoy the experience — and not kick anyone else in the head," says Dr. Parazynski. "Their obligations on the flight are pretty straightforward."

As such, the training programs for suborbital space tourist experiences are relatively minimal, perhaps only a few days in length at most. "The downside of not having a lot of training is that you don't have the confidence that comes from lots of training," says Parazynski. "Contrast that with the training I had on the space shuttle, where we trained for hundreds and hundreds of hours for launching in space. If something were to go awry, we would know exactly what to do and our hearts wouldn't skip a beat."

So, other than learning to place your complete trust in your spaceflight provider, Parazynski recommends talking to people who have flown before in order to ease any nervousness. Dr. Chiao agrees: "The best advice I can give on launch — and it's easy to say, harder to do — is to try to relax and enjoy the whole process," he says. "Pay attention during your training, talk to other people who've been there if you can. And actually, you might be surprised — it's quite calm!"

2. But you will want to make sure you’re physically and mentally fit.

"I think people should treat this as their Olympics or Super Bowl. This is a really big life experience, and though you don't need to be an Olympic athlete or a Super Bowl champion to fly in space, it helps to be fit," says Dr. Parazynski. After all, your body will be experiencing quite a range of new sensations during your spaceflight."

But it's not just about physical fitness — mental fitness is key, too. "I think through fitness comes mental acuity as well," says Dr. Parazynski. "The more you can be engaged in the experience, the more you'll remember of it — it'll be more impactful to you."

3. The G-forces experienced on launch and reentry are not as intense as you might expect.

If you've ever watched a livestream of an astronaut launch , caught any Hollywood flick about space travel, or ridden Mission: Space at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park, you know that during launch, astronauts get crushed back into their seats. (And, actually, during reentry, too!) They're experiencing strong G-forces, or a sensation of weight felt during acceleration. It's the same feeling you get when you speed up quickly in a car or zoom through a loop or a sharp curve on a roller coaster, but during a rocket launch, those forces are stronger and more sustained. While the experience might seem a little terrifying, the pros say it's quite manageable.

"The G-forces aren't nearly as bad as they show in the movies," says Dr. Chiao. "If you're good enough to be given medical approval to go on a trip like this, you're not going to have any problems handling the G-forces." He also notes that you'll likely go through centrifugal runs during your training to prep for the sensation — you'll be strapped into a spinning machine that lets you experience strong G-forces, just like that spinning amusement park ride where you're pressed against the wall and the floor drops.

But to make launch and reentry as comfortable on your body as possible, you'll want to physically relax your muscles so you don't fight against the G-forces. "If you relax and let your body sink into the launch couch, you're going to tolerate it much better," says Dr. Chiao. "If you're rigid, that's where you might hurt yourself. And make sure your limbs and arms are inside of the couch."

4. To prep for weightlessness, you should book a zero-G flight.

While it takes quite a bit of effort (and time and money) to get into space to experience weightlessness, you can actually experience the sensation right here on Earth — or rather, just slightly above it. All you need to do is book a reduced-gravity flight, where a plane flies in a series of parabolas (or arch-like shapes) during which passengers experience simulated weightlessness through free fall.

It's physically the same as skydiving or even riding a roller coaster, but in those two instances, your senses tell you you're actually falling. "When you're in a zero-G airplane, the airplane is falling at the same rate you are, so you're floating inside the airplane," says Dr. Chiao. "That's what it's like in a spacecraft when you get up into space and the engines cut off."

Through commercial companies like the Zero Gravity Corporation, anyone who can spare the cost of a ticket can experience weightlessness — and anyone who's planning on making a trip to space should definitely give it a go. "If they have the means, they should get on a zero-G flight before they go on a suborbital flight," says Dr. Parazynski. "It would take some of the mystery out of 'what am I going to feel like?' and 'how do I move?'"

5. Learning how to scuba dive is good weightlessness training, too.

While being underwater isn't exactly like floating in space, it's a pretty good way to practice moving around in weightlessness. In fact, NASA even has a life-sized replica of the ISS set inside a giant pool, so that astronauts can train for spacewalks underwater.

"Moving in weightlessness comes to you very quickly when you spend some time underwater," says Dr. Parazynski. "Get neutrally buoyant underwater and very gently try and move yourself along the ocean floor or bottom of your pool. It doesn't take a lot of force, but it does take a lot of thought."

6. Come up with a game plan for your few minutes in space.

On suborbital flights, you're only going to have a few minutes in weightlessness, so you should plan out exactly how you want to spend your time up there. Figure out if you'd like to bring a memento like a family photo or college pennant for a fun picture. (U.S. Naval Academy graduates and former astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford famously put a "Beat Army" sign in the window of their Gemini VI spacecraft, so there's a long tradition of this). Decide in advance if you want to attempt what spaceflight veterans call "stupid astronaut tricks," like flips or spins. But most importantly, budget time to look out the window.

"The most important thing I would tell future astronauts is to savor the view out the window," says Dr. Parazynski. "It's, for lack of a better term, a God's-eye view, and so few people have ever had a chance to see it. It's really a beautiful thing to be hovering in space and looking down at your planet."

7. Don’t worry about taking your own photos.

"As far as taking photographs, I don't know that I would recommend it," says Dr. Chiao. "You're not going to be very good at it, first of all, because it takes a little bit of practice to get used to zero-G. Don't waste that time taking photos. Get your memories, look out those windows, and enjoy the whole experience of being weightless." Plus, given the price tag of these spaceflights, we're pretty sure that your operator will provide you with photos and videos of your journey anyway.

8. When you get into zero-G, you might feel a little dizzy.

The body functions a little bit differently when you remove gravity from the equation for a sustained period of time, and side effects may include dizziness and nausea. "You're going to feel full-headed because there's no longer gravity pulling fluid down into your legs," says Dr. Chiao. "And so all that fluid comes up into your torso, and you can feel it right away. It feels kind of like you're standing on your head."

But the good news is, on suborbital flights, you might be able to avoid the worst of it. "The adrenaline and excitement are going to make you do okay at first, and by the time you might start feeling bad, it's time to strap back in and come back down," says Dr. Chiao.

9. If you’re spending a few days in space, be prepared for some bumps and bruises.

On a suborbital flight, you won't have a ton of time in space, so you won't really have to worry about acclimating to zero-G. But some private spaceflight companies are looking to send their clients up into orbit for longer stays. If you're going to spend a few days or even a few weeks up in space, you're probably going to bump your head more than once, no matter how much you've trained for the experience.

"It's really funny watching rookie astronauts the first day or two up on a mission," says Dr. Parazynski. "We called them the bull in a china shop. They push off with full force and they crack their skull or bang their knee."

10. You’re also going to make a mess.

Doing routine tasks like brushing your teeth (you can't just spit your toothpaste into a sink), clipping your fingernails (you don't want them floating off into your space station), and going to the bathroom (have you even thought about how to use a toilet without gravity?) are all very different experiences in weightlessness. Inevitably, you might have a few mishaps early on in your trip.

"Just sitting down for a meal, you put your fork down, and it's gone in 30 seconds," says Dr. Parazynski. "You may find it two days later in the cabin air cleaner because that's where the air currents have taken it." Luckily, a lost fork is an easy mess to clean up — and the situation can be prevented by tethering it down. Other messes are a different story.

"As far as using the restroom, that's what you need to pay attention to during your training. The toilet is not particularly simple and you have to be careful," says Dr. Chiao. (In case you were wondering, space toilets use airflow to guide things where they're supposed to go.) "But be prepared for making some messes," says Dr. Chiao. "And everybody has to clean up their own mess."

11. If you’re going to do a spacewalk, the stakes are much higher for you and your crew.

If you want to zip around space with a jetpack like George Clooney in "Gravity," sorry, but chances are that's not going to happen any time soon. Most private astronauts will be safely tucked inside their craft for the duration of their flight. But it's not an impossibility — private spaceflight company Space Adventures has partnered with Russian space organization Roscosmos to send two customers into space in 2023, and one of them will partake in a spacewalk .

Unlike suborbital flights, orbital flights with a spacewalk will require extensive training, given that spacewalks are inherently more dangerous than simply riding up to space in the relative safety of a spacecraft. "If you're careless with your tethers and you float off into the void, there's not a whole lot anyone can come do for you," says Dr. Parazynski. It's possible that a crewmate may be able to head out to rescue you, but then you're endangering their life as well. "It's really paramount for a spacewalker to think not just about their own health and well-being and their experience, but also that of their crewmates," he says.

12. If you’re in a capsule, be prepared for a bumpy landing.

While the only way up to space is via a rocket, there are two ways to come back down: via a winged vehicle, like the space shuttle or Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, or via a capsule, like Apollo, Soyuz, and Blue Origin's New Shepard. The experiences are quite different, as winged vehicles land like an airplane on a runway, whereas capsules descend beneath parachutes onto land or water. While both experience a range of G-forces during reentry, capsules have a bit of a rougher ride, particularly at the very end.

"When the parachute comes out, you can expect to get jostled around a fair amount, so that can be disorienting," says Dr. Chiao. "Then, whether you're hitting the water or the ground, you're gonna get a good bump. There are shock-absorbing mechanisms, of course, that make it not too big a deal. But on Soyuz, you smack the ground pretty darn hard. It was kind of surprising!"

13. It’ll be worth every penny.

Sure, it's going to cost a small fortune to go into space as a tourist — for now, that's somewhere in the ballpark of several hundred thousand dollars for a suborbital flight, and millions of dollars for longer duration orbital stays. But ask any astronaut, and they're sure to tell you it'll be worth the investment.

"What I would tell prospective astronauts is that it's going to change their lives forever," says Dr. Parazynski. "It's a perspective that can't be captured in emotion on film. Even in 3D-IMAX, there's no way to capture the way it's going to make you feel, the connectedness you feel to planet Earth, and the awe you have when you look out into the universe."

Space Travel Calculator

Calculate how long it would take to reach planets, stars, or galaxies, as well as fuel mass, velocity and more, journey details.

A ship with a ring around it and stars stretched to lines around it.

Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than -light space travel a boost

how much to travel in space

Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University

Disclosure statement

Mario Borunda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Oklahoma State University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.

View all partners

The closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri. It is about 4.25 light-years away, or about 25 trillion miles (40 trillion km). The fastest ever spacecraft, the now- in-space Parker Solar Probe will reach a top speed of 450,000 mph. It would take just 20 seconds to go from Los Angeles to New York City at that speed, but it would take the solar probe about 6,633 years to reach Earth’s nearest neighboring solar system.

If humanity ever wants to travel easily between stars, people will need to go faster than light. But so far, faster-than-light travel is possible only in science fiction.

In Issac Asimov’s Foundation series , humanity can travel from planet to planet, star to star or across the universe using jump drives. As a kid, I read as many of those stories as I could get my hands on. I am now a theoretical physicist and study nanotechnology, but I am still fascinated by the ways humanity could one day travel in space.

Some characters – like the astronauts in the movies “Interstellar” and “Thor” – use wormholes to travel between solar systems in seconds. Another approach – familiar to “Star Trek” fans – is warp drive technology. Warp drives are theoretically possible if still far-fetched technology. Two recent papers made headlines in March when researchers claimed to have overcome one of the many challenges that stand between the theory of warp drives and reality.

But how do these theoretical warp drives really work? And will humans be making the jump to warp speed anytime soon?

A circle on a flat blue plane with the surface dipping down in front and rising up behind.

Compression and expansion

Physicists’ current understanding of spacetime comes from Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity . General Relativity states that space and time are fused and that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. General relativity also describes how mass and energy warp spacetime – hefty objects like stars and black holes curve spacetime around them. This curvature is what you feel as gravity and why many spacefaring heroes worry about “getting stuck in” or “falling into” a gravity well. Early science fiction writers John Campbell and Asimov saw this warping as a way to skirt the speed limit.

What if a starship could compress space in front of it while expanding spacetime behind it? “Star Trek” took this idea and named it the warp drive.

In 1994, Miguel Alcubierre, a Mexican theoretical physicist, showed that compressing spacetime in front of the spaceship while expanding it behind was mathematically possible within the laws of General Relativity . So, what does that mean? Imagine the distance between two points is 10 meters (33 feet). If you are standing at point A and can travel one meter per second, it would take 10 seconds to get to point B. However, let’s say you could somehow compress the space between you and point B so that the interval is now just one meter. Then, moving through spacetime at your maximum speed of one meter per second, you would be able to reach point B in about one second. In theory, this approach does not contradict the laws of relativity since you are not moving faster than light in the space around you. Alcubierre showed that the warp drive from “Star Trek” was in fact theoretically possible.

Proxima Centauri here we come, right? Unfortunately, Alcubierre’s method of compressing spacetime had one problem: it requires negative energy or negative mass.

A 2–dimensional diagram showing how matter warps spacetime

A negative energy problem

Alcubierre’s warp drive would work by creating a bubble of flat spacetime around the spaceship and curving spacetime around that bubble to reduce distances. The warp drive would require either negative mass – a theorized type of matter – or a ring of negative energy density to work. Physicists have never observed negative mass, so that leaves negative energy as the only option.

To create negative energy, a warp drive would use a huge amount of mass to create an imbalance between particles and antiparticles. For example, if an electron and an antielectron appear near the warp drive, one of the particles would get trapped by the mass and this results in an imbalance. This imbalance results in negative energy density. Alcubierre’s warp drive would use this negative energy to create the spacetime bubble.

But for a warp drive to generate enough negative energy, you would need a lot of matter. Alcubierre estimated that a warp drive with a 100-meter bubble would require the mass of the entire visible universe .

In 1999, physicist Chris Van Den Broeck showed that expanding the volume inside the bubble but keeping the surface area constant would reduce the energy requirements significantly , to just about the mass of the sun. A significant improvement, but still far beyond all practical possibilities.

A sci-fi future?

Two recent papers – one by Alexey Bobrick and Gianni Martire and another by Erik Lentz – provide solutions that seem to bring warp drives closer to reality.

Bobrick and Martire realized that by modifying spacetime within the bubble in a certain way, they could remove the need to use negative energy. This solution, though, does not produce a warp drive that can go faster than light.

[ Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today .]

Independently, Lentz also proposed a solution that does not require negative energy. He used a different geometric approach to solve the equations of General Relativity, and by doing so, he found that a warp drive wouldn’t need to use negative energy. Lentz’s solution would allow the bubble to travel faster than the speed of light.

It is essential to point out that these exciting developments are mathematical models. As a physicist, I won’t fully trust models until we have experimental proof. Yet, the science of warp drives is coming into view. As a science fiction fan, I welcome all this innovative thinking. In the words of Captain Picard , things are only impossible until they are not.

  • General Relativity
  • Theoretical physics
  • Interstellar
  • Speed of light
  • Albert Einstein

how much to travel in space

Visiting Professor - 2024-25 Australia-Korea Chair in Australian Studies at Seoul National University

how much to travel in space

Senior Research Ethics Officer (Human Ethics Pre-review)

how much to travel in space

Dean, School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences

how much to travel in space

School of Social Sciences – Academic appointment opportunities

how much to travel in space

Union Organiser (part-time 0.8)

Image that reads Space Place and links to spaceplace.nasa.gov.

How Do We Launch Things Into Space?

Illustration of a cartoon robot, the mascot of NASA Space Place.

Watch this video about how we launch things into space! Click here to download this video (1920x1080, 48 MB, video/mp4).

We launch satellites and spacecraft into space by putting them on rockets carrying tons of propellants. The propellants give the rocket enough energy to boost away from Earth’s surface. Because of the pull of Earth’s gravity, largest, heaviest spacecraft need the biggest rockets and the most propellent.

Image of the GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launching into orbit in May 2018.

The GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launched into orbit in May 2018. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

How does a rocket lift off?

More than 300 years ago, a scientist named Isaac Newton laid out three basic laws that describe the way things move. One of the laws says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is the most important idea behind how rockets work.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

If you see pictures or videos of a launch, you’ll see exhaust streaming out the bottom of the rocket. Exhaust is the flames, hot gases and smoke that come from burning the rocket’s propellants.

The exhaust pushes out of a rocket’s engine down toward the ground. That’s the action force . In response, the rocket begins moving in the opposite direction, lifting off the ground. That’s the reaction force .

Once a rocket launches, will it keep going?

It’s not that simple. Earth’s gravity is still pulling down on the rocket. When a rocket burns propellants and pushes out exhaust, that creates an upward force called thrust . To launch, the rocket needs enough propellants so that the thrust pushing the rocket up is greater than the force of gravity pulling the rocket down.

A rocket needs to speed up to at least 17,800 miles per hour—and fly above most of the atmosphere, in a curved path around Earth. This ensures that it won’t be pulled back down to the ground. But what happens next is different, depending on where you want to go.

How to Orbit Earth:

Let’s say you want to launch a satellite that orbits Earth. The rocket will launch, and when it gets to a specific distance from Earth, it will release the satellite.

The satellite stays in orbit because it still has momentum—energy it picked up from the rocket—pulling it in one direction. Earth’s gravity pulls it in another direction. This balance between gravity and momentum keeps the satellite orbiting around Earth.

Satellites that orbit close to Earth feel a stronger tug of Earth’s gravity. To stay in orbit, they must travel faster than a satellite orbiting farther away.

The International Space Station orbits about 250 miles above the Earth and travels at a speed of about 17,150 miles per hour. Compare that to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, which help us get information to and from other NASA missions. These satellites orbit at a height of more than 22,000 miles and travel much slower—about 6,700 miles per hour—to maintain their high orbit.

How to Get to Other Planets:

If you’re trying to get to another planet, you’ll need a fast-moving rocket to overcome Earth’s gravity. To do that, you’d have to speed up to around 25,000 mph. But you’ll also need to figure out the best time to leave Earth to get to that planet.

For example, Mars and Earth reach their closest distance to each other about every two years. This is the best time to go to Mars, since it requires the least amount of propellant and time to get there. But you’ll still need to launch your rocket at the right time to make sure the spacecraft and Mars arrive at the same place at the same time.

Check out this video if you want to learn more about how to get to Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

You’ll also have to carefully plan your travels if you want to travel to the outer solar system. For instance, if you’re sending spacecraft to study Saturn, do you want to encounter Mars and Jupiter on the way there?

If you liked this, you may like:

Illustration of a game controller that links to the Space Place Games menu.

Fly me to the moon: NASA accepting astronaut applications (video)

Applications are open for the next astronaut class.

NASA wants a new group of astronauts to explore the moon and maybe even Mars.

Astronaut applications to NASA are due on April 2, giving U.S. citizens the chance to fly to the moon and maybe even to Mars if selected.

The requirements are steep: A master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math; three years of professional experience, medical residency or 1,000 pilot-in-command hours for pilots; and passing a long-duration physical. More details are available on the agency's website .

"Astronauts will explore and conduct experiments where humans have never been: The lunar south pole," NASA officials wrote in the announcement. "With NASA's plans for the future of exploration," the agency added, "new astronauts will fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and may be the first humans to fly on to Mars ."

Related: NASA graduates new astronaut class as it begins recruiting for more

The last time NASA selected astronaut candidates in 2021, more than 12,000 people applied. From thousands, the American cohort was whittled down to only 10 people. The Americans and two United Arab Emirate astronauts graduated from 2.5 years of basic training Tuesday (March 5).

New recruits are known as astronaut candidates until they complete their basic training, which includes "basic astronaut skills like spacewalking, operating the space station, flying T-38 jet planes and controlling a robotic arm," the agency added. 

NASA's first astronaut recruitment was in 1959. In the following 65 years, the agency has recruited 360 people as astronaut candidates, according to agency statistics: 299 men, 61 women; 212 military, 138 civilians; 191 pilots, 159 non-pilots. Almost all of those people made it to space at some point.

—  This International Space Station VR experience lets you explore the ISS… and it’s as amazing as it sounds

 — Artemis program will land international astronaut on the moon by end of 2020s, VP Harris says

 — The ISS just turned 25, and NASA is getting ready for the end (video)

These days, opportunities are abundant: Possible moon or lunar space station flights for the Artemis program , long-duration missions on the International Space Station , the prospect of new commercial space stations and a variety of spacecraft to fly.

If the astronauts are going to low Earth orbit, there's a choice of SpaceX 's Crew Dragon, Boeing's Starliner or Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. Moon missions would use SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon for landings, and NASA's Orion spacecraft (led by Lockheed Martin) for transportation.

Flights will only take up a minority of a typical astronaut career, however, meaning astronauts will spend most of their time supporting other missions on the ground in Mission Control or through development projects.

If you can't qualify with NASA, other opportunities for space may be available. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are running brief, if pricey, trips to suborbital space from time to time. Axiom Space brings commercial astronauts to the ISS for short-duration missions. And there are other space agencies participating in Artemis and ISS that recruit their own astronauts as well.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

SpaceX's Crew-7 capsule returns 4 astronauts to Earth with predawn splashdown (video)

China will launch giant, reusable rockets next year to prep for human missions to the moon

Giant Mars volcano discovered 'hiding' in plain sight

Most Popular

By Keith Cooper March 13, 2024

By Tariq Malik March 13, 2024

By Elizabeth Howell March 13, 2024

By Robert Lea March 13, 2024

By Robert Z. Pearlman March 12, 2024

By Mike Wall March 12, 2024

By Samantha Mathewson March 12, 2024

By Harry Baker March 12, 2024

By Robert Lea March 12, 2024

By Monisha Ravisetti March 12, 2024

  • 2 See Mercury at its best in the night sky this month
  • 3 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Starlink satellites on record-tying 19th mission tonight
  • 4 'Constellation' season 1 episode 6 review: Haunted houses and new perspectives
  • 5 Deep-space astronomy sensor peers into the heart of an atom

Money blog: Bank transfers could be delayed four days under new fraud laws

Bank transfers could be delayed by up to four days under draft laws to let payment providers investigate fraud for longer. Read this and all the latest consumer and economic news in the Money blog - and listen to the latest episode of the Ian King Business podcast as you scroll.

Thursday 14 March 2024 06:53, UK

  • Bank transfers could be delayed four days under new fraud laws
  • Ed Conway : Has UK seen shortest recession in modern history?
  • Pret A Manger cracks down on 'free' coffee loophole
  • Cheap Eats : Reigning Great British Menu main course champion picks his favourite in Staffordshire
  • Basically... Non-dom status is being scrapped - but what is it?

Uswitch has penned an open letter to the big four broadband providers calling for an end to delays for cross-network broadband switching.

The long-awaited One Touch Switch process makes switching easier for consumers by standardising the process across different networks.

However, the UK's "Big Four" broadband providers - BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk - today missed their second target date to implement this.

This missed deadline comes weeks before the major broadband providers roll out a series of mid-contract price rises.

"The timing of the missed deadlines - just before industry price rises - adds deeper urgency to the issue," Angus McCarey, CEO of Uswitch, wrote in the open letter.

"By our estimates, industry price rises have already cost consumers an extra £427m on their broadband bills since 2023 and they are about to go up again."

The first deadline to reform the switching process was 3 April 2023 and a second target date 14 March 2024 was set by Ofcom and TOTSCo. 

This week has seen a new target date of 12 September set.

Uswitch research shows 28% of UK broadband customers intend to switch their broadband providers this year, which would unlock savings of up to £1.43bn based on average savings.

Bank transfers could be delayed by up to four days under draft laws to let payment providers investigate fraud for longer.

The legislation would give providers 72 hours on top of the existing 24 to contact customers, police and others when they have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud or dishonesty.

The legislation will apply to authorised push payments (APPs), which scammers used to steal £485m from victims in 2022, the government said.

"Fraudsters spin whole webs of lies and fabricate all sorts of things to convince people to send them money," said economic secretary to the Treasury, Bim Afolami.

"This legislation will give banks, other payment service providers and law enforcement more time to get in touch with victims and break the fraudster's spell before money is sent."

APP scams happen when fraudsters trick victims into initiating and authorising a transaction, often by posing as legitimate organisations such as banks, businesses or the police.

Payment service providers have generally been required to process payments by the end of the following business day.

The government intends to put the legislation before parliament so it comes into force by 7 October.

Metro Bank will axe approximately 1,000 jobs and stop opening branches seven days a week. 

From 29 March, all 76 stores will no longer open on Sundays or bank holidays and opening hours will be cut.

Details of the overhaul came as it reported a £16.9m underlying loss for 2023, narrowed from losses of £50.6m in 2022.

The UK's competition watchdog has released 500 homes from "problematic" leaseholds which saw the ground rent they paid double every ten to 15 years.

Such onerous terms can trap people in houses they find difficult to sell and if they fall behind on payments, it even puts their right to keep their homes at risk.

The Competition and Markets Authority said the households would see their ground rent returned to where it was when their homes were first sold.

The governor of the Bank of England says  the UK jobs market is near full employment.

The country is experiencing an "unusual" pattern of falling inflation without significant unemployment, Andrew Bailey said, adding: "This is tentatively good news."

Usually, higher interest rates result in companies cutting jobs because borrowing and investing become more expensive.

A secondary school headteacher has criticised "completely unacceptable" meals served to pupils at his own school, demanding to know "how difficult is it to bake a potato?".

Jason Ashley, head of Redbridge Community School in  Southampton , sent a letter to parents complaining about canteen lunches on 12 March.

In it, he wrote: "I can no longer keep this from you. You'll often hear me say 'if it's good enough for my own children, it has to be good enough for yours'.

"Frankly the food that is served in the canteen is completely unacceptable, so much so, that if my own children's school served this I would be exceptionally unhappy."

He explained the school had "no control" over what the contracted catering company, Chartwell's, decided to serve.

Read the full story here ...

Pret A Manger is changing the way its £30 subscription works in what appears to be a crackdown on people sharing benefits with their friends.

The Club Pret subscription gets people five drinks a day plus 20% off food.

But it seems - and we definitely wouldn't know anything about this - some people who don't want all five drinks every day have been sharing their QR codes with friends, as they can be added to Apple Pay and Google Wallet.

This is against the terms and conditions and Pret now seems to be closing the loophole.

Subscribers will now have to log in through its app every time they claim the offer.

The new rules kick in from 18 March.

A Pret spokesperson said: "We're updating how Club Pret subscribers access their QR codes as we continue to invest in our digital offer for customers. Live QR codes will be reissued to all subscribers."

 Nine in 10 households have admitted to having at least one bad energy habit, according to Uswitch. 

But did you know, they can add up to £205 a year to your bills? 

Some of the most costly habits are the most common, including bringing things to the boil on the hob without a lid on the saucepan and boiling more water than necessary in a kettle. 

Three fifths of households said they fill the kettle with more water than they need, potentially adding nearly £40 to the average £84-a-year cost of tea-making if they overfill by half every time. 

Uswitch also found two thirds of households set their washing machine at more than 40C, potentially costing nearly £20 a year more than washing at 30C. 

Meanwhile, almost half run it when it's not full, with an extra weekly wash adding £8 to yearly bills. 

Leaving the hot tap running while doing the washing up was found to be another expensive habit - it can waste 100 litres in just 10 minutes. 

Households that do this once a week could run up an additional £12 a year. 

The first big lender has dropped its mortgage rates as swap rates begin to fall. 

Swap rates dictate how much it costs lenders to lend - and some mild turbulence in this market has led to hikes in mortgage deals over the last six weeks - as this chart illustrates...

Swap rates are now on the way down and Coventry Building Society has responded this morning by announcing cuts to most of its rates.

"This is news that will resonate positively with borrowers as Coventry becomes the first lender to react positively to the recent easing in swap rates." Andrew Montlake, managing director of Coreco, told Newspage. 

He added that he expects other lenders to cut their rates over the coming days, as application levels also begin to ease.

Riz Malik, a director at R3 Mortgages, praised Coventry Building Society for being the first to react to the falling swap rates. 

"It does not surprise me that Coventry is leading the rate cuts as other lenders realise they may have been too quick to hike rates," he said. 

"As lenders fight for what business is out there, others will follow within the week." 

Markets forecast a first base rate cut - from a 16-year high of 5.25% to 5% - this summer.

Borrowers will be hoping Coventry's move is the start of a steady decline in high street rates until then.

Was that it then? 

Only a few weeks after we learnt that the UK had slipped into a recession, today we heard that we may already be out of it.

It's still too early to be sure - after all, the formal definition of a recession hinges, for some reason no-one can quite put their finger on, on whether the economy is growing or shrinking each quarter. 

Two successive quarters of contraction constitutes a recession; a quarter of growth means you're out.

Today's data only covers a single month: January. 

But in that month the Office for National Statistics reckons our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - the most comprehensive measure of economic activity - grew by 0.2%.

That was more or less in line with what economists expected and, given they also expect another month or two of growth, that means there's a decent chance that the quarter will be positive, and hence that the recession is over.

This will obviously be feted as good news, which of course it is. But the bigger picture is more complex. 

The recession we've been through was barely a recession.

Usually they're slumps characterised not merely by falls (and for that matter big falls) in GDP but sharp rises in unemployment and insolvencies. 

They also typically go on for quite a while.

This recession was shallow - probably the shallowest in modern history. 

There is still a very decent chance it gets revised away entirely (remember these GDP numbers are only a first draft of economic history and are subject to dramatic revisions as subsequent data comes in). 

Unemployment, while trending up, is still low.

It's more accurate, really, to characterise the economy as just about flatlining. 

There was a bit of growth in the past month but a little bit of contraction the previous month. 

Look at the data over a longer period and you see a long, ever-so-slightly bumpy line which is barely struggling to lift off.

And that is the broader problem for the UK: a distinct lack of impetus. 

The question is whether that changes this year. 

The Bank of England and Office for Budget Responsibility expect relatively slow growth - and the fact that interest rates are still up at 5.25% is part of the explanation. 

But those rates are expected to come down later this year (especially when inflation drops towards the Bank's 2% target).

The government's tax cuts may also boost consumer spending.

In other words, things might be looking up for the economy. 

A bit. 

But in much the same way as this recession was a bit underwhelming, there's a decent chance that the growth in the coming quarters might just be a little bit underwhelming too. 

By  Sarah Taaffe-Maguire , business reporter

News the economy grew in January was welcomed by UK-listed stock. 

The Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 index of most valuable companies was up 0.08% this morning after it closed at the highest level in more than nine months yesterday afternoon. 

The FTSE 250 also enjoyed gains of 0.2% in the morning. Pushing the index up was infrastructure company and HS2 builder Balfour Beatty whose share price was up 7.4% and on track for its biggest one-day rise since August 2022 after it reported better than expected revenue for last year. 

No major change was seen on the currency markets with one pound equal to $1.2788, virtually unchanged from yesterday. Against the euro, sterling also saw little change, as £1 buys €1.1704. 

This highlights that, while the data on gross domestic product (GDP) was good news and of comfort to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, it was nothing to write home about. 

The benchmark Brent crude oil is still going for around $82 at $82.75 a barrel.

Some Waitrose customers have hit out at the supermarket for quietly making changes to its loyalty programme.

Under the myWaitrose membership scheme, shoppers would previously be offered two money-off vouchers each week based on their shopping habits.

But a change to the terms and conditions of the scheme - which were updated on 14 February - means the vouchers may now arrive from "time-to-time" and could take several weeks to appear in customers' accounts.

In the voucher FAQ section, Waitrose says: "New vouchers are usually offered each week, but there will be times when some customers won't have vouchers available for short periods. Don't worry - this is only temporary and you'll see your vouchers again after a few weeks."

The supermarket is competing with Marks & Spencer at the top end of the market - with M&S recently voted the nation's favourite for in-store experience in a Which? survey.

The two chains command 3.8% of the market each - with M&S having caught up from last year.

Some customers have voiced their chagrin about the loyalty scheme change on X. One shopper called the updated scheme "disgusting" and vowed to shop elsewhere.

Waitrose told the Money blog: "We haven't changed the frequency of our vouchers; customers still receive these weekly - alongside benefits like daily free hot drinks and exclusive member-only discounts.

"Just like all other supermarkets, our T&Cs simply reflect the fact that there may be brief windows when vouchers don't update.  These are very infrequent and only ever impact a very small number of customers, whose vouchers will return very soon."

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

how much to travel in space

March 8, 2024

The Scale of Space Will Break Your Brain

The scale of the cosmos exceeds the bounds of human comprehension. But that doesn’t mean the universe is beyond our understanding

By Phil Plait

A person holding their hand up in front of the sky at dusk to create the illusion that they are grabbing the sun with their fingers

Hasbi Sahin/Getty Images

Space is big. That’s why we call it space .

But how big is “big”?

That’s relative. When an astronomer says something is nearby, they might mean a few million kilometers (if they’re talking asteroids) or a few tens of trillions (for stars) or a few tens of quintillions (for galaxies).

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

No matter the destination, it’s a long walk. We make it easier on ourselves by using huge units to measure distance, such as a light-year, the distance traveled in a year by light—the fastest thing in the universe. A light-year is about 10 trillion kilometers. But that’s still pretty abstract to the casual person reading about “nearby” exoplanets or “distant” galaxies.

One way to help you grasp this scale is to take it step by step.

The moon is the closest astronomical object to us in the entire universe. On average it’s about 380,000 km from Earth. That’s already a pretty long way; nearly 30 Earths could fit side-by-side over that distance! Or think of it this way: the Apollo astronauts, traveling faster than any human before them, still took three days to reach the moon’s vicinity.

And that’s the closest heavenly body.

The sun is about 400 times farther away from us than the moon is: 150 million km. How far is that? If you could pave a road between Earth and the sun, at highway speeds, it would take you about 170 years to drive there. Better pack a lunch. A commercial jet would be better—it would take a mere 17 years.

When working with objects inside the solar system, it’s convenient to use the Earth-sun distance as a sort of cosmic meter stick. We call it the astronomical unit, or AU, and it’s defined by the International Astronomical Union (the keepers of all astronomical numbers, names and other agreed-upon conventions) to be exactly 149,597,870.7 km. In these terms, Mercury is about 0.4 AU from the sun and Venus about 0.7. Their distances from Earth depend on where all the planets are in their orbit—and increase when respective planets are on opposite sides of the sun—so Venus actually ranges from about 0.3 to 1.7 AU from Earth.

Neptune , the farthest major planet from the sun, is 4.5 billion km out, or 30 AU. Pluto’s at roughly the same distance, and it’s a long way from us. The New Horizons spacecraft took more than nine years to get there despite moving at speeds of more 50,000 km per hour.

These numbers are still difficult to grasp. When I used to travel to schools to give demonstrations to kids about astronomy, one of my favorite props was the solar system rope: a hefty 50-foot cord that represented the average sun-Pluto distance. The students were given printouts of planet photographs, and we’d place them at the proper scaled distance from the sun. The inner four planets were so close together that the kids were practically on top of one another, but the outer planets were spread out a long way; we had to either find a long hallway or go outside for the demo.

That demo proved so popular that I created a spreadsheet allowing anyone to calculate the solar system to scale . It’s based on the size of the sun, so you can change it from the default of one meter to, say, the size of a grape and find out how big and how far-off the planets become. (You have to download it to change the values; the link goes to a read-only version.) It’s fun—and eye-opening.

But it’s useful , too, to consider the separation between objects in terms of their size. For example, the sun is 1.4 million km wide. The nearest star system to the sun is Alpha Centauri, which is 41 trillion km away. If we divide the two numbers, Alpha Centauri is about 30 million “suns” away. Stars are very small compared to the distance between them, and that is one reason why you really don’t need to worry about one ever colliding with our sun!

That’s also why we use light-years to measure these distances; it’s a more palatable unit when dealing with interstellar journeys. Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light-years away. The Orion Nebula is about 1,250 light-years from the sun. The center of the Milky Way is 26,000 light-years away, and the galaxy itself is a flattish disk some 120,000 light-years across .

The nearest big galaxy to the Milky Way is Andromeda, which is 2.5 million light years from us. That’s an interesting number because it’s “only” 20 times the size of the Milky Way itself. On the scale of galaxy sizes, galaxies are actually pretty close together.

Inside galaxies, collisions between stars are extremely rare because they’re so far apart relative to their size. But galaxies themselves are more crowded, so it’s not too big a surprise that galaxy collisions are not only common, they’re ubiquitous. The Milky Way grew to its huge size by colliding and merging with other galaxies, and in fact every big galaxy has undergone multiple collisions.

The Milky Way and Andromeda are the two biggest galaxies in a clutch of about 100 galaxies that we call the Local Group. It’s about 10 million light-years across. Bigger and more populous groups exist called galaxy clusters. The nearest big one is the Virgo Cluster, with well more than 1,000 galaxies in it, located about 50 million light-years from us, though smaller groups exist that are closer to us.

Galaxy clusters are held together by the gravity of their members and can be tens of millions of light-years wide. But we’re not done! Clusters can clump up in the cosmos to form clusters of clusters called superclusters. The Virgo Cluster and the Local Group are part of one called the Laniakea supercluster , which may have more than 100,000 galaxies in it and stretches for 500 million light-years.

The universe is 13.8 billion years old, so you might think the most distant objects we can see are roughly that distance away in light-years. But the cosmos is expanding, and in the time it’s taken for the light from distant objects to reach us, that expansion has swept them farther from us. Because of this, the observable universe is estimated to be more like 90 or so billion light-years across!

After all that, I’ll let you in on a secret: even astronomers can’t truly grasp these scales. We work with them and we can do the math and physics with them, but our ape brain still struggles to comprehend even the distance to the moon—and the universe is 2 million trillion times bigger than that.

So yeah—space is big . And it’s true that we are very, very small. These scales can seem crushing. But I’ll leave you with this: while the cosmos is immense beyond what we can grasp, using math and physics and our brain, we can actually understand it.

And that makes us pretty big, too.

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

What to know about the political debate around daylight saving time

Emily Olson

Diba Mohtasham

how much to travel in space

The Zeitfeld ( Time Field ) clock installation by Klaus Rinke is seen at a park in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2019. Maja Hitij/Getty Images hide caption

The Zeitfeld ( Time Field ) clock installation by Klaus Rinke is seen at a park in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2019.

Twice a year, every year, the ritual returns as literal clockwork: the start and end of daylight saving time.

Millions of Americans, with grunts or glee, tap at their devices or wind their watch hands, manually — and mentally — changing the time to reflect a change in seasons.

In recent years, lawmakers have talked about this timeworn tradition being on its last legs. A raft of bills on the federal and state levels that take aim at the biannual time changes are waiting for action or stalled, at least for now.

Here's a look at where things stand.

What's the status of that Senate bill to end time changes?

In March 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act. The intent behind the bill was to make daylight saving time permanent starting in the spring of 2023.

And at first, it looked as though it might become a reality. The Senate passed the bill through an expedited process and with unanimous consent — legislative rarities in this day and age.

But the bill wasn't taken up in the House. Members cited higher priorities, like a budget deficit and the war in Ukraine, but there was also a growing chorus of criticism about the bill's approach (more on this below).

Greenland is keeping daylight saving time permanently

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced the bill in March 2023, and it was sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, but there has been no notable movement on it since. A companion bill, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., is similarly stuck in committee at the House level.

Even if either bill manages to pass both chambers, it'd still need to be signed by President Biden, who hasn't indicated how he leans on the issue.

So for now, the tradition remains intact.

Who observes daylight saving time?

All states but two — Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) — observe daylight saving time. The U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands also don't change their clocks.

What's the argument against the Sunshine Protection Act?

When the Sunshine Protection Act was first debated in a House subcommittee, experts said switching to permanent daylight saving time would do everything: save lives, reduce crime, conserve energy and improve health.

And pretty much everyone agrees that ending the time changes is generally a good idea . Our bodies can be very sensitive to disruptions to our circadian rhythms.

But the medical community has taken issue with how the bill proposes to make the change — specifically, that it mandates all states adopt permanent daylight saving time rather than sticking to standard time.

Doctors and scientists argue that standard time is better for our health. Our internal clock is better aligned with getting light in the morning, which, in turn, sets us up for better sleep cycles.

Changing our clocks is a health hazard. Just ask a sleep doctor

Shots - Health News

Changing our clocks is a health hazard. just ask a sleep doctor.

The bill's sponsors aren't budging though. Rubio is still pushing for permanent daylight saving time.

And the biggest argument for this approach may be an economic one. The idea is that having more light in the evenings encourages people to go out and do things — i.e., spend money.

The nation's convenience stores, for example, told a congressional subcommittee that they see an uptick in spending when clocks are set to daylight saving time.

Could the states adopt their own time-change rules?

With federal legislation stuck in a holding pattern, states could take up the issue, but they're still subject to some federal limitations.

The Uniform Time Act , which was passed in 1966, says that states can enact permanent standard time but not permanent daylight saving time.

At least 550 bills and resolutions have surfaced concerning time changes at the state level in recent years, according to a tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). So the same debate that's happening at the federal level is playing out in statehouses across the United States.

Save Standard Time , a nonprofit that works to end daylight saving time, regularly updates a detailed chart with the exact status of state bills.

If daylight saving time seems tricky, try figuring out the time on the moon

If daylight saving time seems tricky, try figuring out the time on the moon

Which states are trying to end daylight saving time.

In 2023, at least 29 states considered legislation related to daylight saving time.

At least half of those states have enacted or passed measures pledging to switch to permanent daylight time if Congress changes the rules to allow for such an action.

Several of those states were also actively considering legislation that would end daylight saving time, but by switching the state to year-round standard time, according to the NCSL .

Last month, an Oregon bill to keep most of the state in Pacific Standard Time for the entire year didn't advance in the state's Senate. But supporters agreed to amend the bill to say that Oregon will end daylight saving time only if California and Washington make the same change within the next 10 years.

Lawmakers in Oregon's neighboring states of Idaho, California and Washington proposed similar bills.

When will daylight saving time end?

That'll be Sunday, Nov. 3. Mark your calendars.

  • sunshine protection act
  • standard time
  • daylight saving time

how much to travel in space

A low-cost airline launched an option for those who hate middle seats

T here is nothing quite like the thrill of  getting on a plane with nobody next to you or, better yet, scoring that elusive empty row. Over the years, travelers have tested multiple tricks and "hacks" for maximizing one's chances of getting an empty middle seat.

Knowing that some are willing to pay extra for such a service, Australian flagship airline Qantas Airways  ( QUBSF )   debuted a feature called "Neighbour Free Seating" on both its long- and short-term flights in October 2023.

Related: The weirdest reason airline passengers choose the middle seat

The latest airline to experiment with having customers pay to guarantee an empty middle seat is the Denver-based low-cost airline Frontier Airlines  ( FRON ) . On March 12, the low-cost carrier announced that its "UpFront Plus" feature would allow for "extra space and comfort in the first two rows of the aircraft."

'A great option for those who want expanded personal space...'

The idea is similar to the way other airlines make several rows of seats at the front premium economy with extra legroom but, in Frontier's case, current seats will remain the same while the middle one will be blocked off so that those in the aisle and window spots will have more space to spread out.

More Travel:

  • A new travel term is taking over the internet (and reaching airlines and hotels)
  • The 10 best airline stocks to buy now
  • Airlines see a new kind of traveler at the front of the plane

"Customers in UpFront Plus will enjoy a window or aisle seat with extra legroom and a guaranteed empty middle seat, providing additional personal space and comfort at an exceptional value," the airline desrcribes in the press materials for the new feature.

Frontier also already offers Premium fares for those who want extra legroom and Preferred for those who want to sit near the front and be the first to get out when the plane lands. While it does not have business class in the sense of full-service airlines that travel greater distances, Frontier launched a new BizFare that is essentially a combination of Premium and Preferred  and that companies can book for employees (it cannot be booked at an individual level) in February 2024.

"Many consumers strongly prefer a seating option that offers extra space when flying," Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in a statement. "Frontier is all about choice and giving consumers the flexibility to customize their travel to suit their individual needs and preferences. UpFront Plus is a great option for those who want expanded personal space and extra comfort."

Here is how much you can expect to pay to block that middle seat

The price will vary depending on the length and type of one's flight — Frontier generally flies between regional cities in the U.S. and some tropical destinations in the Caribbean.

To start out, Frontier is offering an early-bird fare of $49 per person on flights where UpFront Plus is available for flights from April 10 to 30, if purchased by midnight on March 20. After that, it is the most expensive flight upgrade available — on certain cross-country flights it can reach $300.

Those booking travel through the BizNow program will also be able to upgrade employee seats to UpFront Plus.

"UpFront Plus seating will also provide an affordable upgrade option for those traveling on business seeking additional space," Biffle added.

A young girl sits in an airplane seat. -lead

Read the Latest on Page Six

latest in US News

Florida mom offers up her 18-month-old baby for $500 outside of an H&R Block — finds no takers and leaves kid

Florida mom offers up her 18-month-old baby for $500 outside of...

College student Isabella Willingham suffers ghastly injuries while unconscious for 23 minutes in dorm room — and no one knows what happened

College student suffers ghastly injuries while unconscious for 23...

Rex Heuermann 'not capable' of Gilgo Beach serial killings, his estranged wife says

Rex Heuermann 'not capable' of Gilgo Beach serial killings, his...

Cuomo slams Hochul's deployment of National Guard in NYC subways: 'You need police'

Cuomo slams Hochul's deployment of National Guard in NYC subways:...

House Speaker Mike Johnson believes Hunter and James Biden made 'untrue' statements during impeachment inquiry

House Speaker Mike Johnson believes Hunter and James Biden made...

Couple and 2-year-old daughter survive small plane crash after deploying parachute to ease aircraft's fall

Couple and 2-year-old daughter survive small plane crash after...

Elon Musk says he's 'leaning away from Biden' in clip of testy Don Lemon interview aired after X show's abrupt cancellation

Elon Musk says he's 'leaning away from Biden' in clip of testy...

8-year-old boy struck, killed by driver while crossing NYC street with brother, mom

8-year-old boy struck, killed by driver while crossing NYC street...

Denver property owners are being asked to rent to migrants.

  • View Author Archive
  • Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Property owners in Denver are being asked to rent their places out to migrants as the Colorado city shuts down four public-run shelters.

The Mile High City’s migrant services issued an email this week to property owners in the area seeking assistance in housing the city’s “newcomers” to get them out of shelters and into more stable housing.

“We put out a feeler to all the landlords we have connections with,” Jon Ewing from Denver Human Services told KDVR. “Basically said, listen, we’re going to have some newcomers who are going to need housing.”

The department’s email gauged the rental owners’ interest in opening their listings to the city’s migrants, but at a budget.

“We’ve got kind of a rent cap — $2,000,” Ewing added.

The City of Denver are asking property owners to rent their spaces to migrants who have been living around the city.

The emails come a week after Denver closed down four different shelters to save $60 million in what they labeled as “consolidation.”

“Denver today announced the consolidation of newcomer shelter operations from seven hotels to three by early April as part of the city’s strategy to move newcomers from shelter to stability,” the Denver Newcomer and Migrant Support website reads.

Denver was expected to pay nearly $180 million on the migrant crisis this year, but the savings announcement cut it down to $120 million, according to the Colorado Sun.

Jon Ewing from Denver Human Services said the rent cap was $2,000.

Venezuelans make up the vast majority of the over 40,000 migrants that have arrived in the Mile High City since 2023, according to the outlet.

Most migrants are bussed from the border to Denver, but approximately 40 to 60 percent get on another bus and head to other US cities.

“Many people, as you know, arrive in Denver never having intended to come to Denver,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. They just got put on the bus and this was their first stop.”

Venezuelans make up the vast majority of the over 40,000 migrants that have arrived in the Mile High City since 2023, according to the outlet.

“We’re noticing that more folks are now aware of the volume of migrants that Denver has welcomed and that the availability of jobs and housing that had been present six months ago is not as present today.”

The migrants living in the four hotels set to close in the coming weeks will be moved to another shelter or more stable housing according to the consolidation plans, which were first announced on Feb. 28.

As part of the plans, individuals living in the shelters are given a stay limit of 14 days, 42 days for families with children.

In February, several far-left New York City Council members pushed to scrap Mayor Eric Adams’ 60-day cap on migrants living in shelters in the Big Apple.

In July, Adams imposed the limit on stays at city-run shelters, saying it was needed because the surge of migrants crossing the southern border and coming to New York had left little space.

Denver’s new migrant policies come after the city was faced with 5,000 people in shelters and nearly 200 daily arrivals in the Colorado area between December and January.

“We’re at below 1,800 right now, which is the first time that number’s been that low since September,” Ewing said.

Ewing said the migrants will eventually pay rent for themselves once they are authorized to work after attending clinics that help them get legal work permits.

Ewing said the migrants will eventually pay rent for themselves once they are authorized to work after attending clinics that help them get legal work permits.

“1,300 people right now, over the last two weeks or so, that we’ve been able to help get their work permits,” Ewing told FOX 31 Denver. “That’s a huge step.”

Last month, a Massachusetts couple volunteered the extra space in their home to host a migrant family, and were surprised that a family of four arrived at their doorstep an hour later.

Share this article:

The City of Denver are asking property owners to rent their spaces to migrants who have been living around the city.

Advertisement

how much to travel in space

  • Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

The Daily logo

  • March 13, 2024   •   27:44 The Alarming Findings Inside a Mass Shooter’s Brain
  • March 12, 2024   •   27:30 Oregon Decriminalized Drugs. Voters Now Regret It.
  • March 11, 2024   •   29:07 The Billionaires’ Secret Plan to Solve California’s Housing Crisis
  • March 10, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars?’
  • March 8, 2024   •   29:40 The State of the Union
  • March 7, 2024   •   32:31 The Miseducation of Google’s A.I.
  • March 6, 2024   •   23:07 The Unhappy Voters Who Could Swing the Election
  • March 5, 2024   •   32:02 A Deadly Aid Delivery and Growing Threat of Famine in Gaza
  • March 4, 2024   •   26:06 An F.B.I. Informant, a Bombshell Claim, and an Impeachment Built on a Lie
  • March 3, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘How Tom Sandoval Became the Most Hated Man in America’
  • March 1, 2024   •   32:33 Biden, Trump and a Split Screen at the Texas Border
  • February 29, 2024   •   26:03 How Poisoned Applesauce Found Its Way to Kids

The Alarming Findings Inside a Mass Shooter’s Brain

An attack by an army reservist prompted a search for answers about whether the soldier’s service could have been a factor..

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Dave Philipps

Produced by Jessica Cheung ,  Clare Toeniskoetter and Olivia Natt

With Sydney Harper

Edited by M.J. Davis Lin

Original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence and self harm.

Last fall, an Army reservist killed 18 people at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, before turning the gun on himself.

Dave Philipps, who covers military affairs for The Times, had already been investigating the idea that soldiers could be injured just by firing their own weapons. Analyzing the case of the gunman in Lewiston, Dave explains, could change our understanding of the effects of modern warfare on the human brain.

On today’s episode

how much to travel in space

Dave Philipps , who covers war, the military and veterans for The New York Times.

Two people wearing military uniforms stand on a cement platform. One of them is throwing a grenade into a wooded area.

Background reading

Profound damage was found in the Lewiston gunman’s brain , possibly from explosions.

The finding has broad implications for treatment strategies in veterans and for criminal justice.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Dave Philipps writes about war, the military and veterans and covers The Pentagon. More about Dave Philipps

Advertisement

Screen Rant

Starfield update makes space travel better, but a key feature is still missing.

Space navigation in Starfield is now much better, however, ground navigation remains troublesome without much-needed and long-anticipated QoL updates.

  • Starfield update adds over 500 fixes, improves space navigation, and enhances customization.
  • Players can now easily view star system names in the Starmap, among other new features easing space flight.
  • Ground navigation in Starfield still need significant improvement; players hope for future QoL updates to enhance the game's playability.

Space explorers of Constellation should rejoice as they navigate through the cosmos in Starfield . The latest update adds over 500 fixes, including a new feature that enables players to read the names of stars easily across the Starmap. However, key quality-of-life additions like city maps still hinder ground exploration.

From its release, Starfield received criticism for its poor space navigation. Before the new patch, finding any specific star was an undertaking since the Starmap only highlighted random or large systems . Players needed to hover over individual stars to reveal their names, prompting many suggestions to fix space travel . Bethesda has finally taken the feedback to heart as they implemented new changes to improve space UI.

10 Best Ships To Unlock In Starfield

Improved starmap and customization enhances space navigation, lost in space no more.

The latest patch will help players search for unique points of interest in space. Pressing "RB" or "Alt" on the Starmap will now show the names of all the systems on the screen. This quality-of-life improvement fixes the dated UI of Starfield and allows players to spend less time on menus.

Starmaps are not the only change the beta brings to stellar exploration.

Starmaps are not the only change the beta brings to stellar exploration. The latest patch helps players customize their flight experience and understand ship statistics. Bethesda has added an adjustable third-person field of vision (FOV) tool while on the ship, allowing the player to shift their view from 70° to 110°. Additionally, the shipbuilder upgrade mode now highlights positive and negative stat changes when replacing modules.

Change your Ship Third Person FOV by navigating the "Accessibility" section in your settings.

Constellation members who dogfight often will also be pleased to find the latest update helps with on-the-fly adjustments during fights. PC gamers can now allocate power to different parts of their ship while pressing Left Alt and using the number pad buttons 2, 4, 6, and 8. Together, the changes enabled in Starfield update 1.10.30 simplify and improve the UI challenges that made space travel so cumbersome.

10 Best Starfield Ship Parts (And Where To Find Them)

Players desperately need improvements to city maps, why in-game maps are failing urban explorers.

Bethesda has also sustained criticism due to the lackluster on-the-ground navigation in Starfield . The same blue topographical map greets players whether they visit New Atlantis or the sixteenth moon of Tau Ceti. While useful in exploring a largely barren planet, the surface map does not help while traversing through a dense town like Akila City. The ability to see a local map while entering tight corridors in subterranean compounds like Cydonia would unquestionably be an asset.

The latest beta did not mention any additions to surface maps. While changes to foot exploration are sparse, the patch did include the ability to simultaneously harvest resources and open doors while in scanner mode. Bethesda has stated that they will add city maps per their official Reddit post, but no date has yet been confirmed. Until then, players will rely on their memory and quest compass to venture through the labyrinthine cities in Starfield.

Starfield Updates Will Never Fix Its Biggest Crime

Starfield should address further qol issues in next updates, streamlining the stars.

Continuous tweaks to UI are appreciated and add polish to a game that admittedly needs a bit more. Bethesda should continue to refine and update Starfield to reel old players back and attract new ones. The next QoL patch should focus on adding that final layer of sheen to player exploration both on the ground and in space.

Players are still pending word on the release dates of the creation kit.

Another long-desired feature is better modding tools . Players are still pending word on the release dates of the creation kit . With the Shattered Space DLC potentially being around the corner, Bethesda should continue to add substantial quality-of-life changes to Starfield .

Source: Bethesda/Reddit

IMAGES

  1. Space Tourism Is Here: Booking a Trip to the Final Frontier

    how much to travel in space

  2. The Cost of Space Flight Before and After SpaceX

    how much to travel in space

  3. The Cost of Space Flight Before and After SpaceX

    how much to travel in space

  4. Chart: The World Trails NASA in Space Exploration Expenditure

    how much to travel in space

  5. How much does space travel cost?

    how much to travel in space

  6. How Fast a Rocket Has to Go to Leave Each Planet in the Solar System in

    how much to travel in space

COMMENTS

  1. Space Tourism: How Much Does it Cost & Who's Offering It?

    With new advancements in spaceflight technology, the costs of space travel are decreasing, making the dream of spaceflight a little closer for us all. Evolution of Spaceflight Costs and Technologies. During the space race, the cost of sending something into space averaged between $6,000 to over $25,000 per kg of weight not adjusted for ...

  2. How Much Is A Ticket To Space? $100,000 If You Can Wait A ...

    The same goes for Virgin Galactic, which plans to begin private flights to space during 2022. It charged $250,000 for tickets until it paused ticket sales a few years ago. While it has said it ...

  3. How to travel to space

    No word on how much it cost them. For $55 million, Axiom Space will send astronauts via a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station, a laboratory that circles Earth once every 90 minutes ...

  4. How much does it cost to go to space like William Shatner?

    For a trip on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin's New Shepard, seats typically cost $250,000 to $500,000. "Those are suborbital transportation systems. They are about a 15-minute ride ...

  5. How much does space travel cost?

    The company has yet to disclose prices. NASA is developing its Space Launch System, which will carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. The rocket's per-launch cost has not been disclosed, but the ...

  6. What's Included in a Ticket to Space? Maybe a Suit. Maybe ...

    Around 600 customers across 58 countries have already forked out up to $250,000 for a seat on Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft, which will take them to the edge of space.

  7. How Much Does it Cost to Travel to Space?

    As of right now (2021), the cost of booking a trip to space in the near future is approximately $250,000. The immediate cost of a trip to space (via something like SpaceX) in the next 2-3 years is in the tens of millions per passenger. In the medium-future, the cost of individual tickets into space will drastically fall in price.

  8. How much will a ticket to space cost?

    Back in 2018, Reuters said that Bezos had planned to charge between $200,000 to $300,000 per ticket for a spaceflight. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic said it's reopened ticket sales for flights a t ...

  9. How Much Does it Cost to Fly to Space with Blue Origin?

    Oct. 13, 2021. Blue Origin has declined to publicly state a price for a ticket to fly on New Shepard. The company is nearing $100 million in sales so far, Mr. Bezos has said. But it's unclear ...

  10. How Much Will It Cost to Fly Virgin Galactic to Space ...

    A seat on one of the company's spaceships originally cost $200,000. The company later raised the price to $250,000. It then stopped sales after a crash during a test flight in 2014. When the ...

  11. Six ways to buy a ticket to space in 2021

    The company is planning to begin regular flights in early 2021, with CEO Richard Branson slated as the first non-professional pilot to travel on Spaceship Unity. How much does a ticket to space ...

  12. How Much Does it Cost to Go to Space?

    In 2004, Branson vowed to offer tickets for $200,000; by 2019, reservations cost $250,000 per person. According to NBC, over 700 people have booked slots so far. Among them are Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber, who in 2013 tweeted "let's shoot a music video in SPACE!!" If budget space travel isn't your style, another option is Axiom Space ...

  13. How much does it cost to visit the International Space Station?

    By the time everything adds up, the cost of a trip could reach toward $100 million a person. NASA hopes to replace the aging ISS with privately operated space stations that can serve its needs in ...

  14. What Is Space Tourism

    Axiom Space: $55 million for a 10-day orbital flight; Space Perspective: $125,000 for a 6-hour flight to the edge of space (32 km above the Earth). The price depends, but remember that suborbital space flights are always cheaper. Is space tourism worth it? What exactly do you expect from a journey to space?

  15. What Is Spaceport America? How Much Does A Ticket to Space Cost

    Everything you need to know about the world's first spaceport, including how much a ticket to space costs, details on the space hotel, and more on the future of commercial space travel.

  16. Want to go to space? Here's how you can

    Here's how you can - BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Have you ever wanted to travel into space? It's theoretically possible. Here are the various options, and how much it will cost you to go into space.

  17. The Cost of Space Flight Before and After SpaceX

    During the last 60 years, roughly 600 people have flown into space, and the vast majority of them have been government astronauts. For a suborbital trip on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Blue Origin's New Shepard, seats typically cost $250,000 to $500,000. Flights beyond that to actual orbit—a much higher altitude—are far more ...

  18. Space Travel Calculator

    Although human beings have been dreaming about space travel forever, the first landmark in the history of space travel is Russia's launch of Sputnik 2 into space in November 1957. The spacecraft carried the first earthling, the Russian dog Laika, into space.. Four years later, on 12 April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin became the first human in space when his spacecraft, the Vostok 1 ...

  19. 13 Things Space Tourists Should Know Before Traveling to Space

    2. But you will want to make sure you're physically and mentally fit. "I think people should treat this as their Olympics or Super Bowl. This is a really big life experience, and though you don ...

  20. Space Travel Calculator

    Space Travel Calculator Calculate how long it would take to reach planets, stars, or galaxies, as well as fuel mass, velocity and more! Planets Solar System Objects Questions Kids Buyer's Guides

  21. Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster-than-light space travel

    The closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri. It is about 4.25 light-years away, or about 25 trillion miles (40 trillion km). The fastest ever spacecraft, the now- in-space Parker Solar Probe ...

  22. How Do We Launch Things Into Space?

    The International Space Station orbits about 250 miles above the Earth and travels at a speed of about 17,150 miles per hour. Compare that to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, which help us get information to and from other NASA missions. ... These satellites orbit at a height of more than 22,000 miles and travel much slower—about 6,700 ...

  23. Fly me to the moon: NASA accepting astronaut applications (video)

    Astronaut applications to NASA are due on April 2, giving U.S. citizens the chance to fly to the moon and maybe even to Mars if selected. The requirements are steep: A master's degree in science ...

  24. Money blog: Pret A Manger cracks down on 'free' coffee loophole

    Metro Bank will axe approximately 1,000 jobs and stop opening branches seven days a week.. From 29 March, all 76 stores will no longer open on Sundays or bank holidays and opening hours will be cut.

  25. How Big Is Space?

    On average it's about 380,000 km from Earth. That's already a pretty long way; nearly 30 Earths could fit side-by-side over that distance! Or think of it this way: the Apollo astronauts ...

  26. Daylight saving 2024: The debate to end the time change : NPR

    Space If daylight saving time seems tricky, try figuring out the time on the moon . Which states are trying to end daylight saving time? In 2023, at least 29 states considered legislation related ...

  27. A low-cost airline launched an option for those who hate middle seats

    While it does not have business class in the sense of full-service airlines that travel greater distances, Frontier launched a new BizFare that is essentially a combination of Premium and ...

  28. Denver asking property owners to rent space to migrants

    00:53. Property owners in Denver are being asked to rent their places out to migrants as the Colorado city shuts down four public-run shelters. The Mile High City's migrant services issued an ...

  29. The Alarming Findings Inside a Mass Shooter's Brain

    An attack by an Army reservist prompted a search for answers about whether the soldier's service could have been a factor. March 13, 2024, 6:00 a.m. ET. Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise. Featuring ...

  30. Starfield Update Makes Space Travel Better, But A Key Feature Is Still

    Starfield update adds over 500 fixes, improves space navigation, and enhances customization. Players can now easily view star system names in the Starmap, among other new features easing space flight. Ground navigation in Starfield still need significant improvement; players hope for future QoL updates to enhance the game's playability.