A Vacation in Space

At first, adjusting to life in space is tricky. On Earth, gravity pulls you to the ground and keeps you from floating away. But in space, there’s much less gravity. This causes objects—and you!—to float.

You set out to explore, but you push off a wall a little too hard. You bounce off the opposite wall like a Ping-Pong ball. Whee! You might get some small bumps and bruises in the beginning. But those are common for first-time space travelers. 

Space’s low gravity can be a lot of fun too. You can jump higher than you can on Earth—which comes in handy at the hotel’s gym. You grab a basketball and bounce toward the hoop. Slam dunks are easy in space!

At first, getting used to life in space is tricky. On Earth, gravity pulls you to the ground and keeps you from floating away. But there is much less gravity in space. This causes objects—and you!— to float.

You set out to explore. But you push off a wall a little too hard. You bounce off the opposite wall like a Ping-Pong ball. Whee! You might get some small bumps and bruises in the beginning. But that’s normal for first-time space travelers. 

Space’s low gravity can be a lot of fun too. You can jump higher than you can on Earth. This comes in handy at the hotel’s gym. You grab a basketball and bounce toward the hoop. Slam dunks are easy in space!

Next stop? The space restaurant for a bite to eat. You grab a floating sandwich for dinner. Then you head back to the gym, which has been turned into a concert hall. Tonight’s star performer? Beyoncé!

Later, you head back to your room. You grab a barf bag on your way. The spinning motion in space can make people feel sick—including you! If you don’t have a bag, you might have globs of vomit hanging in the air. (Ew!)

Then it’s time for bed. You strap yourself to the wall to keep from floating as you sleep. Tomorrow you’ll go on a spacewalk, where you’ll float in space next to the hotel.

But for now, you take a minute to enjoy the incredible view outside your window. Below you, Earth is a glowing blue marble with white swirls. It’s unlike anything else you’ve ever seen.

Next stop? The space restaurant for a bite to eat. You grab a floating sandwich for dinner. Then you head back to the gym. It’s been turned into a concert hall. Tonight’s star performer? Beyoncé!

Later, you head back to your room. You grab a barf bag on your way. The spinning motion in space can make people feel sick! You want a bag, just in case. You don’t want to end up with globs of vomit hanging in the air. (Ew!) 

Then it’s time for bed. You strap yourself to the wall. That way you won’t float away as you sleep.

Tomorrow you’ll go on a spacewalk. You’ll float in space next to the hotel. 

But for now, you take a minute to enjoy the beautiful view outside your window. Below you, Earth looks like a glowing blue marble with white swirls. You’ve never seen anything like it.

Space vacations may sound amazing. But these trips probably won’t replace your family camping trip anytime soon. The first space hotel won’t be finished until at least 2027. And it takes billions of dollars to build a spacecraft, so even a few days in space will cost a fortune.

But over time, space hotels will get cheaper to build, and the price of space travel will start to come down. Maybe by the time you have kids who are in third grade, you’ll be taking them on a vacation to space!

Space vacations may sound amazing. But these trips probably won’t replace your family camping trip anytime soon. The first space hotel won’t be finished until at least 2027. And it takes billions of dollars to build a spacecraft. So even a few days in space will cost a fortune.

But over time, space hotels will get cheaper to build. The price of space travel will start to come down. Maybe by the time you have kids who are in third grade, you’ll be taking them on a vacation to space!