Imagine arriving at your hotel, over 200 miles above the EarthÂ's surface, and floating through the corridor with your own personal concierge in toe. For many, outer space is a dream vacation destination. However, this dream sounds more like science fiction than science fact.
Well, today we are one step closer to that reality thanks to researchers at the Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom. Masters students there, as part of the Innovative Design Engineering program, have created the Space Hotel Project.
Even though the design is only conceptual, one of the faculty members guiding the effort, Daniele Bedini, noted that the hotel could be built today with current materials and technology. That does not mean that the hotel would be just a glorified version of the international space station.
The space hotel would be full of amenities, including advanced personal hygiene technologies, exercise equipment and sleeping accommodations. There are even plans for a personal concierge, a small robot named HOVER, that will document your trip with your own camera.
There are still several hurdles to overcome. Since NASA is in the midst of phasing out their current fleet of space shuttles it will be some time before regular flights to space are possible. Also, the researchers plan for the hotel to dock with the international space station for maintenance and other purposes. However, the future of the space station itself is uncertain.
So the dream, for now, is still a dream. But with recent advances in design and technology, the dream could be only one small step away.
For more information visit:
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/090826-tw-space-hotel-concept.html
http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=SP_90814_space-hotel
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