I guess this guy is faking it?
Posted on 08/10/2007 2:35:55 PM PDT by arbooz
BARCELONA (Reuters) - "Galactic Suite," the first hotel planned in space, expects to open for business in 2012 and would allow guests to travel around the world in 80 minutes.
Its Barcelona-based architects say the space hotel will be the most expensive in the galaxy, costing $4 million for a three-day stay.
During that time guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and use Velcro suits to crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.
Company director Xavier Claramunt says the three-bedroom boutique hotel's joined up pod structure, which makes it look like a model of molecules, was dictated by the fact that each pod room had to fit inside a rocket to be taken into space.
"It's the bathrooms in zero gravity that are the biggest challenge," says Claramunt. "How to accommodate the more intimate activities of the guests is not easy."
But they may have solved the issue of how to take a shower in weightlessness -- the guests will enter a spa room in which bubbles of water will float around.
When guests are not admiring the view from their portholes they will take part in scientific experiments on space travel.
Galactic Suite began as a hobby for former aerospace engineer Claramunt, until a space enthusiast decided to make the science fiction fantasy a reality by fronting most of the $3 billion needed to build the hotel.
An American company intent on colonizing Mars, which sees Galaxy Suite as a first step, has since come on board, and private investors from Japan, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are in talks.
PLENTY RICH ENOUGH
If Claramunt is secretive about the identity of his generous backer, he is more forthcoming about the custom he can expect.
"We have calculated that there are 40,000 people in the world who could afford to stay at the hotel. Whether they will want to spend money on going into space, we just don't know."
Four million dollars might be a lot to spend on a holiday, but those in the nascent space tourism industry say hoteliers have been slow on the uptake because no one thought the cost of space travel would come down as quickly as it has.
Galactic Suite said the price included not only three nights in space. Guests also get eight weeks of intensive training at a James Bond-style space camp on a tropical island.
"There is fear associated with going into space," said Claramunt. "That's why the shuttle rocket will remain fixed to the space hotel for the duration of the guests' stay, so they know they can get home again."
In an era of concern over climate change, Galaxy Suite have no plans so far to offset the pollution implications of sending a rocket to carry just six guests at a time into space.
"But," says Claramunt, "I'm hopeful that the impact of seeing the earth from a distance will stimulate the guests' urge to value and protect our planet."
2012?
I don’t think so.
Orbiting hotel—okay
Mars hotel—never
Most of the design work they did was quite good as can be seen in the link. And their analysis shows that, as always, the driver is launch costs.
2012 - just in time for a good view of the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar!
None but the captain of the ship.
Why not?
Well, I'm assuming that they'll provide air for those three days as long as you stay indoors.
The stupidity of people will never cease to amaze me. Fools and their money.......
Ahhh, had I only the money to be so foolish.
Granted, four million dollars? No. Not even if I were worth 100 million.
Now if I had four million dollars and they wanted, say, $100,000, then I could consider it...
It’s a long story not suitable for FR.
It's been researched to death, starting back in the 50's (we had all the old data, proposals, etc). Really good work in the mid-60's (1964).
The short answer is you could spend 20 years optimizing the crap out of the infrastructure but there's a multitude of good enuff, do-able scenarios that are long term viable.
And building a nice little pad out there is one of the first things you could do.
Obviously the environment issues are the main problem long term, but you know even those can be dealt with ( I won't say solved ).
Just our conclusions. It's a matter of deciding to do it.
Engineering been done, no problem. Could have happened 30 years ago.
Technical problems are legal.
Biggest problem: No Mexican maids.
If it doesn’t have WiFi, I’m not going.
This brings up Bigelow. Have you seen the ‘billboard’ he has orbiting now. It’s his second flight of an inflatable. He is farther along than anybody, including this $3 billion collection.
Not going to say it.
Not. Going. To....
Sounds like a potential "futuristic" drinking game.
"Dude, here it comes again! CHUG!CHUG!CHUG!CHUG!..."
Shoot, if I had 20 million I’d pay four mil to go.
It might be a great movie, but robots would attract a different crowd than the usual literary critics.
We can only hope.
I might consider it, but that’s a big hunk of my net worth for a few days of fun. Granted, it’d be the few days of fun that could never be matched in my lifetime ... unless I live to see us walking on Mars.
I thought we were all going to die in 2012.
I dumped my diet. Why starve now just to blow up in 5 years.
fuhh-get-about-it.
Bon Apitite or how ever the hell you spell it. “Get the carry out number ready, I’m hungry. Chinese or Italian?”
Chances of opening in 2012 : about .01%
“How to accommodate the more intimate activities of the guests is not easy.”
Can’t call it the mile high club. How far, sky wise, is this hotel going to be? The 1000 mile high club?
I guess this guy is faking it?
I'll take my shower before this guy does, thank-you:
“Hey, babe, wanna remove my Van Allen belt?”
Steinbrenner: Oh we all get a little cuckoo sometimes George, I used to be like you. Rating personnel ‘till they cried, calling managers on the field during a game, threatening to move the team to New Jersey, just to upset people. Then I found a way to relax. I’ve got two words to say to you, George: hot tub.
Me too... we can't take our money to the graves with us, so why not?
space ping
Maybe 2112
They can call it the Temple of Syrinx.
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=030206540024&disc=1&track=7
It’s also an old indian legend : when men begin to build a city in the sky, then the end will come.
If gravity is negated, whatever happens in space, stays in space.
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