Space Hotel Hopes to Open by 2012

BARCELONA (Reuters) – A company behind plans to open the first hotel in space says it is on target to accept its first paying guests in 2012 despite critics questioning the investment and time frame for the multi-billion dollar project.

The Barcelona-based architects of The Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost 3 million euro ($4.4 million) for a three-night stay at the hotel, with this price including an eight-week training course on a tropical island.

During their stay, guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes. They would wear velcro suits so they can crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.

Galactic Suite Ltd’s CEO Xavier Claramunt, a former aerospace engineer, said the project will put his company (www.galacticsuite.com) at the forefront of an infant industry with a huge future ahead of it, and forecast space travel will become common in the future.

“It’s very normal to think that your children, possibly within 15 years, could spend a weekend in space,” he told Reuters Television.

When I first thought of traveling to space for a weekend I got excited. When I was a kid I loved space and thought astronauts were cool. However, the more I think about it, I don’t think it’s worth the money. The trip would be long and uncomfortable, the food would be freeze-dried, and I imagine it would be difficult to have sex without a gravitational pull, even though it happened in Moonraker. I imagine it would be hard to clean up afterwards.

This actually makes me wonder if anyone has had sex in space yet. We haven’t heard anything about it. If I had to guess, I would say no. I mean, if I were the first man to have sex in space I would brag about it all the time, wouldn’t you? I guess it’s because the majority of space missions haven’t had a female presence…oh God I just got the worst image in my head.