2032: A space hostelry

IF you're looking for an out-of-this-world holiday and can afford a gravity-defying price tag, then a seven-night stay on the Moon could be just the ticket.

- BY JACKIE ANNETT

A US$1million (€865,000) deposit will secure a spot at the lunar hotel, the brainchild of 22-year-old entrepreneur Skyler Chan.

The prodigy, a graduate of the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at University of California, Berkeley, became an air force-trained pilot at just 16.

With backers including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Skyler's US firm - Galactic Resources Utilization Space - will eventually be billing guests around $10million (€8.65million) for their stay when the hotel is actually built - with an opening date forecast for 2032.

The proposal is to create an inflatable space hotel on Earth and to land it on the surface of the Moon.

Moonwalking, rover driving and lunar golf will all be on the itinerary, according to aerospace engineer Skyler.

The views will also be stunning, says Ed Kellond-Turner, Education Manager at the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK.

He says: “The best thing holidaymakers would be able to do on the Moon is look at Earth.

“It’s what nearly every single astronaut who has been to the Moon talks about - how seeing Earth from that far away changes their perspective on life.

“It would also be a great experience to go out on a moonwalk, although you can't really walk on the moon, because of the low gravity and bulky spacesuit.

STRESS