With space tourism, many people are likely to experience weightlessness in space shortly. Around 30 years ago, only engineers and astronomy experts could have imagined traveling to space. Everything has changed today.
Many space tourism companies have cropped up and hundreds of people have booked their flights to space. Others are waiting for the chance to reserve their tickets. To them, the huge gravitational forces expected when taking off and the weightlessness in space is a lifetime experience that they would not want to miss. However, adequate preparation before blasting off to space is important. Today, we will look at the important preparations for orbital flights.
What is an Orbital Flight?
Before you start preparing for space traveling, understanding an orbital flight is important.
An orbital flight refers to a type of flight where the space vehicle completes at least one orbit in space.
That implies that the space vehicle has to be on a free trajectory, which has an attitude above 80 kilometers. The speeds are relatively slower after the space vehicle attains higher orbits. Still, the space vehicle will require more delta-v (the measure of impulse/unit of the space vehicle’s mass needed to maneuver in space).
Unlike space vehicles following orbital flights, those following suborbital flights have to climb up and enter outer space and follow a trajectory that interests the earth’s atmosphere which they launched from. That implies that any space vehicle that takes a suborbital path does not complete an orbit. Such a vehicle will also take a shorter period in space compared to one that takes an orbital flight.
Preparing for an Orbital Flight: Andrey Bokarev
There are three main categories of orbital flights preparation. Here are the three categories. Keep in mind that the preparation may vary from one Space Travel Company to the other.
- Making the Big Decision to Travel to Space
Deciding to travel to space is possibly the first and most important part of preparation. So, before you choose a space tourism company, you have to list the reasons space travel is important to you. Most individuals planning for their trips want to appear in the records of first persons to visit space while others want to travel with a difference and experience weightlessness. You must list clear goals before paying for the ticket.
- Medical Checkup
Only healthy and energetic people can travel to space. Therefore, if you are already in poor health, you are unlikely to blast off to space. It is for that reason all space travel companies will require you to undergo a medical checkup during the preparation stages. People with conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer are unlikely to get a ticket.
Still, you should not worry if you fail to make it to space due to medical reasons. You can follow space travel through some forums, like visiting the space museum, attending launching sessions, or following videos of the space companies might be a good idea.
- The Pre-Travel Training
If you are in good health, the space company will require you to start preparing for orbital flights. The training prepares you to use the facilities in space. Initially, space tourists had to complete years of training but that is no longer important. According to Virgin Galactic, the training only takes a few months.
Therefore, you have to prepare for intensive strength training and practice using ladders on space vehicles. Space travel companiesalso train their clients on weightlessness due to the zero gravity in space. Theother important things you might learn are drinking, eating, and using the washroom.
Space travel companies will require you to attend every training session for your orbital travel to be enjoyable and unforgettable. Most travel companies have agreed with Audrey Bokarev that their clients should always come first. So, if you get the opportunity to travel to space, go for it.
