Space

Don't Wait For SpaceX. You Can Take A Space-cation Now

From the International Space Station to experiencing zero gravity, these commercial companies have you covered.

Don't Wait For SpaceX. You Can Take A Space-cation Now
SpaceX / CC0

Although you may not be one of the two people on SpaceX's planned trip to the moon, there other ways you could soon travel to space.

Commercial companies, like Space Adventures, will reserve your seat on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which would take you to the International Space Station for a 10-day stay. You can basically do whatever you want there, including a spacewalk — but that costs extra.

And if you need a bit more space, companies like Bigelow Aerospace are building expandable space habitats. It currently has two prototypes in orbit.

The Coolest, Weirdest Stuff Humans Put In Space
The Coolest, Weirdest Stuff Humans Put In Space

The Coolest, Weirdest Stuff Humans Put In Space

Some of our items out in the final frontier might outlast humanity.

LEARN MORE

But if traveling on a rocket seems daunting, World View can take you close to space in a balloon. After the five-hour trip into the planet's stratosphere, the pilot releases helium from the balloon to float you gently back to Earth.

And if you'd rather stay even closer to home — and the ground — you can still experience what it's like to be in space. Companies like Zero-Gravity and Virgin Galactic let you experience weightlessness in free fall on a plane.

Finally, for those of you content to admire space from afar, NASA has a host of space-themed virtual-reality videos that let you tour Mars or even explore what an exoplanet light years away might look like.