Economics
Lunar Tourism by 2020s?
By Clifton Coles
The Moon may become the next tourist destination.
Spending a quality vacation on the Moon could become a reality as early
as the 2020s, but it will mean reconsidering the way we think about the economic value of
traveling in space, says economics professor Patrick Collins of Japan's Azabu University.
Millions of people a year will want to go to the Moon, asserts
Collins, and that will mean creating and maintaining all-new services. "No other new
industry will generate more employment," he says, adding that the demand for space
travel can grow literally without limit. "Space tourism will create profitable,
expanding employment for millions of people on Earth." The myths that no one will
want to go or that space travel will only be available for the extraordinarily wealthy are
simply untrue, he claims.
The great majority of the money needed to launch a space-travel industry
will have to come from the private sector, but governments will need to provide some
initial investment. But governments continue to underplay the advantages of space tourism.
"Many people in the space industry suffer from the mistaken idea that tourism has no
economic value," Collins says. "Space-agency staff claim that their activities
developing space technology are more valuable than 'ordinary people buying tickets to fly
to space.'"
The world's space agencies have spent about $1 trillion on spacerelated
technology and knowledge, but much of it has little economic advantage because it is far
too expensive and affects far too few people, according to Collins. He claims that a
budget of just 10% of government support for their space agencies, if devoted to
stimulating tourism growth, could result in a feasible space tourism scenario. Funding of
$2 billion a year would allow development of passenger vehicles as well as a range of
related activities.
"Once passenger vehicles are certified for passenger-carrying,
private companies will take over," says Collins, adding that the industry could get
off the ground as early as the 2020s.
Collins sees the hotel industry taking a lead in developing lunar
activities and infrastructures. "Once launch costs are reduced and infrastructures
developed, the scale of financing required to build lunar hotels should be feasible,"
he says. "Once started, lunar tourism and related industries on the Moon and in
various orbits will surely grow progressively as transportation companies drive down costs
and prices and expand the range of services."
What will travel to the Moon entail? A round-trip ticket will keep
adventurers in orbit for 10 days to two weeks. Collins envisions lunar buildings six times
taller than those on Earth and enormous domes supported by internal air pressure.
"This will enable the realization of humans' eons-long dream of flying like
birds," he says. "Flying and flying sports will be a truly unique new
attraction." Also on the itinerary: a dip in the low-gravity pool, followed by an
evening watching the flying ballet.
The holiday atmosphere on the Moon will gleam and sparkle as the number
of visitors vacationing there grows, Collins says. Such development will generate
wide-ranging economic benefits for everyone on Earth by stimulating innovation and growth
in the world economy.
Source: "The Future of Lunar Tourism" by Patrick
Collins in Proceedings of the International Lunar Conference 2003, edited by
Steve M. Durst et al. Published for the American Astronautical Society by Univelt Inc.,
P.O. Box 28130, San Diego, California 92198. Web sites www.astronautical.org and www.univelt.com.
