Space Travel: Is visiting the moon really worth all that hassle?
Space has always fascinated humankind, such that our distant ancestors stared upwards, mapping the stars and the moon, designing ancient monuments to replicate constellations.
Visiting space was always an impossible dream, so far and so unattainable, but then it happened, and whether it’s the greatest achievement in human history or a staggering Stanley Kubrick masterminded fabrication, visiting the moon was a defining moment in mankind’s story. Now, with Artemis II’s moon trip complete, our taste for space travel is reinvigorated, although not for everyone, and it really begs the question: Would you visit the moon?
British pollsters, YouGov, asked members of the public if they’d visit the moon for free. I know what you’re thinking, surely it’s not worth the risk of death? Well, YouGov covered that too, promising a “safe return to Earth” in this hypothetical question. Still, despite that, just 43% said that they’d take up the offer and get on their way to land on the moon, something just 12 people have done throughout history. 48% gave it a straight-up no, and nine per cent were undecided.
It’s staggering to think that so few people would want to visit space, after all, it is the final frontier, but are those turning down the chance, making a smart decision? If you take out the safety question, which is surely the most important reason to turn it down, then what are you left with? The most common reason for turning down the trip, according to the poll, was that people were “not interested”. It’s crazy to believe that anybody would not be interested if they had the chance. The most common imagery from space is always the shot looking back at Earth, and who wouldn’t want to see that? Imagine the likes you’d get on your Instagram, it would bang.
Modern tourism has developed to the point of being less about relaxing or embracing new cultures, and has become a week or two-week content creation job. Look around any busy plaza in Europe, any hawker market in South East Asia, and it’s rammed, wall to wall with TikTokers, YouTubers and even the boomers taking pictures for Facebook. If holidays really have become a chance to show value on social media, then what better than a trip out into the ether, and getting those all-elusive shots?
An impressive 11% of those polled said they’d reject the moon visit because there isn’t “enough to see or do on the moon”. If you couldn’t just stand there, on the surface of the moon, and take in the surroundings, looking back at Earth with wonderment, without getting bored, then perhaps there’s a wider social problem.
So far from the rest of humankind, experiencing something that so few other people will ever get to see would be humbling. Imagine how small and inconsequential your problems would feel as you gazed back at that tiny planet of ours, and you’ll realise that it would be impossible to come back to Earth the same, as being able to see every other person, all at once, would change you. It would be a deeply spiritual moment, like an ayahuasca trip with less DMT and more shiny space suits.
One of the worst things about travel has to be seeing the impact of globalism around the planet, seeing the same shops and chains across continents, and seeing our differences gradually worn away. Call me crazy, but I’d prefer to visit the moon in its current state, rather than with a McDonald’s, Starbucks, M&M World and whatever god-forsaken restaurant venture Gordon Ramsey has created now.
It’s arguably the seven per cent who said they’d turn it down because it would “take too long to get there” that I have most support for. Anyone who has flown in economy from the UK to Australia, or back, knows how horrific long-haul flights can be. Especially, if they are, like me, a 6”5′ guy, which makes it impossible to sleep. Stepping off a 22-hour flight, without sleep, all red, raw eyes and drunk through tiredness, is bad enough that it’s unfathomable to extend that out over further days. After all, there’ll be no movies showing in the back of a headrest, or complimentary gin and tonics.
Artemis II’s trip has reinvigorated our fascination with the Moon, the ultimate travel destination, the one that will evade nearly all of us. However, if you ever get the chance, then you’d have to take it.
