How far would you go, to upstage the Joneses? What would you pay to boldly go where few (oreven the possibility of none) have gone before? Everyone bought into those astrological society’s “Name a star after your loved one” and named a star for their significant other. But imagine their surprise when you take them there for your 20th anniversary! Do you feel the urge to bathe your skin in the light of a blue star from the vantage of an unnamed planetoid? Are you so jaded by the ‘mainstream’ climbing community that you feel the only true challenges yet worthy of your skill are the ones no one’s ever attempted? Do you yearn to experience the ultimate understanding of the definition of emptiness, by knowing you’re the only living soul for a thousand light years?
As humanity embraces this new renaissance of exploration and expansion, one enterprising individual has almost literally ‘bet the farm’ that it’s not just the super-rich or fringe explorers that are willing to buy into the romance of distant stars and nameless worlds. “It’s called Adventure Tourism” the skipper of the newly christened 'Simpleton' reminds me and from the full passenger manifest, it’s clear to me that it’s not just a clever phrase, either. The passenger cabins are filled with individuals, couples and families with stories just like the ones described above and more.
The 'Simpleton' is a Saud Kruger Orca class liner, but don’t let her fancy pedigree fool you. This Orca’s typical pension for opulent luxury has been “scaled down” to accommodate a slightly less discerning clientele. This also allows the 'Simpleton' to berth more passengers and crew, as well as more safety and redundancy features one might want in a deep-space craft. She is optimized for range, safety and sustainability. Her target market: the not quite super rich, but generally well off 15% of the upper middle class who are looking for that one big adventure to brag about to their friends.
And while every paying passenger is perfectly welcome to lounge in their cabin all day, or bask in the glow of new suns, on the promenade, another key feature attraction is that they are just as welcome to watch and even assist real scientists and explorers as they conduct real surveys and experiments throughout the voyage.
“The ship is completely transparent” the captain explains “every passenger is welcome to tour any part of the ship (with proper supervision of course) ask any question, pursue any curiosity. Every part of the ships inner workings is open to passenger interaction, from the master helm, to the engine room. They can even help out in the recycling plant if they want. Adventure Tourism isn’t just about what you do when you get there. It’s just as much about HOW you get there and what happens along the way. The ship is more than adequately staffed, but passengers are encouraged to ‘enlist for a day’ and experience the life of an engineer or a helmsman or assist in the science labs, go on a survey excursion to test soil samples in the field. Whatever floats yer boat.”
The entertainment lineup is jam packed with the typical top-notch live music and theater but also includes deeply intellectual seminars, community discussions and lectures on subjects ranging anywhere from the practical everyday physics of how a spaceship travels so effortlessly from one star to the next, all the way round to the ecological impact of humanity on the galaxy as a whole. Of course, being a pleasure cruise, the 'Simpleton' is outfitted with most, if not all the usual trappings of passenger liners: pools, spacious open promenades, full service dining lounges, private viewing rooms and entertainers of a multitude of varieties... and of course: plenty of booze.
And what better destination for the maiden voyage of this booze-cruise than the picturesque Lagoon Nebula? While the captain reminds us that the best views of the nebula will undoubtedly be from outside the giant celestial cloud, everyone’s excited to be on our way. When we arrive by our meandering and leisurely pace, we’ll remain several weeks, within the cloud to conduct particle surveys in space, as well as on any planetoids within and who knows? We might just find something new. According to the agreements between the captain, the ship’s owners and the scientific communities who are participating in the voyage, any credit for discoveries made during the voyage will be shared proportionately among the ENTIRE company (to include the passengers).. so just maybe my name, at least, will be on a long list of co-discoverers of some yet unknown gas-giant.
I’ll drink to that!
~Cheers
As humanity embraces this new renaissance of exploration and expansion, one enterprising individual has almost literally ‘bet the farm’ that it’s not just the super-rich or fringe explorers that are willing to buy into the romance of distant stars and nameless worlds. “It’s called Adventure Tourism” the skipper of the newly christened 'Simpleton' reminds me and from the full passenger manifest, it’s clear to me that it’s not just a clever phrase, either. The passenger cabins are filled with individuals, couples and families with stories just like the ones described above and more.
The 'Simpleton' is a Saud Kruger Orca class liner, but don’t let her fancy pedigree fool you. This Orca’s typical pension for opulent luxury has been “scaled down” to accommodate a slightly less discerning clientele. This also allows the 'Simpleton' to berth more passengers and crew, as well as more safety and redundancy features one might want in a deep-space craft. She is optimized for range, safety and sustainability. Her target market: the not quite super rich, but generally well off 15% of the upper middle class who are looking for that one big adventure to brag about to their friends.
And while every paying passenger is perfectly welcome to lounge in their cabin all day, or bask in the glow of new suns, on the promenade, another key feature attraction is that they are just as welcome to watch and even assist real scientists and explorers as they conduct real surveys and experiments throughout the voyage.
“The ship is completely transparent” the captain explains “every passenger is welcome to tour any part of the ship (with proper supervision of course) ask any question, pursue any curiosity. Every part of the ships inner workings is open to passenger interaction, from the master helm, to the engine room. They can even help out in the recycling plant if they want. Adventure Tourism isn’t just about what you do when you get there. It’s just as much about HOW you get there and what happens along the way. The ship is more than adequately staffed, but passengers are encouraged to ‘enlist for a day’ and experience the life of an engineer or a helmsman or assist in the science labs, go on a survey excursion to test soil samples in the field. Whatever floats yer boat.”
The entertainment lineup is jam packed with the typical top-notch live music and theater but also includes deeply intellectual seminars, community discussions and lectures on subjects ranging anywhere from the practical everyday physics of how a spaceship travels so effortlessly from one star to the next, all the way round to the ecological impact of humanity on the galaxy as a whole. Of course, being a pleasure cruise, the 'Simpleton' is outfitted with most, if not all the usual trappings of passenger liners: pools, spacious open promenades, full service dining lounges, private viewing rooms and entertainers of a multitude of varieties... and of course: plenty of booze.
And what better destination for the maiden voyage of this booze-cruise than the picturesque Lagoon Nebula? While the captain reminds us that the best views of the nebula will undoubtedly be from outside the giant celestial cloud, everyone’s excited to be on our way. When we arrive by our meandering and leisurely pace, we’ll remain several weeks, within the cloud to conduct particle surveys in space, as well as on any planetoids within and who knows? We might just find something new. According to the agreements between the captain, the ship’s owners and the scientific communities who are participating in the voyage, any credit for discoveries made during the voyage will be shared proportionately among the ENTIRE company (to include the passengers).. so just maybe my name, at least, will be on a long list of co-discoverers of some yet unknown gas-giant.
I’ll drink to that!
~Cheers