A futuristic vacation guide to our galaxy for the savvy space traveler

How two space geeks imagine the future of trips to the stars.

Rock climbing on Mars, playing baseball on the moon and skydiving through Jupiter’s ammonia clouds are just a few of the attractions listed in the recently released “Vacation Guide to the Solar System.”

The book, which was written by science writer Olivia Koski and astronomer Jana Grcevich, imagines the future of space tourism with vivid descriptions that mix scientific discoveries with sometimes hair-raising flights of fancy.

The idea for the book started with a project called the Intergalactic Travel Bureau – an interactive theater event launched by educational non-profit Guerilla Science – in which astronomers help regular people plan their “dream vacations to the stars.”

“We created this experience as a way to spark conversations with the public about what it will mean when human beings start to travel into space,” says Koski. “We believe that space is for everyone.”

Fueling that idea are projects like Space X, which are starting to make space tourism a reality. While Koski and Grcevich say it will likely be awhile before jaunts to space become as common as a trip to the Bahamas, the possibilities are worth thinking about now.

“I think there’s something particularly interesting about space that allows people to let their imaginations go free and envision that the future will be very different than it is now,” Grcevich adds. “I think it’s kind of a thing that gets people interested in science in general and meeting really challenging but worthwhile difficulties in moving forward and making this a reality.”

Take a trip into the stars by listening to the audio above.