C14_24_digital | Page 53

SPACE TRAVEL

THE NEXT FRONTIER

THE UNQUENCHABLE CURIOSITY OF EXPLORERS HAS BROUGHT SPACE TRAVEL WITHIN REACH .

WORDS / CODIE LIERMANN / PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPACE PERSPECTIVE

Imagine : You ’ re up before the sun to board the first marine spaceport for human spaceflight , Marine Spaceport Voyager ( MS Voyager ). Shortly after , you enter Spaceship Neptune , which was designed to be not only accessible and sustainable but also safe . You gracefully launch from the ocean , traveling up at a gentle speed of 12 mph , and witness a breathtaking sunrise . Your destination is apogee — or maybe the true destination is a shift in your perspective — and once you arrive above 99 % of Earth ’ s atmosphere , you take it all in .

You realize you ’ re one of the few who have witnessed Earth from space , and the experience
SPRING 2024 / THE COMPASS / 53