Viking Orion

Travel Tips from Astronauts

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Space pens equipped? We have journey tips from astronauts.

Courtesy NASA

Courtesy NASA

In June I had the outstanding honor of collecting journey suggestions and other advice from astronauts for the duration of every week-long voyage with astronauts and other space-minded human beings at the Viking Orion, the Viking Cruise line’s latest ship.

The Orion is called after the prominent Orion constellation and has at its ceremonial godmother, American chemist, emergency room doctor and retired NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher. As the visitor of honor on the cruise Fisher changed into capable of invite dozens of her friends alongside for the ship’s maiden voyage.

Anna Fisher – ceremonial godmother for the Viking Orion cruise ship.

Travel guidelines from astronauts

On the ship, I chatted many former astronauts and NASA employees approximately what it changed into want to be one of the 550 or so human beings who have been in space.

Among my questions: What does space tour train you about being a visitor on the planet?

Many of the solutions are in my story on Travel + Leisure “9 Travel Tips Astronauts Have Taken From Space to Earth” and below:

Use a tick list

“There are many endeavors on this world that might be a whole lot better carried out if people saved checklists,” stated Frederick (Rick) Hauck, a former NASA astronaut who piloted and commanded numerous Space Shuttle missions, “I even have one I refer to whenever I travel.”

Don’t p.c. an excessive amount of and be prepared for something

Charles Walker, who flew on 3 Space Shuttle missions and become the primary non-authorities person to fly in space, suggests travelers hold in mind what may be available at their destinations.

“Both quantity and weight are important for both space tour and terrestrial tour,” said Walker, “Pack gently.” Keeping a composed attitude is beneficial as well. “Be open to what’s round you,” stated Walker, “And try and be mentally geared up to soak up whatever and react to it in a peaceful style.”

Get alongside

Jay Honeycutt, former Director of the NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, stated his years of looking at astronauts and training them for area travel taught him that successful travelers are people who are snug with all forms of people and those who are willing to pitch in when wished.

“Learn to do your honest share of the paintings that has to be done to make the journey a success and safe,” said Honeycutt, “And make certain you continually have a few fun.”

Be certain to take within the sights

“In space, you could look out the window and honestly get to recognize earth,” said veteran NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, (The Artistic Astronaut), whose became on spaceflights and spent 104 days dwelling and working in space.

Stott says whilst space vacationers get unique perspectives, there are plenty of awe-inspiring attractions here on earth.

“You can go 3 miles down the road, go to the top of a building, get on a ship or on an airplane and get a new perspective on who you are,” stated Stott, who's continually disappointed whilst fellow airplane passengers cross directly to the movies, to paintings or to sleep.

“It’s vital to be wide awake and revel in the journey,” said Stott, “And to be surprised through what you can see and experience along the way.”

Have some tips to feature? Please upload them inside the comments section underneath.

 

(Still) Cruising with astronauts

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I’m almost on the stop of a unique shakedown cruise at the Viking Orion, a brand new ocean deliver within the Viking Cruise line own family that has as its godmother former astronaut -Anna Fisher,  who changed into the first mother in area.

As godmother for the ship, Fisher become capable of invite many pals and previous co-workers alongside for the cruise from Rome to Barcelona, and many of the ones friends and former co-works are astronauts.

I’ve been conducting quick interviews this week with a number of the astronauts on board and ultimate night time a panel of (simply) 14 of the astronauts at the deliver amassed for a panel moderated by way of Lynn Sherr, who wrote  SALLY RIDE: America’s First Woman in Space and who you could understand from her many years on TV, such as twenty years as a part of the ABC Newsmagazine 20/20.

Pictured: Paolo Nespoli, Charles (Charlie) Walker, Anna Fisher, Richard Linnehan, Jean François Clervoy, Dominic (Tony) Antonelli, John Fabian, Lynn Sherr (moderator), Brewster Shaw, Woody Spring, Nicole Stott, Jay Honeycutt,Mike McCulley, Jon McBride, Barbara Morgan, Rick Hauck.  (Richard Richards joined the institution on the end and is not pictured here).

The subjects discussed had been huge-ranging: the whole lot from what it changed into like to be obtainable in space searching lower back at earth to a few fun stuff approximately the cool part of being weightless: “You can positioned your pants on two feet at a time,” stated John Fabian, who joked that nowadays one or two of the former astronauts would possibly have trouble placing their pants on simply one leg at at time.

The panelists also mentioned what they do now to encourage others to help area exploration and shared their critiques on ‘space tourism’ (normally thumbs up).  Several astronauts additionally gave their stamp of approval to a few films they say were given area quite darn right, including Apollo thirteen, The Martian, Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

My interviews with astronauts have included other subjects, inclusive of their recommendations for tourists right here on earth, their memories of their first plane rides (and how that can have inspired their choice of career) or even their testimonies approximately the meals they ate in space.  I’ll percentage some of the ones testimonies inside the next few days.

Cruising with astronauts in Italy

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I’m especially lucky – and really starstruck – to be crusing this week on Viking’s fifth and most up-to-date ocean deliver, the Viking Orion, during its maiden voyage with her ceremonial godmother, American chemist, emergency room physician and retired NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher, who brought alongside dozens of unique guests, scientists, astronomers and extra than a dozen of her fellow former and current astronauts.

The 930-visitor, 47,800-ton Viking Orion is known as after the Orion constellation and in honor of Dr. Fisher’s paintings on NASA’s Orion exploration automobile mission.

I’m prowling the decks with a print-out of the snap shots of the astronauts and different space experts hoping to meet them all and ask them questions about the entirety from travel pointers discovered from area travel to memories in their first flights. (Getting them to signal my press release might be awkward, right?)

Their solutions will appear right here and in various assigned testimonies I’ll percentage hyperlinks to later, however inside the period in-between, right here are some pictures and tidbits from the impressive naming rite that occurred in Livorno, Italy that included musical performances, tributes to Nordic mythology, a flying ‘spaceman’ who traveled over the group and around the ship with the aid of jetpack and fireworks.

 

 

In Livorno, the deliver became docked beside the town’s historical Medici-built Fortezza Vecchia (Old Fortress) and a special interactive exhibit turned into installation internal to inform the tales of exploration technology during records – from the Vikings’ sun compass to Galileo’s gravitational and projectile movement experiments.

Among the unique features on this deliver is a  26-seat planetarium-like theater referred to as the Explorers’ Dome – displaying special panoramic movies about exploration, inclusive of “Journey to Space” and “Life Under the Arctic Sky” in a fully immersive surroundings.

Viking Orion continues her maiden season sailing itineraries inside the Western and Eastern Mediterranean this summer earlier than heading east to sail Viking’s most up-to-date itineraries in Asia, Australia and Alaska.

Stay tuned for more.