Recreational Spacecraft

Inspiration for writers comes in many forms.  This video of a new recreational water craft--the Sea Breacher--sent by my sister (with the subtitle "I WANT ONE!") got me thinking in a whole new direction for my next WIP. 

Recreational space craft.

People design "fun craft" for land, water and air...so why not space?  In fact, aren't the plans for the first vessels to carry paying passengers into the exosphere really just a form of recreational spacecraft?  Their primary purpose is to allow passengers to experience--very briefly--the thrill of space flight.  Encountering space not for research, explorations, discovery or science, but just for the sheer thrill of the voyage.

What sort of recreational space craft might we develop in the future?  Sight seeing vessels?  Undoubtably.  Most of our astronauts have spent every free moment staring out the ports at the incredible beauty that is our Earth.  To read their words and envision the experience of seeing our home from space is a captivating idea. And what could be more amazing than veiwing the Martian canals from orbit?  Or in the more distant future, getting up close and  personal to an astronomical event?  How about orbiting resorts over Saturn's rings?  Moon skimmers that glide by the geysers on Enceladus or the volcanoes of Io?  How about comet chasers?  Asteroid hoppers?  Maybe someday we'll go on a quest to witness an asteroid impact on a distant planet much like we set sail in search of Humpback whales on the ocean.

Not every ship in the universe of our imaginations is required to be a military vessel, pirate and/or smuggler ship, a transport or a research vessel.  Maybe like the 'shark ship' above, some may be invented just to make us go "aaah!"

When it comes to recreation in the final frontier, to use one of my favorite tag lines, the sky is not the limit.  :)