Space tourism in Slovenia? Yes, indeed...

Published: 17.9.2021

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Space tourism in Slovenia? Yes, indeed...

This week, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched the Inspiration4 mission – the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit. What does Slovenia have to offer when it comes to space tourism?

Space tourism in Slovenia? Yes, indeed...

You will be surprised to find out that Slovenia is actually very closely connected with space travel. Since SpaceX’s Falcon 9 this week successfully launched the Inspiration4 mission, which is actually the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit, we would like to highlight some great facts which all space lovers will be keen on reading.

  1. Slovenia is home to unique Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies, which offers one of a kind experience, connecting art, culture, science, and space. It is located in Vitanje, where Herman Potočnik Noordung was born. Also the shape of the building that houses KSEVT is unique: designed as the living wheel space station of Herman Potočnik Noordung, it invites you to explore the mysteries of space travel.  
  2. The rocket engineer Herman Potočnik Noordung, a pioneer of flights to space and the first space architect in zero-gravity space, had visionary ideas that were quite unusual for the times in which he lived. In 1929, he published a revolutionary book entitled The Problem of Space Travel – The Rocket Motor (1929), in which he describes a living wheel that would allow travel to space and life there. His work was the inspiration for various later space projects and also for the space station in the cult film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.
  3. Four American astronauts of Slovenian descent have flown into space so far. These are Ronald Šega, Jerry Linenger, Sunita William and Randy Bresnik.
  4. THe US astronaut of Slovenian descent, Sunita Williams, took the Carniolan sausage (kranjska klobasa) with her into space. Kranjska klobasa is one of the most internationally recognisable Slovenian specialties.
  5. In 2020, the Noordung Centre had a display of a stone from the surface of the Moon. The basalt sample was collected by astronaut and geologist Harrison "Jack" Schmitt during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 in the vicinity of the landing site of the lunar module. The 120-gramme piece is part of a larger rock that weighed around eight kilos when it was brought to Earth. It is estimated to be around 3.75 billion years old, which makes it older than 99.99% of all the rocks on Earth. 

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