Ihhotela lasemkhathini lokuqala ngqa lethulwe namuhla ngesikhathi seNgqungquthela ye-Space 2.0 e-San Jose, eCalifornia. Iqanjwe ngokwenzeka kokukhanya okumangalisayo okukhanyisa isibhakabhaka esinendawo epholile, i-Aurora Station ithuthukiswa yi-Orion Span kanye nethimba lenkampani lomakadebona bemboni yasemkhathini, abaneminyaka engaphezu kwe-140 yokuhlangenwe nakho komkhathi womuntu.
Isiteshi sokuqala sasemkhathini esake saqala ukubonakala, i-Aurora Station izosebenza njengehhotela lokuqala likanokusho emkhathini. Ihhotela elikhethekile lizosingatha abantu abayisithupha ngesikhathi - okuhlanganisa nabasebenzi ababili. Abahambi basemkhathini bazojabulela isipiliyoni sosomkhathi sangempela, esiphila kanye empilweni yonke esinohambo olungajwayelekile phakathi nohambo lwabo lwezinsuku eziyi-12, oluqala ku-$9.5M umuntu ngamunye. Amadiphozithi manje ayamukelwa ukuze ahlale esikhathini esizayo esiteshini sase-Aurora, okuhlelwe ukuthi siqale ngasekupheleni kuka-2021 futhi isingathe izivakashi zayo zokuqala ngo-2022. Idiphozithi ingu-$80,000 ngomuntu ngamunye.
“Sithuthukise i-Aurora Station ukuze sinikeze indawo yokhiye emkhathini. Lapho yethulwa, i-Aurora Station iqala ukusebenza ngokushesha, ilethe abahambi emkhathini ngokushesha futhi ngentengo ephansi kunangaphambili, kuyilapho sisanikeza isipiliyoni esingasoze salibaleka, ”kusho uFrank Bunger, isikhulu esiphezulu kanye nomsunguli we-Orion Span. “I-Orion Span iphinde yathatha lokho ngokomlando obekuwuhlelo lokuqeqeshwa lwezinyanga ezingama-24 ukulungiselela abahambi ukuthi bavakashele esiteshini sasemkhathini futhi bakwenza kube izinyanga ezintathu, ngenani elincane lezindleko. Umgomo wethu uwukwenza indawo ifinyeleleke kubo bonke, ngokuqhubeka nokushayela inani elikhulu ngezindleko eziphansi.”
Ngesikhathi sokuhlala kwabo esiteshini i-Aurora, abahambi bazojabulela injabulo ye-zero gravity futhi bandize ngokukhululeka kulo lonke elase-Aurora Station, bagqolozele i-aurora esenyakatho naseningizimu ngamafasitela amaningi, bendiza phezu kwemizi yabo, babambe iqhaza ocwaningweni lokucwaninga olufana nokutshala ukudla ngenkathi i-orbit (abangakwazi ukuya nayo ekhaya njengesikhumbuzo esiphezulu), bajabulele umuzwa wento engekho ngokoqobo ku-holodeck, futhi bahlale bethintana noma basakaze bukhoma nabathandekayo babo ekhaya ngokufinyelela i-inthanethi engenantambo yesivinini esikhulu. Ngenkathi zisemkhathini, izihambeli ze-Aurora Station zizondiza ngamamayela angu-200 ngaphezu kobuso boMhlaba ku-Low Earth Orbit, noma i-LEO, lapho zizothola khona ukubukwa okumangalisayo komhlaba. Ihhotela lizozungeza Umhlaba njalo ngemizuzu engu-90, okusho ukuthi abagibele bazobona isilinganiso sokuphuma nokushona kwelanga okungu-16 njalo ngamahora angu-24. Lapho zibuyela eMhlabeni, izihambeli zizokwamukela ukwamukelwa kweqhawe ekhaya.
Ngaphambi kokuthatha uhambo, labo abazohamba esiteshini i-Aurora bazojabulela i-Orion Span Astronaut Certification (OSAC) yezinyanga ezintathu. Isigaba sokuqala sohlelo lokunikeza izitifiketi senziwa ku-inthanethi, okwenza ukuhamba emkhathini kube lula kunangaphambili. Ingxenye elandelayo izoqedwa mathupha esikhungweni sokuqeqesha esisezingeni eliphezulu se-Orion Span e-Houston, eTexas. Isitifiketi sokugcina siqedwa ngesikhathi sokuhlala komhambi esiteshini sase-Aurora.
"Isiteshi i-Aurora sishintshashintsha ngendlela emangalisayo futhi sinokusetshenziswa okuningi okudlula ukukhonza njengehhotela," kwengeza uBunger. “Sizohlinzeka ngama-charter aphelele kuma-ejensi asemkhathini abheke ukuzuza ukundiza komkhathi womuntu ku-orbit ngenani elincane lezindleko - futhi akhokhele abakusebenzisayo kuphela. Sizokweseka ucwaningo lwe-gravity engekho, kanye nokukhiqizwa komkhathi. Isakhiwo sethu sezakhiwo singakwazi ukwengeza amandla kalula, okusenza sikwazi ukukhula ngesidingo semakethe njengedolobha elikhula libheke phezulu eMhlabeni. Kamuva sizothengisa amamojula azinikele njengamakhondomu okuqala emhlabeni emkhathini. Abanikazi be-Future Aurora bangahlala, bavakashele, noma bathengise indawo yabo ye-space condo. Lona umngcele othokozisayo futhi i-Orion Span iyaziqhenya ngokuvula indlela.”
I-Orion Span yenze ngokusemthethweni isimemezelo se-Aurora Station namhlanje ekuseni eNgqungqutheleni ye-Space 2.0 eSan Jose, eCalifornia. Ithimba lobuholi benkampani lihlanganisa i-Chief Executive Officer u-Frank Bunger, ongusomabhizinisi we-serial kanye nomphathi wokuqalisa ubuchwepheshe ohlonishwa ngokuqala okuningi ngaphansi kwebhande lakhe; Isikhulu Esiyinhloko Sezobuchwepheshe uDavid Jarvis – usomabhizinisi wempilo yonke, unjiniyela wezindiza zemkhathi womuntu, kanye nomthuthukisi wemithwalo ekhokhelwayo onobubanzi nokujula ekuphathweni nasekusebenzeni kwe-International Space Station (ISS); Umklami Omkhulu Wezakhiwo u-Frank Eichstadt, ongumklami wezimboni nomklami wasemkhathini otuswe ngokuba umklami oyinhloko wemojula ye-ISS Enterprise; kanye neSikhulu Esiphezulu Sezokusebenza u-Marv LeBlanc – owayengumphathi jikelele kanye nomphathi wohlelo onamashumi eminyaka esipiliyoni sendawo yokuphatha eqhuba imisebenzi nokulawula inhloso.
