14 Intergalactic Travel Posters That Make us Wish Space Tourism Was a Real Thing

By Melanie Lieberman
June 30, 2015
Credit: Steve Thomas
Travel posters have long-inspired hazy daydreams of exotic destinations, though few give us loftier ambitions than these space-themed, vintage-style prints from independent artists, science enthusiasts, and even NASA. 

In fact, with recreational space travel a very real possibility, these visions of expeditions around our solar system and tours of moons, stars, and planets in faraway galaxies may have some staying power.

Suspend your disbelief and take a look at what your next cruise to Neptune's moons, or family ski trip on Pluto might look like. Some, like NASA's posters, even cast an Art Deco, utopian glow on inhabitable planets. So go ahead. Coax a little interplanetary wanderlust. 
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Base Jumping on HD 40307g

Credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

According to the “Exoplanet Travel Bureau,” this enormous planet is twice the size of earth. While that may imply affordable real estate, it also means massive gravitational pull. Imagine BASE jumping, sky diving, or freestyle skiing when the force of gravity is eight times what it is on earth.

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Extra Romantic Sunsets on Kepler-16b

Credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

If this is, indeed, a terrestrial planet, we'd love to perch on an Adirondack chair and watch the impressive double sunsets from the twin stars Kepler-16b orbits. Unfortunately, the temperature is likely as cold as dry ice.

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Year-Round Leaf Peeping on Kepler-186f

Credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Thanks to its cool red star, this Earth-size planet (the first found in a potentially habitable zone) likely reflects the red-wavelength photons in its flora. Forget rolling green hills and brief, fleeting fall foliage.

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Extreme Storm Chasing: Jupiter’s Red Spot

Credit: sciencehype.com

Skipping merrily into science fiction, Science Hype offers a glimpse at a storm chaser's dream trip. Could it get wilder than a tempest large enough to swallow three Earths that has raged for more than 400 years? We're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

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Perfect Your Summer Tan on The Sun

Credit: sciencehype.com

Even the most bronzed beach bums may tire of the endless sunshine and 9,941 degree weather our star has to offer. Check out the gift shop for super-charged SPF and a chic parasol.

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The New Aspen: Ski Pluto

Credit: Steve Thomas

Colder, but decidedly more exclusive than its Coloradan predecessor, artist Steve Thomas pictures a day when Pluto may boast some of the most luxe ski-in/ski-out resorts in the universe. Whether or not you think Pluto is a large hunk of space rock (personally, were team Planet Pluto), we think Pluto could be prime for the next ski lodge, or at least après ski fireside cocktails.

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Book an Extended Stay Villa on Europa

Credit: sciencehype.com

Sure, this icy Galilean moon may be swept by enormous flexing tides. But at least there is water beneath its icy surface. Go surfing, ice luging, and glacier boarding on Jupiter's most promising moon.

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Trade the Subway for the Milky Way

Credit: Steve Thomas

Subway? Try MilkyWay. After all, sometimes the journey is as fun as the destination. This sleek, ultra-speedy interstellar transport system runs as smoothly as the west wind.

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Luxury Tented Camps in Martian Red Deserts

Credit: sciencehype.com

Road warriors who have exhausted all of their terrestrial options may trade in standard earth-bound adventures for dune voyages in the Martian canyon and on the enormous volcano, Olympus Mons. Also in the works? Interplanetary Martian Games and stargazing in the desert.

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Rock Climbing on Mercury

Credit: Fabled Creative

Thanks to ceaseless bombardment from meteors and other space ephemera, Mercury’s surface is a mountainous, lineated, and otherwise chaotic mix of craters and basins, and canyons. Rock climbers should wear appropriate attire and be on the lookout for ejecta on a ballistic trajectory. Hard hats and goggles are required.

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Embark with Neptune Cruises

Credit: Steve Thomas

If it weren't for its chilly temperature (353 degrees below freezing), Neptune would be covered with oceans suitable for the Roman god of the seas. But perhaps submarine cruise ships will one day cater to crowds of ice enthusiasts. Hop on a glamorous space-faring vessel and circumnavigate the planet's 14 frostbitten moons.

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Weekend Getaway to The Moon

Credit: sciencehype.com

Some of the travel posters we found present a slightly more dystopian future than others. Here, merry moon-goers leap across the rock's cratered surface while, in the distance, a broken earth hangs suspended in pieces on its orbit. Part travel poster, part conservation PSA.

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Road Trip Around the Rings of Saturn

Credit: sciencehype.com

The solar system's most famous rotary, the rings of Saturn, are a must-see on any light year-long road trip. This historic monument is crucial on a historical tour of the early years of space exploration. Watch out for rogue rocks and ice blocks.

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Pit Stop on Uranus' Roadside Station

Credit: Steve Thomas

We love Thomas' whimsical illustration of a Uranus that is no longer the butt of elementary science jokes. Here, rockets and space shuttles congregate during summer vacation for lake swimming, hover skiing, and fishing in Georgium Sidus Lake. We’re not going to ask about the catch of the day.

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By Melanie Lieberman