Vacation to the solar system? New guide plans your future trip

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Not your usual beach vacation: A trip to outer space (草莓传媒's Rachel Nania)

WASHINGTON 鈥� It鈥檚 that time of year when the travel sections of bookstores are flooded with people pouring over the latest Frommer鈥檚 to plan their summer vacations.

The must-see museums in Madrid? There are guides for that. The best restaurants in Rome? Several maps on the shelves hold the answer.

But if you鈥檙e looking for a truly out-of-this-world journey, only one travel book will suffice. It鈥檚 called 鈥�,鈥� and it details the must-do activities and can鈥檛-miss destinations on the planets and their moons.

Olivia Koski, head of operations at Guerrilla Science, and Jana Grcevich, astronomer and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, are the authors behind the new space travel publication. The idea for the book came shortly after Guerrilla Science launched its Intergalactic Travel Bureau, which hosts live, interactive space planning sessions for the public.

**The best places to vacation in space**
If Koski had to pick one place to visit, it would be Jupiter, which like Saturn, is a gas planet. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 actually stand on the surface of Jupiter, but you could orbit around it and see the beautiful swirling gasses from orbit,鈥� she said. Jupiter鈥檚 unique moons 鈥� including one covered in volcanoes and another covered in ice 鈥� are also a big draw. Grcevich’s pick would be Titan, the largest moon on Saturn. 鈥淚鈥檓 into beach vacations, although this is not a usual beach vacation because it鈥檚 several hundred degrees below zero,鈥� she said. Travelers can expect to find 鈥渂eautiful methane and ethane lakes that you could walk on the shores of鈥� and an atmosphere so thick, one 鈥渃ould become airborne under your own power.鈥� via AP) (NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (GSFC)

**Pack light** When it comes to packing for your trip through the solar system, less is more. 鈥淓very extra pound is going to cost you a lot of money. It鈥檚 the worst baggage fees ever because it has to be launched at tens of thousands of miles per hour in order to get out of Earth鈥檚 gravity,鈥� Grcevich said. Forget about making sure you have enough T-shirts and, instead, pack out-of-the-box items that may come in handy in microgravity environments, such as Velcro to secure things to the wall. 鈥淏ut most importantly, don鈥檛 forget to pack all of the water and air and food that you鈥檒l need for your trip, because you鈥檙e not going to be stopping along the way,鈥� Grcevich said.聽 (NASA via AP)

**Explore the local cuisine? Not so much** Sorry, foodies: Don鈥檛 expect any hot restaurants or authentic eateries at your destination. The only food you鈥檒l be eating is the food you pack. Grcevich encourages spicy food, since nasal congestion and muted taste buds are a common complaint in microgravity environments. And packing things that are easy to prepare and reheat is a must 鈥� there are no Viking ranges on which one can create a meal. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want any open flames, obviously, as a fire hazard, because the fire department is not going to be putting out any fires that you set while you鈥檙e cooking,鈥� Grcevich added. Picture:聽NASA’s Advanced Food Technology Project manager Michele Perchonok, right, and Lockeed Martin Sr. Research Scientist Maya Cooper, try a pizza recipe being tested in a kitchen at Johnson Space Center Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Houston, Texas. NASA is currently planning a mission to Mars, which has gravity, so more options for food preparation, like chopping vegetables, are available as opposed to the dehydrated fare of current space missions. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

**Start saving your vacation days** Curious about the length of the flight? Koski says unfortunately, that鈥檚 something that鈥檚 almost impossible to predict, since all of the destinations are moving targets. If you鈥檙e taking a nonstop trip to the moon, you can make it there in about 10 hours. Headed to Mars? You鈥檙e looking at six months. And start saving your sick days now if you have your sights set on one of the outer planets. Koski says it takes about 10 years, each way, to get to Pluto. 鈥淪o you鈥檙e going to have to take off a lot of time from work, and that can be a challenge for people who don鈥檛 have a lot of vacation days saved up,鈥� she added. (AP Photo)

Olivia Koski, head of operations at Guerilla Science, and Jana Grcevich, astronomer and science educator at the American Museum of Natural History, are the authors behind the new space travel publication. The idea for the book came shortly after Guerilla Science launched its Intergalactic Travel Bureau, which hosts live, interactive space planning sessions for the public. (AP Photo) — **No, but really: When can we start planning?** When will planning a space vacation turn from a fantasy to a reality? Grcevich and Koski say that depends on the resources that are put toward it. 鈥淭he fact that we were able to go to the moon in such a short period of time was really a function of how much we were investing in that goal,鈥� Grcevich said. Keep in mind that a lot can happen in a few short decades. 鈥淥ne hundred years ago, airplanes were cutting edge technology, kind of similar to how we look at rockets nowadays. In 100 years, there could just be regular trips to Mars,鈥� Koski added. In the meantime, a free virtual reality app can help you travel to Mars, and beyond, on your mobile device. At least then, all of your immediate planning isn鈥檛 for nothing. Download on iTunes. (AP Photo)

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While 鈥淰acation Guide to the Solar System鈥� errs on the side of fun and fantasy, the subject is no laughing matter. Koski and Grcevich include fascinating facts about the science of the solar system on every page.

They even consulted with astronomers, physicists and space lawyers to answer potential questions pertaining to planetary travel 鈥� including what it鈥檇 be like to ride a bike on Mars. 聽

鈥淚t turns out that when you start asking questions like, 鈥業f you get mugged on the moon, what do you do?鈥� These are questions that haven鈥檛 quite been fully answered yet,鈥� Grcevich said.

鈥淏ut what鈥檚 fascinating is that a lot of people are thinking about them, even if that particular case hasn鈥檛 arisen yet,鈥� Koski added.

Interested in an intergalactic holiday? Koski and Grcevich share some of their best tips for an expedition far away from Earth in the gallery above.聽

Olivia Koski and Jana Grcevich, authors of “Vacation Guide to the Solar System,” will be at D.C.’s East City Book Shop Wednesday, June 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The is free and open to the public.聽

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