Today is December 15,2030. Influenced by the launch of the first manned mission to Mars next month, you will most likely get a gift card for a space trip.

The interest in trips, 100 km above the surface of the Earth, has grown steadily since such a trip began. However, the market has grown much larger this year since the official announcement of the Mars mission. More low-cost spacelines have entered the market and you can now find flights for such a trip for as low as $3,495. It’s very reasonable.

Space tourism (旅游业；观光业) is one of the markets that have developed fast during the last decade, with the opening of the Starbright Hotel on the moon as well as the low orbital hotels that started accepting guests. However, accommodation in space is still expensive for the average household, so the suborbital (亚轨道的) flights with thirty-minute weightlessness during the three-hour flight will for some time be the most popular trip.

However, the spacelines might in the future face fierce competition between space elevators (太空升降舱), like the one that is projected to start construction within two years. Once it is fully functional, it will start to ship cargo to space. But it will accept passengers as soon as possible to get back the large investment. Even if the elevator becomes successful, it will take several years before there are more elevators in the world to get in the competition for space traffic with the spacelines.

Those who are looking for a little bit of adventure and have extra money to spend may want to consider a suborbital flight in space. While a suborbital flight may not be the space mission that you have always dreamed of, it will give you the rare opportunity to see what our planet looks like in a high-altitude flight outside our atmosphere. So before you enjoy a trip by elevator to space, enjoy a suborbital flight first.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, what will I look like in 10 years? Will I look pretty if I eat junk food and don’t exercise?”

▲ . French scientists have invented (发明) one. In this mirror, you won’t see what you look like today. You will see what you’ll look like in the future.

“The mirror looks just like the one in your bathroom, but it’s different actually,” says Martin Illsley, one of the scientists.

First, it has a camera inside to take your pictures. Just stand in front of the mirror and it will work. You also need to tell the mirror what you eat and how you exercise. Then, after a few minutes, with the information that you offer, the special software in the mirror will create a human vision(人像) of you on it.

What will bad habits bring to you in five or ten years? This mirror may just show you. If you don’t want it to become real, give up your bad habits right now! Remember that mirrors can never help you keep healthy, but you can.

With the development of technology, there will be more inventions like the special mirror in the future. Maybe a clock will be able to tell you how many years you will live. And a map will show you where you can live and work in the future. But I still think you should decide the future by yourself. Take action now and make a better future!

Tom and Fred are talking about the year 2050. “What will our world be like in the year 2050?” asks Tom.

“I don’t know,” says Fred.

“What do you think?” asks Tom.

“Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess,” says Fred.

“In the year 2050, everyone will carry a pocket computer. The computer will give people the answer to all their problems.” says Tom.

“A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Machines will do most of the work and so people will have more holidays. They will be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there,” says Fred.

“And I hope I will be able to live under the sea,” says Tom. “Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish.”