--- title: "Space Tourists Promise Not to Annoy Astronauts While on Space Station" description: "One of the world's first private sector space tourists has vowed not to irritate the actual astronauts aboard the International Space Station. " date: "2022-03-02" modified: "2022-03-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-tourists-promise-not-annoy" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "axiom space" - "international space station" - "space tourism" - "the digest" --- # Space Tourists Promise Not to Annoy Astronauts While on Space Station ![One of the world's first private sector space tourists has vowed not to irritate the actual astronauts aboard the International Space Station. ]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Bothering Astronauts We can all heave huge sighs of relief knowing that the space tourists who are part of the "[first all-private mission]() to the International Space Station" have vowed not to irritate the actual astronauts onboard the station. During a [briefing about the upcoming mission]() by private spaceflight company Axiom Space, former NASA astronaut and mission commander Michael López-Alegría said that he plans to make sure his crew doesn't disrupt the station's existing crew members once there. "We're super sensitive to that, and we think that's a very good example to be setting for future crews," López-Alegría said during the livestreamed press conference. "Everybody on the crew is... very dedicated, very committed, very professional in this, and we really are taking this very, very seriously." "It's not tourism," he argued, implying the Ax-1 crew is traveling to the ISS to do some serious science, not to go on a very expensive holiday in orbit — a matter that is [clearly up for some debate](). Axiom Space CEO Michael Suffredini agreed, adding that the crew will be busy conducting research of their own and won't "paste their nose on the window." ## Serious Business Having spent a considerable amount of time on board the space station himself, López-Alegría's promises have at least some weight behind them. But that doesn't mean the introduction of civilian outsiders won't be adding to an [already chaotic situation]() on board the ISS. Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts are currently cooped up together in space while their countries are locked in political conflict back on Earth. Nevertheless, López-Alegría promised members of his crew will be the "standard bearers" and "set the bar very, very high" during the first consumer space flight of its kind. Hopefully they won't irritate the professionals too much, because — let's be honest — they have more than enough on their plates already. **More on the Axiom Space mission:** *[Man Getting Paid to Fly Rich Guys to Space Says Don’t Worry, They’re Not Just Idle Tourists]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()