There's an exciting space race taking place at the moment.
Instead of nations vying for the opportunity to plant a flag on unchartered land, it's companies like Boeing that are increasingly intrigued by that elusive planet known as Mars.
Bloomberg Technology reports the aviation giant has aims to thwart Elon Musk's SpaceX initiative and become the major player in space tourism to the red planet.
The website quotes Boeing's CEO Dennis Muilenburg who spoke at this week's Atlantic sponsored event centered on innovation, which took place in Chicago.
Muilenburg didn't hold back and stated that the intrepid traveler who manages to make his or her way to Mars will do so because of the hard work and innovative effort at his company: "I'm convinced the first person to step foot on Mars will arrive there riding a Boeing rocket."
Ever since we watched "Total Recall," we've always wanted to go to Mars on a vacation - save the dangers of the vacuum of space and the upheaval of Martian political strife, obviously.
We may be in an era that is relatively close to managing just that as various luminaries in the industry are pushing hard to make space travel more accessible to those who haven't spent their entire lives training to be astronauts.
Virgin's Richard Branson, as we covered, recently opined on sexy space hotels that could offer the rare joy of space to tourists.
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Back in September, TravelPulse's Janeen Christoff quoted SpaceX founder Elon Musk who was at the International Astronautical Congress, via Orlando Sentinel.
Musk offered on going to Mars: "It's something we can do in our lifetime."
The Sentinel states the following on Musk's vision: "The goal for Musk has been to create a self-sustaining civilization, which he said would take between 40 to 100 years and mean a relocation of 1 million people."
As Bloomberg Technology notes, Boeing has a proud history of aiding the space effort, building the first stage rocket for Saturn V. The report notes that space travel isn't the only thing that is within the travel industry's grasp, as Boeing and Lockheed both have viable solutions for hypersonic travel - the Lockheed's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 and Boeing's X-51A WaveRider, respectively.
Of course, it's one thing to have the ability to soar through the air to a destination in relative moments or to reach heights travelers had previously only dreamed of visiting.
It's quite another to make this kind of ability affordable. Bloomberg quotes Muilenberg who continues: "That business model isn't closed yet. At some point it will. The future of innovation has to include not only the technology, but economic viability."
While it's hardly time to pack your bags for a space trip to the moon or Mars, it's clear that things are headed in that direction. Perhaps we will never see the red planet up close, but your kids very well might, and it's thanks to what will be a relentless effort from the likes of Boeing and others.
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