From hotels on the moon to a life-changing 'overview effect', veteran NASA astronaut lifts the lid on the future of space travel - and it could be possible in just two years' time

In 1969, Neil Armstrong announced his famous words while setting foot on the moon for the first time: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' 

Space travel has developed massively in the half decade since, from the introduction of the International Space Station to the establishment of companies such as SpaceX offering the first tourist experiences.

But the question remains: what is the next 'giant leap' for the industry – and just how soon will humans be able to travel readily to outer space?

Captain Winston Scott, a veteran NASA astronaut, is perfectly positioned to lift the lid on the reality of interstellar tourism in the rapidly evolving field, and when it could become available.

'It's happening as we speak,' says Winston, 76 – and there could be normal people on the moon within two years.

'In 2028, we'll actually put people back on the surface of the moon. Within two years, we will already have people on the surface of the moon,' the former astronaut, who spent 27 years on active duty as a pilot in the US navy, the last seven with NASA as an astronaut, told the Daily Mail.

Captain Winston Scott, a veteran NASA astronaut, shares his thoughts on the future of space travel

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has unveiled recent updates

'This time, we'll build permanent habitats, permanent laboratories, and begin to populate the moon. 

His vision for the future of space travel comes after this week spaceflight expedition company, Virgin Galactic, announced the name of its new spaceship will be Apeiron, the ancient Greek word for 'the boundless'.

The company's reusable, air-launched spaceships are designed to make spaceflight safe and increasingly accessible, advancing a long-term vision of opening space to millions for extraordinary purposes. 

Winston added: 'I think the first tourist sites will probably be in low Earth orbit, and  there'll be habitats of some kind. They may be inflatable.

'We're going to see hotels in orbit, and eventually hotels on the moon. There will be research facilities, first of all, but pretty soon, you're going to have schools, hospitals, recreation facilities. 

'I see a permanent presence on the moon, and then some number of years in the future, there'll be a permanent presence on Mars. After that, who knows?'

GRU Space, a San Francisco-based space startup, has even announced plans to build a hotel on the moon by 2032, although construction has not begun.

Winston is an ambassador for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, which opens daily and offers guests the chance to get up-close to real flight-flown artifacts, meet a veteran NASA astronaut, feel the rumble of a rocket launch and much more. Single-day admission is $77 (£58) per adult, $67 (£50) per child. 

Winston is an ambassador for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida

The former astronaut (bottom right) has spent a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space

According to Winston, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is 'one place where the average person can come and experience space without actually leaving the Earth'.

And that comes from a man who has logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes up in the cosmos. 

'It is out of this world, pun intended,' he explains, 'but there are really no words to actually describe what it's like.

'Obviously, you experience continuous weightlessness, which is fun, because you float and fly all over the place.

'But at the same time, it's a little uncomfortable, because your body has to get used to it.

'One of the things that's so different is seeing the Earth from that perspective. You can see how small the Earth is, and how finite.'

This so-called 'overview effect', Winston explains, has the ability to change astronauts' entire life perspective: 'It drives home that you don't see boundaries between where one country begins and another country ends. All you see is one Earth, and it's a very peaceful, beautiful, bright, and colourful Earth.'

It even affected him personally: 'The little things that bother you from day to day, you put them in perspective and realise that there are so many more important things going on in the world.'

What else is unexpected about space travel?

Winston, pictured on a space mission, says travel could be available within just two years

He says the experience of weightlessness in space is hard to describe

'When you're on Earth, to see weather, you have to look up, but when you're in space, you look down upon the weather. I can remember the first time I looked out of the space shuttle - way down beneath me, I could see thunder clouds miles below me. 

'As people begin to travel in space individually, they're going to have to learn how to use specific equipment that's designed for space. Your cameras may be different, your communication systems may be different. You won't use your standard cell phone to talk.'

Of course, the exorbitant cost of space travel is a factor – but the aim is to make it accessible, Winston says, adding: 'You want a space flight that can acommodate anyone.'

The cost of space travel has already gone down, he says. While it previously cost $300million (£225million) to get to space, Winston estimates, it is now a tenth of that price, and private suborbital flights cost just $200,000 (£150,000).

'Spaceflight is paralleling the history of aviation. I remember way back in the day, when only rich people could fly on an aeroplane. 

'Nowadays, anybody can buy a ticket and take an aeroplane trip someplace. Well, the same thing's going to happen with space. 

'Right now, it's very cost-prohibitive for most working people, but as it expands, the cost will come down, and pretty soon we'll see excursions in the space that can be afforded by the average, everyday working person.' 

What about the potential risks and dangers involved in space travel?

Winston says space travellers will have to get used to different technologies in space

'Space travel does have its risks, there's no doubt about it,' Winston admits. 'Space is not a user-friendly environment, but we take all the precautions that we can to make things as safe as we possibly can. But with any exploration program, there's a certain amount of risk involved.'

Obviously, astronauts go through rigorous training and psychological evaluation to check that they can cope with the pressures of space. 

Will tourists need to do so too? Or will their time in space be limited?

'It's got to be short periods of time,' says Winston. 'The idea of tourism is that anybody can do it. 

'The average healthy person could go. You don't want a lot of screening and psychological training. 

'You just want to be able to buy a ticket, go, and have a good time.'

In the meantime, those of us anxiously anticipating the prospect of holidays on the moon will be stuck waiting.

'We need to design our rockets such that they can accommodate the average, everyday person,' he concludes.