A Prediction Model for the Type of Consumer Willing to Travel to and Live on Mars

Abstract

Technological advancements in space travel have brought the concept of private, commercial space transportation closer to reality. Companies such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are working to offer commercial, low orbit space flights to paying customers, and SpaceX is even considering private trips to Mars. As these developments become closer to reality, an essential and missing gap in the literature relates to identifying what type of person would be willing to travel to and live on Mars. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a statistical model to identify the significant predictors of a participant's willingness to travel to and live on Mars with 536 participants. The findings from the study indicate that nine of the 18 variables were significant predictors. Model fit was assessed through three measures and found to exist for the statistical model. The paper concludes with a discussion of the significant predictors, practical applications, and recommendations for future research.