It’ll be something weird, perhaps originally insulting but “reclaimed” by the enthusiasts (when they get their sense of humor back.) For example, for as long as they are the target of gibes that they aren’t really contributing anything significant scientifically on ISS, they might be called “spare wheels”. They might clubbily start referring to each other as “wheelers”. Decades later, when there are far more of them, those who don’t know the history of the term might speculate — “Because they ‘wheel’ across the sky?”

Or perhaps it will be some derogatory Russian term (which for all we know, is already being used, sotto voce, by trainers at Star City.) Look up “ski”, “spelunking”, “BASE jumper” for etymology. And you’ll give up trying to predict.

But that’s something like my point: we already have terms like “mountaineer” and “climber”

How about “spacer”, which has a long tradition in the pages of science fiction. (I suppose some won’t like it for that reason, but it fits well with the existing terms.)

— Donald

I’m inclined to weight the opinions of the travelers themselves somewhat more, I admit, because for them, it certainly had greater symbolism, AND greater reality. After all, these are very successful people who took time out from their busy lives and trained hard under the Russians–their time in orbit was a fraction of the total span of the experience.

What it meant to them personally might be tinged somewhat with ego. How it effects perceptions of them as notable figures to be portrayed as “mere” tourists is probably a sensitive point with them. But they did work hard for the privilege, and the privilege itself entailed more hard work and not-insignificant risk.

There’s something going on here that’s independent of wealth. If somebody works a couple years at wilderness supply shops and some construction jobs, at low wages, to save up enough for a 5-person expedition to ascend some peak in the Karakoram Himalaya, you wouldn’t call that person an “alpine tourist” upon their return. Of course, you wouldn’t call them an “explorer” or a “researcher” either. But that’s something like my point: we already have terms like “mountaineer” and “climber” (and some established, if rather inaccurate public perceptions of them), but it’s too early to know what the right terms will be for various kinds of self-financed space travelers.

There are also sensitive issues of political legitimacy coming into play here, but I get into those as well in the essay.

— Donald