HOUSTON Astronaut Shannon Lucid gave future space tourists and travelers some hints that may come in handy someday. As part of the Habitation Module Commercialization Conference, Lucid discussed on Tuesday her experiences on five space shuttle flights and her six months aboard the Russian space station Mir.

One of the ideas being discussed at the conference is turning the habitation module into an orbital hotel for tourists.

Plans are tentative, but NASA has hinted that if the price is right, theyll even train and fly the space tourists to the International Space Station.

Experiencing weightlessness and seeing the Earth from space wont be enough to entertain people, according to Lucid.

"Its as if you were in this hotel and locked in your room. Youll want to do something," she said. "Youll need something to do other than float."

The novelty of weightlessness wears off quickly and space travelers of all sorts need something to keep themselves occupied, she said.

Lucid likes to read and took plenty of books for her free time aboard Mir. Other Americans aboard Mir watched movies or used a Ham radio as diversions.

The Russians even go so far as sending live video feeds of comedians, singers, and clergy to Mir cosmonauts as morale builders.

Lucid said a good window was an important psychological boost.

Unfortunately, all but one of the Mirs windows point away from Earth, she said.

She dismissed the idea of a video screen as a substitute.

"Video wont work," she said. "Realness counts just a pane of glass between you and eternity."