[ how difficult it was to explain what space is to someone who hasn't been there and whose first experience was this alien planet. vidar gives it a minute or so, trying to think of a way to make it clear, until he decides on, ]

It's cold, and barren. You need special equipment to survive in it, let alone work; all of that is expensive. Nothing can grow in there, and there is more debris than necessary than you can think of, making travel difficult and dangerous.

Imagine the cold and the silence, and being in a quiet ship for the rest of your life. That's what it's like up there.