I am quite excited about Mondays flight that if it succeeds will result in a significant event in manned spaceflight. The first ever successful private launch into space. I am sure their will be Television coverage of the launch and being I am laid up in bed recovering I will definitely be tuned in.
My dad who does not follow these types of things closely was even aware of the launch and he posed a question to my Mom if she would pay to go. Her answer was no but the speculated correctly that I would jump at the chance. I am hoping that in my lifetime it will be affordable to view the earth from space. This frontier has been limited to the chosen ones and to think we are on the doorstep of opening manned spaceflight to regular Joe’s and Janes.
Some of you have read Science Fiction books where people travel to other solar systems spending a lifetime doing so forever leaving the bounds of earth. I wonder in my mind how far we are away from doing this. I am sure someday someone will be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for the chance of a one way trip to the outer reaches of the solar system. Obviously we have a long way to go in that propulsion systems that have yet to be invented would be needed to push a spacecraft to the velocities needed to achieve such a thing. Pushing ones imagination you would have to raise children in space to continue the mission as the original crew would never make it in a lifetime. Probably to far fetched to consider but if the human race makes it another 1000 years imagine the possibilities. [www.scaled.com]