It's A Dream

Another space tourist to the ISS:

"Enomoto’s ISS arrival will make him the fourth paying visitor to the orbital laboratory at a personal cost of about $20 million...."

" "'I really want to go to space,' Enomoto, 35, said. 'I’ve had this dream since I was five years old, and that’s my motivation.'"

"Enomoto, who goes by the nickname 'Dice-K,' is an independent investor residing in Hong Kong. Previously, he served as executive vice president and chief strategic officer for Livedoor, an information technology firm, and founded the website DICE-K.com."

In one sentence this guy managed to sum it all up... Why go to space you insane whackjob? Because I've dreamed about it since I was 5.

There is something, not quite seductive, not quite alluring, but wondrous about space. It's the conscious realisation of how awesome and large the universe is, and how small and insignificant you are. It's something that no photo can show you.

I mean a photo shows what it looks like. You can look at that photo, and you can tell yourself this is the wondrous expanse of space. This is how big God must be and far God must be from us.

But when you're there, hundreds of kilometers above the surface of the earth, floating, looking at the great dark beyond... That is a physical reality.

It's like standing at the top of a mountain looking down... You can rationalize all you want in life, but until you've experienced it with your senses, you will always have hidden sub-conscious doubts.

You get it when you're a kid. You know. You look at the stars and gaze in wonder...