No, not me, unless of course there was some excellent reason for it. If I was a vital member of a team setting off to divert an asteroid say, that was headed for Earth, yes.
Would take risks like that in that situation - though not likely to happen - not likely to choose a 60 year old programmer and mathematician with slight tendency towards claustrophobia :) and tendency towards clumsiness. And for that matter would make the judgement myself that I couldn't handle it. But imaginatively, if I was younger and more capable, could imagine doing something like that.
But apart from that, well for me is same as the way you'd assess risks of anywhere else. Going into space - not a special destination in that sense. Would be cool to float in zero g, yes. I'd love to experience that just for a few hours. Would be great to actually watch the Earth from space. All that would be fun.
But - we can also share a lot of this vicariously from photographs from space. And for me, photographs e.g. of Rosetta, this photograph
- you must go to the high res version here As Seen by Rosetta: Comet Surface Variations
has a lot of the same excitement as actually flying in space. Scrolling over that landscape and wondering what they will discover about it.
And though I can't experience the wonder of Earth from space directly, can experience it from the photographs from space, and meanwhile also, have the wonder of Earth from its surface :).
Great place to live really. I think if space travel does become common place - then chances are that many will just appreciate Earth all the more, how lucky to live on such a habitable world as this.
I'm a contented "armchair astronomer" myself :).
But - if I could fly safely, with comfort, into space in a reasonably spacious spaceship, for a few hours or days - well would love to do that :).
Or say if someone magically gave me a UFO type spaceship like the "Far Star" in Asimov's Foundation series (if such was possible):
(and some magical future technology to make sure I can't contaminate the planets I explore)
Now that would be a ride worth taking :).
Would take risks like that in that situation - though not likely to happen - not likely to choose a 60 year old programmer and mathematician with slight tendency towards claustrophobia :) and tendency towards clumsiness. And for that matter would make the judgement myself that I couldn't handle it. But imaginatively, if I was younger and more capable, could imagine doing something like that.
But apart from that, well for me is same as the way you'd assess risks of anywhere else. Going into space - not a special destination in that sense. Would be cool to float in zero g, yes. I'd love to experience that just for a few hours. Would be great to actually watch the Earth from space. All that would be fun.
But - we can also share a lot of this vicariously from photographs from space. And for me, photographs e.g. of Rosetta, this photograph
has a lot of the same excitement as actually flying in space. Scrolling over that landscape and wondering what they will discover about it.
And though I can't experience the wonder of Earth from space directly, can experience it from the photographs from space, and meanwhile also, have the wonder of Earth from its surface :).
Great place to live really. I think if space travel does become common place - then chances are that many will just appreciate Earth all the more, how lucky to live on such a habitable world as this.
I'm a contented "armchair astronomer" myself :).
But - if I could fly safely, with comfort, into space in a reasonably spacious spaceship, for a few hours or days - well would love to do that :).
Or say if someone magically gave me a UFO type spaceship like the "Far Star" in Asimov's Foundation series (if such was possible):
(and some magical future technology to make sure I can't contaminate the planets I explore)
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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