The Occasional Solipsist

I was just browsing through my rss feeds and came across one that had linked to a blog posted by the civilian space tourist, Anousheh Ansari. I have been following this story since I first heard about her $20 million dollar trip to the International Space Station, but it never occurred to me to search for a blog authored by her.

How amazing is it that we live in a time when not only are some of the best and brightest of humanity actually circling the earth in a space station, making huge strides in technology, medicine, among other disciplines? That would be enough. But these people are blogging to us while they're up there, and we no longer have to feel that disconnect that has been (IMHO) the major stumbling block of the various global space efforts over the past fifty years.

No, now we can sip our coffee and read about Dooce's latest experiences with her dog and her daughter, and with one mouseclick, we can move on to an entry posted from space, and read about people doing things that as a child, I only imagined could be achieved within the confines of my favourite comic book.

I talk all the time about how we live in such a great time because of all of the science fiction that drooling fanboys like me get to enjoy. But the really cool thing about the time we live in is that right now there are some truly great strides being taken that make some of that same fiction, with its vision of a future that puts mankind among the stars, look a lot more plausible.

Here's the post that first got my attention. Ansari's description of her ride from launchpad to orbit is nothing short of amazing.

Check out the blogger from space's main site here.

And her flickr gallery here.

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