On the heels of last week’s post about space travel becoming more affordable by the year 2019, comes the news that the world’s fifth “space tourist” will soon be vacationing in outer space. Microsoft engineer Charles Simonyi, who developed the Microsoft Word program I’m typing this post with right now, is using some of the money I paid for this privilege to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams. Considering the trip is costing him $20 million, I sort of feel he doesn’t owe me too much gratitude for contributing to his vacation funds. A postcard might be nice, though.
Something interesting to point out here: Simonyi is a Hungarian born American who booked his flight through an American company doing business with the Russian Space Agency. He will fly out of Kazakhstan, on a Russian rocket and will be staying at the International Space Station constructed by a consortium of countries. Such a thing would have been impossible 20 years ago. We sure have come a long way since the Cold War