What’s this all about then?

I want to go to space.
I’m going to get there, somehow.
But I’m going to need your help.

I’d just turned 30 and I decided that by the time I’m 40, I want to be able to say I’ve been to space. There’s got to be a way, and I’m going to find it. Somehow.

I’ve always liked adventures, from back packing round Iceland with mum when I was just six years old, to exploring the mysteries of ancient Egypt. I get excited by new things, new people, new experiences, I just can’t help it.

Okay, so all my friends are doing sensible jobs with real career progressions (and real salaries). They’re settling down, getting married, buying houses, having kids(!), but I appear to be going the opposite way. On my 30th birthday I felt more like a seven year old boy than the adult that influences seem to want me to be. I decided, for real, that I want to be an astronaut.

Bad timing Kate, the US is retiring it’s shuttle fleet, the world is still feeling it’s way around recession and you can’t even work for NASA because you’re a Brit. Dammit. (Find a nice yank to marry? -Ed.)

There’s the commercial space industry, but all evidence seems to suggest it’ll be quite some time before they’re ready to launch a human into space, safely anyway.

But why should a little thing like that stop me? When has “impossible” ever stopped me giving things a go? Not since I achieved something when I was 17, that not only did I not think was possible, but I did not even think it. Once that barrier was broken I started thinking differently. On the one hand things were “impossible”, on the other, *someone* had to do them. This is slightly different, no-one *has* to do it, but I just figure, if anyone can do it, it would be me. Frankly, no-one else would be crazy enough to try.

So, I’ll say it again:

I want to go to space.
I’m going to get there, somehow.
But I’m going to need your help.

I have a plan.

 

(My website was all lost, but I saved these comments below from a cached version – no idea how to recreate them as comments, sadly)

6 Responses to “What’s this all about then?”

  • Daniel Jonessays:

    October 15, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    ReplyHi Kate, I’m well impressed with all your work. I thought it was just me that wanted this sooo badly. We need to come up with a plan. We need to get into space… lets do it.

  • February 7, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    ReplyKate,
    Really like your website, I share your longing to go into space (and there’s a lot of us Brits who want to!)
    I’m a rocket engineer (rocket scientist is too pretentious!) so if I can help with any technical questions you might have then just ask.

    Regards,

    Rick the Rocketeer

  • March 6, 2011 at 4:53 am

    ReplyIt’s great to read your blog and see you’ve met some of my Astronauts4Hire comrades at NSRC.
    I hope to high-five you in a flight to space one day much sooner than your 40th birthday, happy we’ve made it beyond 100km.

  • Joe says:

    March 15, 2011 at 6:32 am

    ReplyNice writing! So what’s the plan?

  • Chris Barrettsays:

    June 11, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    ReplyHi Kate,

    Like you I want to go in to space, However I not going to wait for someone to put me up there.

    I’m doing it for myself , If you want to know more, I’ll be at the UK Space Conference 2011 at Warwick uni, on the 4th & 5th of July, heres the link http://www.intellectuk.org/uk-space-2011-home.

    If you want to know more before then just email me.

    BTW I love the website ;)

  • October 16, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    ReplyYou can send your initials and your own spacecraft into space via the KickStarter project KickSat.org as part of a citizen space exploration experiment. Maybe we’ll try a human spaceflight KickStarter project in a few years ;-)

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