Bob CollinsWatching the retirement of the space shuttle program is a bitter pill for many in the science community who saw it as a symbol for mankind’s thirst for knowledge and pushing the envelope of exploration.
So today’s announcement that singer Sarah Brightman is buying her way to the International Space Station probably won’t assuage the sense that it’s a worthy indicator of the seriousness of space science.
Still, you’ve got to give Brightman credit for trying to have her appointment as an astronaut — or cosmonaut, whatever — make sense.
“My music has always been inspired by space,” Brightman said. “It was because of seeing the first man on the moon back in the ’60s that actually inspired me and gave me the courage to go into the career that I had. At moments when I’m feeling nervous onstage or I’m feeling unsure I actually look to the stars and the planets and space and it gives me courage and inspiration.”
We’re standing by and monitoring Twitter closely for Neil deGrasse Tyson’s reaction.
