If I ruled the world… then clearly something would have gone seriously wrong somewhere. But assuming that I did rule the world – having presumably usurped power by threatening to rain terror of some unspecified kind from satellites launched from my secret hollowed-out volcanic base – then I would have a space station with a cupola like the one they are just about to install on the International Space Station. I can think of no better way to pass the time than to gaze in awe at the Earth below me while listening to music. In general I think manned space flight is a waste of time and money, but if I ruled the world…
February 9, 2010 at 8:20 pm |
A few months ago we were celebrating the moon missions and there was a vocal minority saying how awful those missions were – a waste of money, military show-offs with aggressive cold-war intent, with no knock on benefit. I read those stories and felt they absolutely missed the point.
When those people went to the moon they looked back at the Earth and all of them found that much more inspiring than where they were going. The photos they took of the Earth shared that with the rest of us. Their original intent may have been militaristic, but the result was a feeling of belonging to humankind. I feel that was a swords into plough shares moment.
February 10, 2010 at 9:08 pm |
…your choice of music? The “For All Mankind” documentary of the moon missions from the astronauts point of view was excellent.
November 17, 2010 at 11:56 pm |
[…] time ago I remember blogging that if I ruled the world I would spend my spare time hanging out in a space station with a ‘cupola’, gazing out […]
April 8, 2011 at 12:05 am |
[…] photograph was taken from the cupola of the International Space Station and shows a VAST low pressure area, across the eastern Pacific […]