I just watched the launch of the space shuttle. Wow. Way to make me NOT want to get back to work at my boring desk job. My co-worker brought up a great point: most people don't think nearly enough about outer space after about age 10. Leave it to National Geographic magazine to keep the world up-to-date about what's happening in astronomy, planetary science, and the like. Check this out from NG's online section about Mars from the July 2005 issue. The article in the glossy magazine is much cooler, so pick up a copy or borrow mine and thumb through the photos of the great rocky plateaus of Mars that look like rural Utah or something. It's amazing.
I think astronaut should forever be up there with all the other cool careers, like fire fighter, neurosurgeon, and teacher, that kids dream of becoming. You never dreamed of becoming a teacher? Why the hell not? Teachers are the lowest-paid and most-important profession out there because the truly good ones inspire kids to enter all those other cool and important professions. Astronauts didn't become experts in their field from reading about Mars in a glossy magazine, but teachers who require their students to read that magazine and write a report about an article get future astronauts started in the right direction.
