Playground for the Rich and Famous
Interesting StuffMoney can buy not only a ticket out of this world but a glimpse into the future. Outer space beckons because it indicates a possible alternative if the world were to burn itself out in millions of years to come as predicted by scientists.
Martha Stewart is the epitome of caring lover and domestic angel when she sends off her billionaire boyfriend, Charles Simonyi, to space. She packed a six-course meal of roasted quail in Madiran wine, duck breast confit with capers, shredded chicken parmentier, and rice pudding with candied fruit for him and his two colleagues. Fine cuisine indeed for the outer-space bound. The meal was a deviation from the usual space fare they would have to endure during their outing. Well, as tourists and billionaires flock to space travel, trivial and irrelevant details such as these will continue to be publicised. And their packed lunch, ex-convict girlfriend, or sexual longing will take precedence over possible findings and contributions to advance mankind’s survival.
Simonyi is a Hungarian computer software tycoon who helped to develop Microsoft. The tourist ticket aboard the Soyuz space mission cost £13 million. Looks like space travel is the latest craze for computer nerds and billionaire tycoons. The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, has also expressed interest in venturing into space. Outer space has become the playground of the rich and famous because the Earth poses few challenges for them.