Space Travel For The Few?

Yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of the lunar landing, and amidst a marathong showing of the entire Tom Hanks' produced miniseries "From The Earth To The Moon" I came across a small piece of news mentioning that plans for space tourism had hit yet another snag. Personally, I am conflicted about the notion of space tourism, as childhood dreams makes it an exciting prospect, yet our legacy of exploitation and pollution as a result of travel is pretty shoddy.

However, what really struck me yesterday was the sense that astronauts, especially the early ones, represent tragic figures. I couldn't help but think of how lonely the astronauts must have felt upon their return to Earth. After having been through this incredible experience of going into outer space, who could they adequately share that experience with? When trying to describe it, all of the astronauts talk of the awe-inspiring nature of space. It's no wonder that many astronauts, like Alan Shepherd or John Glenn, try to get back into space, despite their advancing ages. They're probably haunted by those images, a unique kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome.