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Millionaire computer game designer blasts off to space
I know the credit crisis seems to be fueling fear by the day, but enough to send a millionaire looking to escape to space? Well, that's just what 47-year-old Richard Garriott has done, blasting off in Kazakhstan this weekend, along with another American and a Russian, bound for the international space station.
OK., Garriott's space adventure has nothing to do with the credit crisis.
Still, it's an interesting image: The wealthy tycoon spending a reported $30 million to fly to space during the worst financial crisis of the last 20 years, if not since the Great Depression. A lot of people are worrying about their fortunes, large and small, and savings, large and small. Here's one guy who clearly isn't.
Call me grumpy on this fine Sunday, but I wonder whether something like this sits well among ordinary Americans who have the perception that we're in the mess we're in these days because of corporate extravagance, or put another way, over extravagance by the wealthy. (Of course, it's not even close to being that simple, but it's still the perception of a great many people.)
Whatever. Garriott's living a dream he's had since he was a kid. His father was an astronaut who went to space in 1973, and Garriott had hoped to follow suit, only to have NASA tell him his eyesight was too poor.
Garriott made his fortune designing computer fantasy games.
He'll reach the space station on Tuesday, and return to Earth on Oct. 24. While up there, he'll be conducting "experiments." About what, I have no idea. He'll also be snapping some pictures of Earth to see what has changed since his father took pictures in orbit 35 years ago.
Filed under: News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shawn Oct 12th 2008 12:51PM
Anyone who has succeeded honestly in a capitalist free market society can do whatever they want with their money. Good for him. It doesn't seem accurate at all to resent the successful because the economy is messed up. Now the inept government and ethically lacking wall street folks, that's another story...
It's a neat little story that he is fulfilling his dream after all. Against all odds and that sort of thing.
kara Oct 20th 2008 8:49PM
Do find it interesting that while everyone else is counting their pennies millionaire financiers are rocketing into space. What message is that sending to the rest of us? Although, interesting travel experience for the rich and...rich
Baron Oct 13th 2008 11:23AM
We need people like him, those willing to spend major amounts of money, if we want to get space travel to a reasonable price for the rest of us (one day!). That aside, perception is a dangerous thing... It is the family making 50k a year that wants to live in a 300k house and drive 40 or 50k cars and does it on a loan they can never afford that messed us up the most. I wish that the candidates wouldn't be so PC and say that we, the American people, were tricked by sneaky lenders and instead they would say that there is a good 10 to 20% (at least) of us that are plain idiots that can't read a contract.
Anyway, I hate to get on my soapbox on a travel site. I like when I can come here (or to Slashfood, Autoblog, etc and read stuff w/o thinking about politics at all). I just felt like going off a bit.
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