Space Goddess

I tried to think of a catchy title using words like “Wow!” or “Amazing” or “Incredible”. First of all those aren’t catchy words; in addition, they are overused; and third, they don’t adequately describe the exhiliration, the awe, and excitement I felt when I first saw Eve. Eve is very young and is the prodigy of Burt Rutan and Bob Morgan. She is sleek, sexy and a Virgin! Despite her youth she is already a mother. Immaculate conception? Hardly!

Who is Eve? Her full name is VMS Eve and she is Virgin Galactic’s new mothership! Introduced in late July to the press and to Astronauts who have already made a reservation to experience Space, Eve and I met on August 15th. As one of the 47 original Accredited Space Agents in the US and 1 of fewer than 100 ASA’s worldwide, Virgin Galactic flew us to Mojave, California to view firsthand the new mothership. By the way, Eve was named after Sir Richard Branson’s mother, Eve!

We landed at Scaled Composites and were greeted and hosted by Burt Rutan, winner of the Ansari X Prize in 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan. We met Bob Morgan, lead engineer for the project (who, as a young child, lived for a very short time in my home town, Highland Park, Il), several other important team members and Brian Binnie, test pilot, who flew Spaceship1 on her second flight to Space, securing the Ansari X Prize.

In addition to the excitement of watching history in the making, I was struck by the humility of all the team. When Burt, Bob, and Brian did Q & A with us, they talked in plain English. They stressed the team effort and how all participants are familiar with all phases of the design, build, and soon-to-happen testing. I was inspired by the lack of ego and the sense of true community.

I had my picture taken with Eve and as soon as I get it, I’ll post it here! Meanwhile, here are 2 photos—one from the initial rollout in July and one of all of the ASA’s on August 15th!

Friday, August 15th, marks a big day for me and several other ASA’s (Accredited Space Agents)! We will be flown to Mojave, California, to the home of Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites to view Virgin Galactic’s newly unveiled mothership, VMS Eve (named after Sir Richard Branson’s mother).

ASAs from around the world will gather for a morning of training in Las Vegas, followed by a charter flight to Mojave Spaceport/Airport and our first up close and personal inspection of this amazing aircraft, whose existence brings space tourism out of “Future” and into “Now!” It’s tangible, it’s real, and I’d be happy to help you reserve a seat on the Enterprise to visit our newest exotic destination, Space!

Tune in Tuesday, August 12th, at 10:00 AM to the Walt Bodine Show 89.3 FM, KCUR when I’ll discuss space tourism!!!

I just checked the website, www.kcur.org , and noticed that the topic for Tuesday’s show is “odd” jobs. Unusual, perhaps—cutting edge, most definitely—but, “odd”???? Maybe they are just describing me and not what I do—you think?

Okay, I have no excuse for not blogging since we returned from our safari! Well, actually, I have several excuses but none are valid (except for the one about waiting for the stars to be aligned with the orbit of Jupiter—that, my friends, is a very valid reason!).

I will try to upload a movie I made of our safari to Botswana and Zambia. It was our 5th safari in 9 years and we loved every minute of it! Thank you, thank you, thank you to our friends at Wilderness Safaris! We had an amazing adventure! To whet your appetite: we saw a buffalo tree a lioness, a hyena stalk one of Legadema’s cubs (Legadema, a leopard,  is the star of a National Geographic film that chronicled her life), and two starry-eyed humans celebrate their 10th anniversary with a private candlelight dinner a deux at Vumbura Plains (that would be yours truly and Michael, of course!)

Next post I’ll update you on White Knight 2, the mother ship for Spaceship 2. She’ll be unveiled in 2 weeks to the press and I’ll see her a month from today. That reminds me, have you reserved a seat on Virgin Galactic, yet? What are you waiting for? Trust me, the stars have definitely aligned with Jupiter!

To: The Official Arbiters of Campaign Attire

Please consider that patriotism is an action and that wearing patriotic colors does NOT imbue a person with patriotism.  A red tie, dress, or sweater will never convince me a person is dominant or powerful nor will wearing blue persuade me to believe a person supports peace, is intelligent, or is trustworthy. In fact, have you noticed that W favors pale blue ties?

Also, the lapel pin flag, the red or white or blue earrings, bracelets, scarves must go—-now! I supppose the pin could stay if candidates openly acknowledge where the pin was manufactured and how that relates to the person’s stance on illegal immigration (perhaps build a wall to prevent those little flag pins from fluttering into the USA), NAFTA, and the unparalled growth of China and India.

Wearing patriotic apparel won’t make me a patriot anymore than standing in a garage will make me a car! However, wearing a spacesuit might make you an astronuat if I help you reserve a seat on Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship2!!!!

On Friday, February 15th, I was driving on Tower Road in Winnetka, Illinois (on my way to visit my mom) and was listening to my voicemails. I came to a stop (well, sort of) at a Stop sign at a 3-way stop, proceeded up Tower Road, and turned Right on Hibbard Road. As I turned I noticed a Winnetka Police car behind me. The cars lights started flashing and I pulled over to the side of the road. “Oh no, what did I do? Right! Now I remember—Winnetka has a no cell phone rule!”

As the driver’s side window lowered, I heard, “Excuse me, ma’am (not so Southern and friendly sounding—more tough-guy Chicago style), you didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign at Tower and Vernon. May I have your license and insurance,  please?”

“This is a rental car. I’m from Kansas. Here’s my license.” I handed it to him and then also added my rental car contract.

“Do you have a good driving record, ma’am (still the tough Chicago sounding “ma’am”)? If so, I’ll just give you a warning.”

“I have a clean driving record, Officer.”

Let’s pause here—Cliff’s notes of the past few blog entries will bring you up-to-speed: July, 2006 I received a speeding ticket in Kansas City, Kansas, where they allow people to plead down to a non-moving violation when they show up on a specific court date; I forgot to show up; the State of Kansas reminded me of the missed court date by suspending my driver’s license; my trusty attorney talked to the powers that be in KC, KS, and I was allowed to still change from speeding to jaywalking and the State of Kansas lifted my suspension; or, so I thought…

Back to Feb. 15: As the policeman processed my license, I patiently waited and worked a Sudoku puzzle. When I looked up I noticed the policeman was talking to another policeman in a second police car. “I sure wish they’d visit on their own time!” I thought. “Maybe I’ll give them the ‘North Shore entitlement  glare’! That might get him moving!”

Window on its way down, I heard, “Please step out of the car, ma’am (was this a more menacing “ma’am” or was I just imagining it?). You are driving on a suspended license. I cannot allow you to drive in the State of Illinois until you have a valid license. I could take you to jail; however, I will move your car to a side street and you will have to arrange to have it picked up. Should you be caught driving, I promise you that you will go to jail!”

“My license is not suspended!” I protested.

“Ma,am,” a new and more menacing voice said, “When we punched in your license number, Kansas responded it is suspended.” The new voice was attached to a taller, older cop who apparently arrived to help control this potentially unruly Kansan. “We could take you to jail, but we won’t. The officer will issue you a warning and you can call for someone to pick you up.”

As I fumbled for my phone, the officer softened, “Where are you on your way to?”

“My mom’s at the Mews.”

“Okay, put your phone away. I’ll take you there. Please get in the back seat of the car and be careful because the seat is firm.”

So, began my odyssey of experiencing a ride in the back seat of a police car. By the way, the back seat is, indeed, “firm!” It’s made of molded plastic—definitely practical but oh-so-NOT Winnetka! Arriving at my mom’s, I exited the comfy back seat, turned to the cop and said, “This is probably not the best time to ask you this, but would you like to experience a voyage into Outer Space? I am an Accredited Space Agent for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. Would you like me to send you some literature about Virgin Galactic?”

Below is a press release from Virgin Galactic:

VIRGIN GALACTIC HERALDS ‘THE YEAR OF THE SPACESHIP’ WITH THE UNVEILING OF THE DESIGNS OF SPACESHIPTWO AND WHITE KNIGHT TWO

…if you live near New York City, that is! Watch for the big announcement on

JANUARY 23, 2008!

Virgin Galactic will unveil….

Given: your friends and relatives have a difficult time choosing gifts for you

Thus: they resort to the unique, odd or totally weird (a bobble-head of Celine Dion, the DVD set of all the Lawrence Welk TV shows, or that cutesy plaid sweater studded with sequined Christmas trees in one size fits none)

Therefore: you must decide whether to A) keep it and be sure to have it on display when the person visits; B) throw it out (don’t be so wasteful!); C) Donate it to a local charity; or D) Allow Great Getaways to return it for you and give you the cash—-to apply toward:

Your reservation for a Virgin Galactic suborbital space flight!

Dear Earth 

I have spent far too many days, months, and years being selfish and thoughtless. I have loved exploring this planet and now I have the opportunity to help people see you in a whole new way—from space! One of my hoped for outcomes of space travel is an increased awareness of you, our precious Earth. People will be able to see that fragile,thin blue line, our atmosphere, the only thing protecting us and keeping us alive. Maybe that visual awareness will make a difference in how we treat you.

I have littered, consumed, and self-pampered beyond reasonable limits. Did I believe that what we do in the name of consumer excess to destroy you is not my problem? I don’t think I ever consciously gave you much thought. That perhaps, is the most glaring example of “not my problem.” Sure I’ve bragged about some of your wonders—the moon sparkling on the Pacific Ocean in the Galapagos, the amazing precision and longevity of Macchu Pichu, the vast Rift Valley in Kenya, Victoria Falls, the azure sea on the Amalfi coast, the red rock walls in Sedona. Yet, only recently have I taken action to pay attention to what I do to you and to change my behavior to what I can do for you. Have I cruised on ships that have, in the past, dumped their garbage? Have I demanded fresh towels and linens at hotels—just because I can? Have I left the lights on in my hotel room because, after all, I’m not paying the light bill? Guilty on all counts.

One important step I’ve taken is to have our company, Great Getaways, join Sustainable Travel International http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/.  As a business, we are recycling more, using less paper, and we are educating you, our fellow travelers, on how to lessen the footprint we leave when we travel. We encourage purchasing carbon offsets and we support green travel.

We do not own the Earth; we are its caretakers. The actions I take today will not by themselves change the world; think, though, the power of all of us can, drop by drop, create a sea of change. Will you join me? Please post your ideas to help the greening of our planet.

Not my problem? Read below:

A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap! Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse warned, “There is a mouse trap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house!” The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it!”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house!”

“I am so sorry, Mr, Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap; am I in grave danger? Duh!”

So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer’s mouse trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she didn’t see that it was a venonous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife and the farmer rushed her to the hospital.

She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife’s illness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; in fact she died and so many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think that it doesn’t concern you, remember that when even the least of us is treatened, we are all at risk.