I'm rather nervous about this trip - it should have already happened. But NASA kept changing their schedule, and then they even added an extra mission. The space shuttle program that was meant to end over a year ago kept hanging on for dear life.
This time though, they sound like they're serious. Its really the end.
So I've booked my ticket and got a rough itinerary, hopefully leaving enough padding just in case Houston has some last minute problem. With all my fingers crossed, I'm hoping I'll get to see them light that very last candle.
My travel agent convinced me that it would be almost as cheap if I were to return via Europe, and when he suggested that final leg could include a stop in Johannesburg I knew this was turning into something more than simple space tourism. Its almost as if I'm attempting my own little orbit, albeit at a more Vernian velocity.
The prospect of such a voyage sounds terribly exciting and adventurous, but on the eve of my departure I'm actually feeling slightly anxious. Things haven't exactly gone according to plan this time. Firstly there was the ash cloud which has delayed my departure by two days. Although this gave the project a rather more poetic title ("Around the World in Seventy-Two Days" doesn't have quite the same ring), it means I have two less days to cover the 3500km between Seattle (where I will visit family friends) and Orlando (where the shuttle lifts off on July 8th). I had hoped I would be able to traverse this large expanse at my leisure with the help of an Amtrak rail pass, but after several late night, trans-pacific telephone calls I have discovered that all the trains covering these routes are already booked - another reason to be edgy. Of course I could always try reserving a flight between the two coasts, but I'm worried that with the amount of travelling I have planned afterward (including Europe and beyond), the cost of such a flight could have serious implications for my already strained and modest budget.
But enough of worrying and doubting: god-willing (and ash-cloud permitting) I'm going to be crossing the entire pacific ocean tomorrow! In just 14 hours I'll traverse over 12000km - even without the hazy prospect of a possible shuttle launch at the other end, this is an exciting concept in itself. Its time to stop fretting about how I'm going to travel in a far-off country, or where I'm going to stay in cities I've never been to. I have my passport, I have Bill's letter and I've emailed Jonathan Harris. Its time to try and make good on some old promises.
