Every kid who has ever lived has wondered what it would be like if they could travel to the Moon. Originally I assume they would have imagined it as a giant white disc that one could fall off of if you got too close to the precarious edge. Now we know that the experience is much more tangible and that it would involve the wearing of spacesuits and jumping and floating around in very low gravity. Did your parents used to tell you that there was a ‘Man in the Moon', or that really the Moon was made of cheese? We've come to a new time and place in human history, and now you can travel into ‘outer space' and to the Moon in more ways than one.



First of all you've got to sit down at your computer and type in http://moon.google.com/ into your search engine (most probably Google as it has been deemed as the ‘coolest' by the pros and the kids alike). Now check it out. Just like http://earth.google.com/ you can traverse along the Moon's surface searching out all the craters and bumps. You can zoom in and out so you can get the Moonbird's perspective down to the Moonworm. This is the real thing people. It even points out where the different Apollo missions landed. If you zoom in all the way you may even discover that the Moon's surface is composed of a different material than you thought previously!

The second new way you can travel outside of earth's atmosphere is even more spectacular. Well actually, it's incredible. The only problem is that since it is such a new technology, the only people that can take advantage of the opportunity are the super-rich. Check out http://www.virgingalactic . This new venture from hip, cool billionaire Richard Branson is one of many that new companies are investing in the area of private commercial space travel (as opposed to government-controlled like NASA). Currently Branson's company is already taking money for the flights that travel into sub-orbit; you can deposit $20,000 towards the current price of $200,000. Eventually they believe that it will become much more affordable so that everyday people also get an opportunity to see the continents from above.

Click on the category entitled ‘What will it be like?' The way they describe the experience is beautiful. They believe that this is just the first step in a long line of space travel experiences by humanity. Next will be the Moon, and then onwards out into the deeper reaches of ‘Space'. Read about the technology behind this new spacecraft on the link ‘How is this possible?' This is truly science –fiction that has once again come to fruition in reality, and isn't that always the way? The first trips are scheduled for 2010; better save up your pennies.