You can take the next shuttle to the moon or planet Mars on NASA's dime. Would you jump for joy and suit-up, or would you cringe at the very thought of leaving this planet's atmosphere? I'm on the fence with this one. A part of me wants to see and experience outer space so badly, but another part of me is frightened. It's difficult to not associate death with outer space. After all, we've seen what can happen to those billion dollar space shuttles. I think for a lot of us, it's best to stick with a planetarium, current space video or DVD. This way we can get a glimpse of what our universe has to offer, but without any danger involved.

Millions of us watched as a civilian, school teacher, climbed into a shuttle headed for outer space. This was back in the 1980s, so I was in elementary school at the time. My teacher happily flipped on the television so that our entire class could view in amazement. Unfortunately our amazement was not related to viewing a successful take-off. Some aspect of the space shuttle was faulty and all went wrong. Lives were ended and hopes were shattered. It was undoubtingly a dismal day for NASA. However, there have also been plenty of successful journeys into outer space as well. You can catch the highlights on a contemporary space video or DVD at home. Teach your children what the folks at NASA have accomplished over the years.

Clearly there is more to becoming involved with NASA than watching a space video or two and feeling passionate about astronomy. If you're really into the stars and moons, I suggest you pursue a college degree in Astronomy or physics. Even better yet, most individuals with a passion for outer space will go the extra mile and acquire a PhD. This way you can become a professor, who teaches the wonders of astronomy, or possibly even acquire a position at NASA. That would be amazing! Imagine telling people you know that you work for NASA. Who can vie with that?