The details are now hazy, but one thing that stuck in my mind was that within a few years I could be relaxing on one of the moons of Jupiter while robots did all the chores. Knowing that was a big comfort when my parents made me do the washing up. But it wasn't just my laziness talking. The thought of exploring a new frontier really lit a fire inside me. It spoke to something deep down -- something primal.
A few years later on I got into Star Trek: The Next Generation. Again I saw a vision of the future, a future that I wanted so badly to happen. I would daydream for hours about transporters, replicators, androids and the awesome power of being able to speak to anyone by tapping a badge on my chest. But what really stoked my fire was exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations, and boldly going where no-one had gone before.
Years passed. Eventually I ended up in China (I suppose due to that "exploring the frontiers" mentality) and working in real estate. By now that fire that burned in my youth was just a smoldering heap of ash. I'd seen too many promises broken. Flying cars were too dangerous. The only jetpack I ever saw was in a James Bond movie. And guzzling down pills for food was just impractical. Besides, there was real life to get on with: Finding a job, climbing the career ladder, getting married, thinking of kids. Who had time to think about those broken promises of the future?
While the embers of that fire still had heat, I had long extinguished all hope of actually doing something about getting myself, or anyone else, into space. By then it was just a pipe dream. Come on, if the governments of the world hadn't been able to get anyone else to the moon since 1972, what hope was there for the rest of us?
To be continued...
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