Looking at this, you’d think my baby actually became an astronaut! (・∀・)
If “Kogame” really became an astronaut someday… I’d be beyond happy and proud, of course.
But man, the journey there? I bet it takes a fortune.
My first thought is always the money… Even if Kogame doesn’t end up being an astronaut, you never know when or where life’s big expenses will hit.
I’d better keep working hard to provide! (ノД`)・゜・。
“Regular” People as Astronauts?(In Japan)
I remember seeing somewhere that JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was recruiting astronauts from the “general public.”
But their definition of “regular” is on a whole different level.
I looked it up out of curiosity, and the ones who made the cut in 2023 were a something disaster management specialist? and a doctor.
“Regular people”… excuse me? (゜▽゜)
That’s definitely not the “regular” I had in mind! (lol
The something disaster specialist is already scheduled for a mission around 2027, and the doctor is currently in training.
Apparently, they even get paid during training—around 400,000 JPY(it’s above Japanese average but it’s really low if you think about the astronauts are really special) a month in their 30s.
For a doctor, they could probably earn way more staying on Earth…
I guess it’s not about the money.
It’s about the romance of space!
Personally, though? Space terrifies me.
If something goes wrong, there’s literally nowhere to run.
I feel the same way about submarines.
I’m happy just riding “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” at Tokyo Disney Sea.
At least with planes or ships, there’s hope.
Rockets and subs? Pure despair.
Horror > Romance.
I’ll stay on Earth, thanks!
The NASA Campaign
Anyway, while checking the news on my phone, I found a fun NASA campaign.
Apparently, you can “board” the upcoming Artemis II mission for free.
Well, your name can.
You enter your name and a PIN on the official site, and that data travels to the Moon on the rocket.
And you even get a boarding pass.
Sounds fishy, right? (lol
I love free stuff, but I wondered, “Is this some new scam to steal personal info?” (゜▽゜)
I’d never visited the NASA website before, so I had no idea if it was even the real one. (And also other any other space agency’s website)
I saw photos of smiling astronauts, but to me, they just looked like “faces I’ve never seen before.” I’m so bad at distinguishing faces from different cultures—if someone told me they were AI-generated, I’d probably believe them.
Their smiles even started looking suspicious to me.
In short, I couldn’t shake my distrust of “NASA” (lol
Sending Kogame’s Name to Space!
But curiosity won.
I found the page, and it only asked for a full name and a PIN.
I was still a bit nervous about data tracking, but I took the plunge.
In less than a minute, Kogame’s “boarding” was complete!
The boarding pass looks so cool!
I feel strangely happy.
NASA has done these campaigns before—it’s quite playful of them.
Part of me thinks, “Shouldn’t they just focus on the mission?” since it costs so much and lives are on the line.
But for us Earthlings who will likely never leave this planet, it’s a nice way to feel involved.
I’m basically stuck in an Armageddon mindset (lol), thinking every mission is a suicide mission.
But technical advances mean the mortality rate for astronauts is now around 3–4%.
By participating, I feel like I’m part of the mission.
It’s a great corporate? strategy to raise interest.
These campaigns inspire the next generation and help society grow.
Pretty impressive.
You can still make it to space!
The deadline was January 21st, but it seems they extended it due to a last-minute rush! As of today, it looks like they are still accepting names.
The launch is scheduled for February or later.
If you want to join this campaign click here
The astronauts for this mission have already entered pre-flight quarantine.
I never used to care about rocket launches unless it was bad news, but now that my sweet baby Kogame (her name, at least) is on board, I’ll be watching closely!
Since I’m “entrusting” my precious child to them, I had to check out the crew. I researched the commander and pilots thoroughly. Imagine if all the parents worldwide were judging the crew like this—what a heavy burden for them! (lol
There’s even the first Canadian astronaut on this crew.
He’s a father of three and reportedly values work-life balance.
If his wife calls him with a family emergency while he’s in space, would he say, “I’m coming home early!”? (゜▽゜)
As a mother, I think that’s a lovely sentiment, though I’m sure an astronaut’s wife is much more composed than I am.
I told my parents and friends about this, but they all reacted like I did at first: “Is that really NASA? Sounds fake.”
In the end, nobody else signed up, but apparently, over 3 million people worldwide have!
I hope the mission is a success and everyone returns home safely.
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