Defining the Goal

First of all, a big thank you to all who liked me or shared me on facebook, and who are following the blog.  Success of this will depend on this going viral, so keep up the good work!

Also, I have my first trade offer!  I'll be organizing the site so that the item(s) for trade will always be visible, but in the mean time, I have an offer to trade a red paperclip for a King George VI coronation cream jug.  Given the recent Royal Wedding, I'm hoping this item will be in demand.

I also thought that laying out some goals and guidelines would be a good idea.  My goal is really to get into space, or into the space technology area.  This can be one of the following:

1. The translunar voyage offered by Space Adventures (www.spaceadventures.com) starting in 2015.  Getting this would be the best possible outcome.  10 days on the space station followed by a trip around the moon.
2. The International Space Station (or any future space station) visit, currently only offered by Space Adventures.  Currently the only way to pay to get into space commercially.  I'd take this if it was offered to me.
3. Suborbital flight.  Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, are both offering this starting soon.  An order of magnitude cheaper than 1 or 2, and 10 minutes in space instead of 10 days, but it still counts.
4. A job in the Space Technology industry.  Currently, commercial space is undergoing a massive transformation thanks to companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and others.  A job with one of these companies is extremely difficult to get due to my Canadian Citizenship, but I would find a chance to participate in this revolution extremely fulfilling, and I think I would count it as a success.

To keep things moving along, I'll also be posting my views on space exploration in general.  I've been following space travel like a lovesick puppy since Columbia first launched in 1980, and I've formed a few opinions on the way.  Hopefully, posting these will encourage you to read and share.

Pics of the Antique Royal Creamer Jug as soon as I have them, and I plan to add a couple of other trading items as well, along a more space-oriented line.