I've been struck, when meeting astronauts, how sharply the question "Have you been to space?" divides humanity into two groups. As yet, there are no casual space travellers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_travelers_by_name …
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Replying to @michael_nielsen
I think there have been many, right? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_participant …
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Replying to @cjbprime
I've met two of those people. It was far from casual, and not a distinction other people forgot. Like winning an Olympic gold medal, a Nobel Prize, or being a billionaire. (Perhaps moreso than some of those things.)
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Replying to @michael_nielsen
Ah, just definition of "casual" confusion, then. I've met Mark Shuttleworth -- casual in the sense that it was something that he did unrelated to his previous career, and hasn't touched again since as far as I know, and was for tourism reasons rather than professional ones.
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My point was that people are very, very aware of who has been to space and who has not. "Have you met the astronaut?" is something I've heard said in awed tones at meetings of 1000+ people (w/ 1 astronaut). Not at all like people who've flown (or have pilot licenses) versus not
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