I grew up in the stars. We all did. We all came from heavy matter fused together in the incredibly hot, dense cores of previous generations of stars which exploded, spreading their viscera across the cosmos, only to later form a new sun, planets, and us.
As an astrophysics student, my whole life has been in pursuit of a dream to understand the vast cosmos that lies just beyond our atmosphere.
Space exploration is something beyond nations, race or religious belief. It has the power to end wars, and to inspire entire generations. Imagine a world where children grow up not fearing war or hatred. A world where anyone can travel to any part of our solar system at a whim. A world governed not by our greed, but instead our sense of wonder, our desire for progress and exploration.
Space brings out the most of our humanity, and it is without question that I throw away my life in pursuit of this world I dream of. Neil Armstrong took the first giant leap for mankind. Let me make the next one.
by Mathias Hudoba