What’s your dream job?

That’s an easy question. I always yearned of being an astronaut. For me, it’s the world’s coolest job. You get to explore new frontiers. You mobilise cutting-edge technology. You walk in outer space. You get to see the world as so few have. Some astronauts are humanity’s biggest heroes. Who hasn’t heard of Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin? Even if you’re living under a rock, it’s hard not to know them. By the way, the film American Dreamz inspired this post’s title. Its tagline was ‘Dreamz with a z’.

Novel Profession

Flying or spacewalking are very novel activities. There are many accountants, doctors, and educators. However, being an airman or spaceman is an apex profession. These occupations form the upper .1 percent, just like Maverick (Tom Cruise) in Top Gun (1986). Bar teachers or nurses, no other job could boast of having so many lives under your care. Every time there’s an averted disaster, the pilot and crew are lauded for their efforts. See also: the recent plane disaster in Japan. Additional viewing: Scully (2016) or Flight (2012).

Being an astronaut involves decades of challenging training. You have to be really diligent and patient. All spacemen do not start off in the galaxy. They first have to be a pilot and log hundreds of hours, if not thousands. Thus, you must be a physics whiz. Just looking at the flight controls could combobulate any unsuspecting human.

Air travel is seen as quite safe compared to road travel. However, there have been a few space disasters. No one will forget the Challenger tragedy in 1986, where, a few minutes after takeoff, all seven astronauts lost their lives. A school teacher was among the casualties. A similar conclusion took place in 2003.

In Film

Owing to its originality, space travel has been dissected extensively in the media. The following are a few relevant flicks that I’ve seen at the movies. Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity (2013) depicts Sandra Bullock stranded. She seeks help from her colleague (George Clooney), but ultimately has to figure out things on her own. Ridley Scott’s comedy, The Martian (2015), is based on Andy Weir’s novel. It involves a botanist (Matt Damon) who has to subsist in the arid Martian landscape for a year. ‘Help is 140 million miles away’.

Upon finishing the blockbuster, my friend told me that he was disappointed. Given the title, he was expecting to see aliens.

Finally, Interstellar (2014) explores a father-daughter relationship. The former searches for new homes for humanity. The movie deconstructs our notion of purgatory. It had an all star cast, with Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain in leading roles. Matt Damon makes a brief appearance.

Astronomer

I told Victor, my high school classmate, that I wanted to be an astronaut. He smiled and admitted that he had the same dream. He did aver that ‘It’s a very onerous profession’. I agree. Not only do you need perfect vision and be a genius, but, as a pilot, you would expect to work graveyard shifts. Hence, he wanted to be an astronomer instead. Even this turned out to be a pipe dream. Since he had a good hand, he studied animation at uni.

Maritime Life

I’ve had another peer who opted to be a seaman. He’s travelled the world and visited exotic ports. However, he is always away from his small family. Being in these professions may give you satisfaction and good returns. No doubt, exploring new places will give anyone great joy. However, this will oft entail a lonely journey. With each sojourn, your family and friends will be farther away.

Innovators

These days, you don’t even need to put in the hours to step foot in outer space. If you’ve got a quarter million handy, then that can be your ticket to the galaxy. Guys like Richard Branson and Elon Musk have democratised space travel. They have made it more affordable to the common man. My astronaut dreams would seem relatively tame as opposed to Musk’s. The latter firmly believes that reaching and inhabiting Mars is only a matter of time.

He has already revolutionised the space industry. Before, NASA was unable to reuse rockets. However, with time and practice, Musk has achieved the improbable. By recycling rockets, he has also made travel more sustainable and cost-effective.

Two-thirds

The Space Race and the Cold War are long over. Recent tensions in Ukraine may contradict this. However, the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall, and the Iron Curtain are all part of history. Communism and socialism are largely things of the past. While James Bond is still finding an audience, Rocky is now on its spin-off. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dolph Lundgren are also unlikely to invade your TV screens. Unless, of course, it’s replays of their eighties hits. Instead, we have the ISS (International Space Station). This is a collaboration between various space agencies.

In senior year, we had this exercise. You would achieve three things at twenty-three. Your seat mate would then read this aloud.

‘He was a cager, pilot, and writer at age twenty-three’.

As it turned out, I batted two out of three. I am a writer and I played basketball. However, I did not wind up as an airman. Speaking of ‘ringless’ shooting, being an astronaut is like suiting up in the NBA. The training is so rigid and the spots are so few. As per above, only the finest would make it through. If you’re an astronaut, you join a very exclusive club. You’re better than Everest conquerors or round the world sailors. No doubt, it’s a lofty dream. Whether or not you attain this goal, ambitions are important. They sustain us and make us hungry for more.