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Great Hera!

J.K. Rowling Was Given the Chance to Travel Into Space… and She Turned It Down

by Rebecca Pahle | 2:45 pm, October 1st, 2012


I can’t decide whether this makes her more or less amazing. Given the opportunity to travel into space, J.K. Rowling turned it down.

The author related the invitation—and her snub thereof—to a group of fans at an event in London following the release of her most recent book, The Casual Vacancy.

Said Rowling:

“I was offered a seat. For a mere £2 million I could have been on the shuttle, but I turned it down.”

As Website Citizens in Space notes, it’s unclear who it was that extended the invitation, as NASA doesn’t exactly let civilians tag along on its flights. The Independent, which first reported the quote, mentioned Richard Branson‘s commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic in the story, but it wasn’t specified whether the offer came from them. (For one thing, Virgin Galactic charges $200,000, not £2 million, for their two-hour flights… though, honestly, Rowling is so rich I would hardly be surprised if she misremembered a decimal place or two.)

What do you think of Rowling’s decision? If you were offered a chance to go into space for £2 million, approximately $3.22 million, would you do it? If I were as rich as Rowling, I’d have to say I would—and I’d hazard a guess that most of our readers would feel the same. Still, I sort of see where she’s coming from in refusing. I assume there’s some sort of intensive training routine one most go though before jet-setting off into space—I’m not sure how much of one is involved with space tourism flights, but if you do, drop me a comment—and after writing The Casual Vacancy and and finishing up the endless press tour, I might want to do nothing but sleep, read, watch movies, and spend time with my family for a year or two.

(via: DigitalSpy)

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  • Anonymous

    It depends which reason she gave for turning it down. If she’s afraid of height, or closed space, or just going to space, that’s a pretty good reason.
    If she turned down the offer because she didn’t want to miss the premiere of Jersey Shore, that’s not as good.

  • http://www.commonplacebook.com electrasteph

    I would turn that down. Not that I’d get an offer; congenital heart defect would knock me out of the running. But I’d be way to scared to do that.

  • http://twitter.com/septembergrrl Elisabeth

    Nope, but I wouldn’t do it for $20 either. No interest.

  • http://twitter.com/XandraDust Alexis the Unicorn

    I would definitely turn them down. I just couldn’t. I’m jittery enough on planes. You put me on a shuttle and my brain will explode.

  • Anonymous

    It’s been a pie in the sky dream of mine to take my husband, father and father in law (all of us major sci fi geeks) up in space if I ever had that kind of money to spend.

  • Nick Gaston

    Hell, I’d still spend $3 million to go into space even if I knew I wouldn’t come back.

  • http://twitter.com/kittent barbara trumpinski-r

    Oh, hell yes I’d go…if I had her money and someone offered me the chance…even if I had to do nothing for a year or so but train…but I don’t condemn her for not going…it’s not for everyone.

  • Anonymous

    I’d go if I could.

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