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Aspiring Astronaut Gideon Gidori Invents a New Holiday: Star Day (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the it's-easier-to-make-a-wish-than-to-make-it-come-true dept.

Gideon wants to be an astronaut. You could even describe him as "space-obsessed." He wants to be the first astronaut from Tanzania. The only African to make it into space so far is Mark Shuttleworth, who is from South Africa. Can Gideon talk Elon Musk into launching from Tanzania, which is directly on the equator? How about bringing in other space buffs and entrepreneurs? Don't think this is a silly idea. Gideon is only 14, but he's a straight-A student at the Florida Air Academy, and before that was one of the top students at Shepherds Junior School in Arusha, which Mama Lucy Kamptoni originally financed by raising and selling chickens. Gideon's scholarships to Shepherds and later to Florida Air Academy have been financed in part by EpicChange.org, which is also helping him spread the word about Star Day (tomorrow; June 7), the holiday Gideon created, which is being celebrated all over the world even in this, its first year of existence. You can celebrate it, too. All you have to do, weather permitting, is sleep outdoors under the stars, and maybe make a wish or two. After all, wishing (and a lot of studying and hard work) have helped Gideon get to where he is today, and may yet help him become Tanzania's first astronaut.

46 comments

  1. Nope. by gfxguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Too many bugs.

    --
    Stupid sexy Flanders.
    1. Re:Nope. by Roblimo · · Score: 1

      Mosquito netting.

    2. Re:Nope. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Make the kid watch Gravity. Maybe that will scare his space-obsession out of him.

  2. sure....why not? by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    every day needs a DAY.

    1. Re:sure....why not? by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      I propose today to be Fridayday. A day to celebrate Friday.

  3. Sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    June 7 is blame-google-for-not-being-patriotic-enough-with-their-doodle day.

  4. When one thinks of an African by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One does not think of some white dude from the Zud.

    1. Re:When one thinks of an African by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Yeah, totally, like, if MS is from Africa, why is he white?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re:When one thinks of an African by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Then one doesn't do much thinking at all. As a caucasian African I find your comment (or rather the attitude it represents) highly offensive.

    3. Re:When one thinks of an African by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I really hope you are joking

    4. Re: When one thinks of an African by flieghund · · Score: 1

      Many, many years ago, my Egyptian co-worker chastised me for lamenting the lack of "African-Americans" (I was young and foolish*) at my office. He rather pointedly noted that Egypt is located in Africa, and that as a Copt his ancestors had been Africans for a very long time.

      *Now married to a lovely Jamaican lady who rightly points out that she does not identify as "African-American" despite being Black. Apparently that's a Caribbean thing.

      --
      "I came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum. I'm all out of bubblegum." MSE USC APX AIA CSI CASp
  5. -1 Insensitive Clod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Once per earth year? You earthlings think your star and planet are superior to everyone else's....

    1. Re:-1 Insensitive Clod by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Once per earth year? You earthlings think your star and planet are superior to everyone else's....

      Yeah. Let's go to Kashyyyk and celebrate Life Day.
      Same thing, really. But without Boba Fett.

  6. So... by msauve · · Score: 1

    Did Hallmark have a hand in this? Do I have to send cards to all the stars? They're going to make a fortune!

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  7. SpaceX launch site in Tanzania? by Guspaz · · Score: 1

    Probably isn't going to happen. I won't say never, but the only time I could ever see SpaceX constructing a launch site that's outside of US territory is if they've both saturated the launch capacity of their American launch sites, and are also unable to secure the rights to any additional ones in the US with affordable deals.

    Yes, I'm aware that SpaceX has a defunct launch pad in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on Omelek Island, but that's leased by the US military, so it's effectively US territory.

  8. Apologies to Peter Quill by sjbe · · Score: 1

    "You might know me by another name... Star Day"

    Never mind...

  9. Did roblimo actually look at a map... by Nutria · · Score: 1

    before making such a silly suggestion?

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    1. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by Roblimo · · Score: 2

      You mean a launch position on the Equator with a large ocean to the East? In a low-cost country with good port facilities and airports? That *is* kind of silly

    2. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by Nutria · · Score: 1

      with a large ocean to the East?

      Yes, it is silly.

      Why? The US (where SpaceX "lives") is in the... West. On the other side of Africa.

      Tanzania (better yet, Kenya, and even better: Northern Australia -- Darwin, for example) would be a good place for an eastern hemisphere country -- China or Japan -- to launch their rockets.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    3. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they meant that Tanzania isn't directly on the equator like the submission says. It is close though.

    4. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by camperdave · · Score: 1

      An equatorial launch would be fairly costly for a trip to the ISS. You would have to do a 51 degree orbital plane shift in order to dock.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    5. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think the problem is less with Tanzania's latitude than ISS's inclination. ISS's inclination had to be accessible with launches from the US and Russia. Sadly, that inclination made it very useless as a jumping off point to anyplace in the solar system, including our Moon.

      However, launching from the equator is energetically favorable if you are trying to send something to someplace beyond low earth orbit, to a geostationary orbit for example. The earth's rotation gives you an eastward velocity of about 1000 miles per hour (1600 km/hr) which is delta-V that you do not need to pay for in fuel mass. Therefore you can put more payload mass into orbit or send a given payload higher.

    6. Re:Did roblimo actually look at a map... by camperdave · · Score: 1

      An equatorial orbit may not be of much help for Beyond Earth Orbit stuff anyways. The interesting stuff in the Solar System lies on the ecliptic, and the only time the ecliptic and the equator line up is twice a year at the solstices.

      Of course, launching from the equator at the proper inclination may get you more payload en route than a direct eastward launch from the latitude of the ecliptic.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  10. It Was Bound To Happen One Day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The laser shark just jumped.

  11. I wish he succeeds... by jaeztheangel · · Score: 1

    he deserves it. good kid.

    1. Re:I wish he succeeds... by Nutria · · Score: 1

      Why does he deserve it? Just because he's "good"?

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    2. Re:I wish he succeeds... by jaeztheangel · · Score: 1

      Why does he deserve it? Just because he's "good"?

      Good point.

      A person without a dream is a tragedy unfolding.

    3. Re:I wish he succeeds... by Nutria · · Score: 0

      A person without a dream is a tragedy unfolding.

      If that's what you think a tragedy is, then you've lived a waaaaaay too sheltered life.

      A person without a dream is mundane.

      But hell, maybe mundane people just have mundane dreams. If a guy is feeding his family and keeping a roof over their heads, then I see nothing wrong with his highest dream being to buy a little old house in an older suburb.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  12. Since when do we care about what some kid thinks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    The major problem for launching from the middle of nowhere is it's in the middle of nowhere.
    I understand he must have a giant ego and all, but why must a kids' stupid ideas appear here? I don't give a rats ass how many As he got in school, there are lots of people who got the same score and some of them, believe it or not, even made it past puberty. If it were a report from NASA stating "hey, launching from Tanzania would actually work because of this and that" then it'd be of some value, until then it's just some assholes hyping a kids' opinions to idiots.

  13. Africans can't build a spaceship... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    ... so why should this undeserving PASSENGER get to go to space?

    Why don't Africans set up their OWN space program? Because they haven't evolved sufficiently from apes to do so, that's why, and you all know it.
    Why can't these worthless parasites stop leeching off white people's inventions and accomplishments?

    Why is this even news? Because he's NON-WHITE, that's why.

    1. Re:Africans can't build a spaceship... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't the rocket technically a Chinese invention?

    2. Re:Africans can't build a spaceship... by Nutria · · Score: -1, Troll

      Isn't the rocket technically a Chinese invention?

      Which is more important: who invents "it", or who -- like the English, Germans & Americans -- makes it better, stronger faster?

      IOW, one culture invents it, and then does nothing with the idea except make noise on New Year's Day, and the other culture improves and improves and improves on it until they use it to reach the moon, and launch satellites on a regular basis.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    3. Re: Africans can't build a spaceship... by biscuts · · Score: 2

      get the fuck off /. this is for intelligent discussion, not bigoted horn tooting.

    4. Re: Africans can't build a spaceship... by Nutria · · Score: 0

      /. this is for intelligent discussion

      That's a joke, right?

      bigoted horn tooting

      Seeing as how my ancestors are mostly Spanish, Norwegian, French & Scots-Irish, there's not actually much bigoted horn tooting.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    5. Re: Africans can't build a spaceship... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you go back enough, your ancestors are African

    6. Re:Africans can't build a spaceship... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is more important: who invents "it", or who -- like the English, Germans & Americans -- makes it better, stronger faster?

      Took us long enough. For a very long time the best game in town was in the civilizations around the Mediterranean, India, and China. What was going on in England, Germany, and the Americas during that time? There were tiny tribal societies that eventually built great societies based upon the knowledge of their great predecessors in the Mediterranean, India, and China. Implying it's racial seems a little idiotic.

    7. Re:Africans can't build a spaceship... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget the Russians.

    8. Re: Africans can't build a spaceship... by biscuts · · Score: 1

      I don't care how many races brought your sorry ass into this world, it's you who's spreading your WASP ideas, and honestly, if you've got so many non-white races in your heritage, you're being a disgrace to them as well.

    9. Re: Africans can't build a spaceship... by Nutria · · Score: 1

      What -- specifically -- "WASP" idea am I spreading?

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  14. Directly on the equator by rossdee · · Score: 1

    That would make Tanzania a good place to build a skyhook/orbital tower

    1. Re:Directly on the equator by Roblimo · · Score: 1

      And they have Mt. Kilimanjaro, too.

    2. Re:Directly on the equator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh yes yes, of course, that's totally gonna happen, the demand for a harsh deadly vacuum is so overwhelming.

  15. Jebediah Kerman by spiritplumber · · Score: 1

    approves.

    --
    Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
  16. Oh good grief by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who cares... Just put the kid on a plane and tell him that "space" is barely higher and show him this drawing:

    http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the...

    "a" is the practical value of "space", and "d" is the Moon.

    Get over it.

  17. Equator? Am I missing something? by tom_newton · · Score: 1

    At what point exactly does the equator run through Tanzania?
    Last time i was in East Africa it ran through Nanyuki, Kenya - many miles north of TZ.

    --
    Tom Newton
  18. Perhaps a gentle push by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One does not want to be too discouraging at this point in the young man's development. Therefore, of course Gideon can become an astronaut, why not? If he continues showing perseverance, capability and drive he has every chance.

    On the other hand I find the idea of Tanzania becoming a spaceport a little too implausible. They'd need deep-pocket partners and ones with a strong reason to invest. Perhaps as an emergency alternate landing location? That's one of the very few reasons I can think of to do this. Africa is just too far from any space-capable country otherwise. And there's enough political instability to scare partners away.