The Inbetweeners

Before we get into the topic of the day, I can't believe I'm going to make it. It was touch and go there for a while. But holy shit, I can't believe I made it. 

When you think of space travel you don't think of Africa. But you should. In the 1960s, the Soviets and Americans weren’t the only ones trying to get to space. The Zambians were right alongside them, led by a man named Edward Mukuka Nkoloso. Nkoloso was a grade-school science teacher and director of Zambia’s National Academy of Space Research and Philosophy whose goals were very simple: to send a man, woman and, eventually cat, into space. There was one problem with his plan, however; there was no way it would work. In fact, the plan was so patently absurd, that many have wondered if the Zambian Space Agency was an exercise in satire, at best, or a demonstration of unbridled optimism untethered to reality, at worst.  The Programme: A clear example of the absurdity of the plan is the event that inspired Nkoloso to accept the directorship of Zambia’s Space Agency. Nkoloso was inspired by this first aeroplane flight. Whilst soaring through the air, Nkoloso desired to walk amongst the ...