Clowns and Water
On September 30, 2009, billionaire Cirque du Soleil owner Guy Laliberte blasted off aboard a Russian rocket and became the first clown in space. Laliberte has worn many hats in his career, including clown and fire eater. Now he can add astronaut to the list. He spent his time aboard the Russian space station, and paid approximately $35 million for the chance to live out his boyhood dream of space travel.
Only two other private citizens have been in space, both paying between $20 to $35 million each for the adventure.
Laliberte's other reason for traveling to the space station was to perform a poem from space on the Earth's water scarcity. He is the founder of One Drop Foundation, whose goal is to fight poverty around the world by providing widespread access to safe water.
Laliberte called the trip a success, adding it was an "effective marketing tool to put One Drop Foundation on the map."
Surely there was a better, less expensive "marketing tool" available to draw attention to the foundation and the need for clean water globally. Oh, let's say... donating $35 million to actually putting wells across the most needy of areas! A documentary could have been commissioned, using university students looking for something for their portfolios. Celebrities could have gotten involved, and the message could have been spread by telecast and the internet globally.
Being able to live out a childhood fantasy is wonderful, but there are children globally who will never have that luxury. For them, it's a daily struggle to survive, and fresh water is paramount to that survival.
How many simple Mennonite-style water pumps would $35 million buy? How many wells could be dug globally for $35 million?
If you took the total spent by three wealthy private citizens to travel to space and spent it here on earth, how many wells, food, and medicine would $75 million buy globally?
While it's commendable that Laliberte has formed his foundation to provide safe water to the world, and I don't doubt his sincerity in this cause, I can't help wondering where the sense is in wasting $35 million on a trip into space when that money could have been better spent actually bringing fresh water to the people who need it the most.
I would much rather be remember for having built wells across the most arid of places, providing clean water to people and improving their lives, than for being the first clown in space.
