There are a lot of desperate people out there. With the deadline for astronaut applications fast approaching, Monday's post appears to have had quite an impact on the population of Europe. Here are some of the phrases people entered into Google to arrive at my blog yesterday...


Obviously the most desperate people are those searching for Nicky Keig-Shevlin. And as for Loli Fedun, don't even go there. But look at the web addresses on the left. I've had space cadets from Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Greece, all itching to know what astronauts get up to in their working day. This morning I had one from Chile, which isn't even in Europe. Though it's nearer than Australia, so Big Sis can't complain.

It's satisfying to know that, as we speak, would-be astronauts from all over the world are busy following my advice and typing 'FIGHTING ALIENS' onto their application forms. Intriguingly though, the exact question they're answering is this:

"In your opinion, what are the main tasks that should be performed by an astronaut?"

It's amazing how many people are searching the internet for their own opinion.