Finding focus

If I could describe my elective at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in one word it would have to be “inspirational.” Walking into the biomedical office of Kennedy Space Centre, you are greeted by a large poster of the earth and in large letters a quote from the “father of astronautics,” Konstantin Tsiolkovsky- “The earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in the cradle for ever.”

Having just finished an intercalated BSc I was feeling a little disillusioned. Arriving in Florida was a breath of fresh air. I was with two American students and a resident with the Federal Aviation Administration. I could not have asked for a friendlier group of people to spend a month with, even if my English accent was the source of some amusement.