I wouldn’t consider myself a great poet, far from it, but I would argue the case that poetry (and many of the other arts) have a rightful place in the future of space exploration. Life in space is not only about engineering solutions or medical data. Indeed, many astronauts onboard the ISS have found a need to reflect on and share their experiences, giving us a glimpse of space through human feelings and humour, more specifically through poetry.
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden published Hello Earth: Greetings from Endeavour in 1974, a collection of poems about his experiences as an astronaut and the feelings of joy and solitude that being in space provoked. Decades later in 2012, Don Pettit shared his own reflections while on the ISS in a short poem entitled Space Is My Mistress. These examples show that astronauts often look beyond scientific reporting, choosing poetry as a way to express moments that are difficult to put into ordinary words.

​Artistic work, including poetry, helps connect the public with space exploration. Scientific papers and technical reports can feel distant, but a poem sparks curiosity and imagination in new audiences. Some projects have even included artists directly in space-related activities, such as analog missions and exhibitions that mix art with science. These efforts highlight that exploration is not only about technology and survival, but also about culture and community. In the long run, creative expression will be an important part of how people adapt to life away from Earth.

​In honour of this blog, I thought I would write a few lines of poetry about spending time on the ISS, though let me remind you I warned in my first sentence that I am far from being a good poet – so bear with me! Here in the UK, I’m of an age that remembers an ITV television talent programme called Opportunity Knocks, decades before Simon Cowell and Britain’s Got Talent appeared on the scene. It was the mid-1970s and onto the stage walked a homely young lady called Pam Ayres, who in a little more than two minutes recited a humorous poem called ‘The Embarrassing Experience With A Parrot’. The audience loved her, I loved her, and my older brother Chris spent the following years of his life reciting Pam Ayres poems as his party trick to impress his friends! Considering all this, and remembering my brother who is no longer with us, I created a short light-hearted ode in the style of Pam Ayres, called Six Months Aloft.

​As we plan for longer missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, it becomes clear that astronauts will need more than machines and medicine to thrive. They will also need ways to express themselves and to stay connected with their own humanity. Poetry, along with other forms of art, helps bring meaning to the experience of living in space. Whether serious or humorous, it reminds us that exploration is not only about survival, but also about creativity, culture, and simply being human.

The General Practitioner (GP) medical professional has undoubtedly played a major role in providing a plethora of care packages and programmes for individuals seeking to travel; from immunisations and vaccinations to advice and even guidance for mothers in the late gestational stage. The advent of jet flight allowed the masses to venture to destinations that only aristocracy could once afford, which in turn generated a greater need for primary healthcare management. The GP is therefore the point of access to these healthcare packages and consequently plays a pivotal role in enabling tourists to travel safely. This responsibility is deeply intertwined with the historic increase in accessibility to affordable flight. 

The first British commercial jetliner was the de Havilland Comet in 1949. This aircraft enabled more people to travel further, as well as reducing the price of tickets substantially. The GP during this age would have played an important role in ensuring that passengers were fit to fly, by managing their pre-flight healthcare requirements. 

​The Boeing 707 soon joined the aviation world in 1957 and dramatically changed the way we travelled; it opened flight corridors that were once untenable, and consequently, accessed a greater consumer market - the working classes. In 1969, Boeing unveiled the revolutionary 747, coined the “Jumbo Jet” due to its sheer size, which resulted in greater passenger capacity and far more affordable tickets.
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With such quantum leaps forward in jet aviation, by the mid-70s the British GP was providing care and advice to thousands of travellers from all walks of life, different backgrounds and with all manner of pre-existing health conditions. The workload of the GP thus became much more diverse and they gained great responsibility in permitting the public to exercise their freedom to travel safely.

Just as jet flight was once an exclusive mode of transport for those from higher socio-economic backgrounds, spaceflight has now emerged onto the world market with exclusive and expensive tickets to fly. Undoubtedly, spaceflight will become more affordable in the coming years and decades, and as such will inevitably require a more established initial healthcare access point for travellers- a service that GPs could provide. As space tourism flights become more accessible through lower prices and increased provision, the remit of travel healthcare provided by general practice could evolve in the near future to encompass spaceflight health clearance.
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