I remember the long, frustrating wait for the Space Shuttle program to take shape.

I remember the excitement of watching Enterprise touch down.

I remember watching Columbia lift off for the very first time.

I remember where I was on the morning of January 28, 1986.

I remember when they fixed the Hubble.

I remember where I was on the morning on February 1, 2003.

And now, these memories will soon be all I have. The era of the Space Shuttle will soon end, and the era of private spaceflight will be upon us. We've gone from moonshots being the lead story on the nightly news to tourists in space flying Virgin Galactic.

While I am all in favour of opening up space to as many people as possible, space exploration is losing its romance, its sense of adventure.

The man in me applauds the privatization of space. The little boy in me still wants it to be wonderful.