User talk:Darren birkby

Touronaut
If and only if, you can get touronaut to stick for a week, then you may come here and create the title as a redirect to spaceflight participant. At present it is just an hopeless neologism. &mdash; RHaworth (Talk | contribs) 22:37, 27 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I spoke with several parties asking if touronaut was the correct word to be used to describe a space tourist. Collins dictionary told me they were monitoring the word and were thinking of placing the word in their dictionary. They said a new word required a certain amount of citations from various places to be cosidered a new word. Over time this will take place and there are a few thousand hits on google already.


 * Jamie Sloan of the National Space Centre sent me the following email -


 * "The word ‘Touronaut’ is a new word invented by the media to describe space tourists. It is word we hear often but not yet used by any space authorities, but then again neither is ‘space tourist’. The term ‘astronaut’ is generally reserved for professional space travellers and both NASA and Russian Federal Space Agency use the term ‘spaceflight participant’ to refer to any other person aboard a space flight. Many space flight participants dislike the term space tourist. This is because it can detract from the intensive 6 month training they must undergo and their role on the mission. For example, millionaire games designer Richard Garriott spent 12 days in space during October 2008, joining a crew change mission to the International Space Station. Whilst aboard he performed an educational role by completing simple experiments. However, when space travel hits general tourism i think the word will become more common place."


 * I think Touronaut deserves a place on Wikipedia. Lets give this new word a helpful landing in the dictionary. In 20 years from now there will be more tourists been to space than all the astronauts in the whole of space travel. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Darren birkby (talk • contribs)

Do you understand the difference between an encyclopedia and a dictionary? You clearly did not read my message above. Why have you not created touronaut? &mdash; RHaworth (Talk | contribs) 04:58, 28 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Ok Roger, a misunderstanding. I am new to Wikipedia so will read up later and do as you asked. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.154.90.32 (talk) 10:02, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Read the first sentence above very slowly and carefully. Why did you bother to e-mail me? &mdash; RHaworth (Talk | contribs) 13:01, 24 February 2009 (UTC) I understand now but wouldnt know how to go about the redirection. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.242.93.124 (talk) 15:54, 25 February 2009 (UTC)