Earth or Bust: 60 Years of Space Tourism - July 2, 2007

It's hard to believe it's been only 60 years since aliens began visiting Earth in earnest.  From the humble beginnings of the tourist trade in Roswell, New Mexico, extraterrestrial tourism has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the largest parts of the American economy.  Granted, some of the visitors have been more troublesome than others, and some have been downright bossy, making demands that, frankly, we just weren't about to meet.  But for every Metaluna Mutant, Blob, or putty-headed E.T., there's been a Kreton, an ALF, or an X-Plam. While the government may have initially blamed the Roswell landing on a "weather balloon" (hah!) we can hardly fault them for their work in ultimately creating tourism bureaus and five-star accommodations for our visitors.  On this, the anniversary of the "event" in Roswell, we here at The Spark, for one, would like to welcome our new insect overlords. Suggested Sites... Roswell UFO Festival - celebrate the anniversary with like-minded individuals and skeptics. Roswell, NM - ground zero for human-alien encounters. GAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO Crash - read the General Accounting Office's "official" report on the 1947 Roswell incident. Wikipedia: Area 51 - home away from home for the alien set. MUFON - The Mutual UFO Network - scientifically studying UFOs for the benefit of humanity.