It seems that Nigeria has decided to drop their Nigerian Prince scam and make money in a legitimate way. Their latest venture? Space travel. The African country will be sending an astronaut into the great above by the year 2030. Surprisingly, it isn’t their first either.
NIGERIAN ASTRONAUT IS REAL
Nigeria has been the butt of many online jokes. From the constant barrage of Nigerian Princes creating email scams to a Facebook rumor claiming a Nigerian astronaut was lost in space, it seems the country just can’t catch a break. In 2030, Nigeria will be the ones laughing. The country’s science and technology minister said the country will join the legion of countries who have been to space. This includes India, China, Japan, Canada, Russia the U.S and 22 members from the ESA. This will be a huge move for Nigeria and Africa although technically, this won’t be the first time Nigeria sent someone to space.
NIGERIA SENT 17-YEAR-OLD INTO SPACE
In 2006, Nigeria sends a different kind of astronaut into space. This 17-year-old girl was enjoying her parabolic flight in that year so technically, she could be considered an astronaut. A parabolic flight is when a jet takes a fast dive that creates thirty seconds of weightlessness. Whether that actually counts is up for debate, but the Nigerians are proud of it. Should they even be proud of this latest announcement, though?
GOING ASTRAL ISN’T EVEN THAT HARD
There are some skeptics of this Nigerian astral travel. Many claim that it is an accomplishment blown way out of proportion. Is it even that hard for an astronaut to get up there? For one, a number of companies have “cheated” in the past by simply hitching a ride on some other country’s rocket and claiming credit for it. In that case, Nigeria could send a number of it;s brilliant and skilled members of the country to get a life to the ISS tomorrow if it was possible. That being said, Nigeria is aware of that. It’s not that they think getting up there is hard, but they want to do it themselves. Like a child who wants to ride their bike without training wheels, Nigeria wants to launch a ship with their very own, homegrown, naturally organic, non-GMO rocket. They will need a little help, though. China has promised to help the budding country train them for the launch.
