Hungry Planet

In “2nd Tourist Blasts Off for Space Station,” your April 25 article on the first South African man in space, I could not help but think of the critical food shortages in his own and other southern African countries. While Mark Shuttleworth earned the money and is certainly entitled to use it as he sees fit, I cannot help but surmise that $20 million could have gone a long way toward feeding hungry children and perhaps toward supporting some of the small-scale farmers. Perhaps Shuttleworth’s perspective will change after his “ultimate vacation” in space, when he looks down on our planet and realizes it is a small world after all.

Dale E. La Casella

Altadena