“Isaacman had undertaken the flight to raise awareness and funds for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a paediatric cancer centre in Memphis, Tennessee” (“SpaceX’s space tourism flight marks a new beginning,” Sept.19, Gulf Today).

This is unusual. How much funds can be raised through spending US $200 million?

This is exactly what happened when the Spacex flight took 4 civilians to space. Would it not have been wiser to donate all that money to charity instead of using that money go to space and dub it as raising awareness?

The logic is twisted. I guess Isaacman meant that he wants to raise awareness about how rich he is and that he can afford the space tickets of not just himself but of 3 others as well.

It makes me shudder to think of how all that money could be spent —water, hunger, malnutrition or research for cures. But it is frivolously spent for a joyride to space. Besides the thrilling experience which is fleeting and intangible, it is basically money that disappeared in space.

However, if used to save lives, the results can be seen and are priceless. Saving lives is the best thing one can do. Therefore the rich should be taxed. So that they don’t waste money but instead the taxes can be used for the betterment of the world. Instead of sucking taxes from the toiling middle class people, governments should put a cap on the amount of wealth a person can amass.

But of course we are talking quixotic things in a capitalist world.

Joyce D — By email