The idea would be preposterous unless you had the fortune of being one of the crewmembers onboard a space shuttle, which can actually go around the World in about sixty minutes as it travels in low Earth orbit at speeds ranging from 18,000 to 26,000 miles per hour. But aside from the unique experience of space travel in itself and the incredible views of Earth from space, what would be the point of doing such a thing? My friend, colleague, and mentor Jack Jacquet used to tell me that most Americans like Las Vegas because it allows them to see the “World” without having to exert much effort to do it. Jack, as a quintessential French national who has traveled the World extensively and lived in the Southwestern US for a while, used to make fun
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