Something about this reminds me of The Simpsons. NASA has announced that it plans  to launch Tom Cruise into space in order to make a film up there. While they emphasise it won’t be a Mission: Impossible sequel, they hope it will boost interest in space exploration.  Jim Bridenstine of NASA tweeted  ”NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality.” Of course I’m all for the human exploration of space – boldly going where no man has gone before, and all that – but  why am I suddenly put in mind of the Simpsons episode where Homer gets sent into space just because NASA wants to boost its TV ratings?