Does anyone know an astronaut with a sense of humour?

I have a favour to ask. It’s definitely not serious and it requires a friendly astronaut with a sense of humour.

I should also explain Australian humour. We only insult our best friends. People we don’t know, we treat with respect. With that in mind, it won’t come as a surprise that I have a bit of a competition going with one of my closest friends. For some fifteen plus years, we have been politely insulting each other. Nothing rude – just the unexpected ‘You’re ugly’. It has been said or written in the most unexpected of ways i.e. a postcard from a complete stranger in another country or written in glow in the dark stars on the ceiling of the guest bedroom of my friend’s house (an effort on Tony’s part I have yet to top properly).

My best effort to date (thanks to a scientist I am a massive fan of) is to have Dr Brian Schmidt – 2011 Physics Nobel Prize winner sign the above photograph. He is a great guy with a fantastic sense of humour. My other effort was a postcard from David Malin – a world famous astro-photographer with similar words (Tony still has that many years later carefully framed on the study wall).

Given I have an interest in space travel, my thoughts have naturally turned to somehow working out how to have a similar photo held up aboard the International Space Station. I am hoping that through the connectivity of the Internet, I can track down someone who knows someone who knows an astronaut with a sense of humour! If you do, please share this post and get him/her to get in touch.

As an aside, I do have a backup plan. I have purchased the right to have a picture displayed on the back of the ARKYD Space Telescope to be launched by Planetary Resources through it’s Kickstarter page. Not as good I know. Still there will be no way Tony will be able to top that!