John Carter McKnight says that the space community needs a P. T. Barnum.

Among many other good bits of advice:

Know Your Product: Space tourism is no different from Barnum’s wax museums, giant elephants and General Tom Thumb. You’re not selling paraffin, big pachyderms and small men. You’re selling what Barnum would call “humbug,” or “ballyhoo.” You’re selling exotic experience. Bear in mind that this product is at the other end of the universe from the “space product” that NASA “sells:” they sell safe, routine government operations. Consider how few people pay to watch tax-legislation proofreading… and that about as many watch the feed from NASA TV. If you try to sell the NASA product, you won’t be in any business very long.

This is a message that I’ve been trying to get through peoples’ heads for more than a decade. The success or failure of Space Camps says nothing about the market for space tourism. We need to stop selling NASA, and start selling Space.