I remember about 15 years ago when I first heard about amateur radio.

I remember being amazed by the fact that these large HF beams were capable of crossing the oceans reaching remote lands all over the globe.

It was before the Internet / mass Wireless communication era, and Amateur Radios easily captured the attention of anybody.

Nowdays the situation is quite different.

When I invite friends at home I find it difficult to explain why we do have such huge antennas and expensive equipment. They simply cannot understand the reason of talking on 20 meters instead of talking over the Internet.

Even after my attempts of letting them understand that we are technicians and not chatters, the technical aspect of classic amateur radio seems to have lost most of its appeal.

Fortunately things are different when we talk about space. Enthusiasm seems to be like during the early 90's when people ask me: "did you really talk with the Astronauts in space?!?", or better "how is that possible?". They even make me smile when they state: "I think you should work for NASA!".

Once a journalist heard about me and did not believe what I was doing so he came to my station to assist a live QSO with Valeri Korzun (#22). After that he was so impressed that he put me twice on the first page of a regional newspaper.

When space is involved, amateur radio is again considered what it really is: an amazing, interesting, smart, technological hobby.

In my humble opinion associations around the world should push more and more on space when they advertize our hobby trying to recruit new hams.

Dont you agree?