Hypothetical: You win a trip into space, or ...
 

Here's the scenario:

Your local dairy decides to sponsor a "Cow Jumped Over The Moon" contest, where first prize is a one-week trip to space. The winner will go to central Russia, board some massive Russian rocket along with a Bulgarian cosmonaut and an American mission control person, and will enjoy a one-week stay aboard the International Space Station. (I'm not sure how space travelers get back down these days, but that's a detail we can figure out later.)

You are one of 12 people who win a sweepstakes to go into the finals. You show up and compete against the other 11 in a decathlon of dairy-related contests. You do well in the cheese trivia and cow leaping contests, but struggle during the yogurt swim and bull riding.

You're in second place entering the final event, which butter eating. The first-place contestant, a charming young Bowdoin College coed, downs four sticks of butter, but with iron resolve you lay the hammer down and eat 5.5 sticks to take the win. She goes home with second prize, which is a year's supply of chocolate milk.

So you've won. The ISS trip is yours. But not everyone is excited about entering space. The Russians aren't into safety all that much, and it's a rough trip up, and space sickness happens, and if a 25-cent bolt fails you die gasping in absolute zero before your body falls into the sun.

So you have an option:

1. You can take the one-week trip to the ISS. All prize taxes and intermediate travel costs will be paid by the dairy.
2. You can take a one-time cash prize of $150,000, with all prize taxes paid by the dairy.

Which do you take?

Show me the money.

That one's a no-brainer. 150 grand isn't even that much money. If you multiplied that by a factor of 100 I'd have to think about it, but for just $150,000 send me up.

Easily the cash.

The money. Floating around in a space station doesn't interest me that much. Not unless it has warp speed and you can use it like Captain Kirk to cruise for chicks.

Wait....

Him? http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/portra...l/alexandr.jpg

or Her? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCybg125bC...ova-russia.jpg

I'd pick the money until my kids were of age, then send me to space.

Statistically, astronauts are more likely to die than cosmonauts.

$150k no doubt.

I'll take the cash and the Bowdoin College coed.

Okay. But their spacesuits aren't as cool looking.

Cash. I saw "Gravity" so same thing as being there

You must have seen it in 3D.

$$$$$$$$$

Money