For me it actually came two years ago, when I watched a programme about Apollo on the BBC and James May had a flight in a U2
Soon after that I just read about everything to do with Apollo on wikipedia, and then afterwards read about the Soviet programmes. I always found it hard to get excited about the Shuttle and the ISS in the early days, especially after watching
From the Earth to the Moon.
Soon after that I watched a live stream of the STS-130 launch, and my little brother was starting to get interested in space too, building lego shuttles and what not. I have always loved cars, and so I really appreciate the engineering behind everything, but the thing I love the most about it is the Human factor in Human Space Flight, listening to the crew and watching them float around is just awe inspiring! I love watching Mike Massimino's
Behind the Scenes videos on NASA TV.
I remember being quite peed off when Constellation went down the pan, but now i'm glad it did, theres just so much that could happen in the next twenty years, and I will be starting university next year doing Mechanical Engineering with Aeronautics. Can't bloody wait!