A while back, I made a podcast that steve set to video (see above). In the podcast I asked the participants to talk about when they became interested in the topic of space exploration.
ecib talked about how most kids have a fascination. He mentions that his nephew is fascinated by dump-trucks. He goes on to say that for him, "space was my dump-truck."
What was/is your dump truck?
I can't recall what I was in to as a very young kid, but from the age of ten on, I was an avid Beatles fan. I'd say, #thebeatles were my dump-truck.