Reflecting on both a recent National Geographic article on Mars Exploration, and the Ron Howard docudrama series, 'Mars' ...
Mars, so what's the attraction?
It's nothing like Bradbury's 'Martian Chronicles'
It's nothing like 'Jon Carter' (and let's be thankful for that)
The place is a dump, astronomically-speaking, or at least a run down ghost town, so what's makes this little planet so appealing that otherwise reasonable people would be willing to risk their lives to go there?
Seriously - go look at parts of New Mexico. That's a lot like Mars, except you can breath, won't usually freeze to death, and won't be mutated by radiation (well, if you avoid the old nuclear testing bits).
But exploring New Mexico is not as exciting (no offense New Mexico, I love you).
Exploring Mars IS exciting, and I think mainly because you can't breath, will likely freeze to death and be blasted by cosmic rays (but you won't get cool superpowers out of it).
So, there will be plenty of thrill-seeking types looking for the kind of excitement that Mother Earth just doesn't pack anymore, and willing to go to Mars. But what about the scientists and engineers who will need to spend their life's work focusing on the place and how to get there (and maybe back)? What's in it for them?
Well, let's face it, as local space destinations go, Mars is the most appealing. It's bigger and farther away than the Moon and therefore automatically cooler. It also comes with a kind of atmosphere. A thin and deadly one, yes, but an atmosphere. And let's not forget there is always the possibility of finding recognizable life buried there somewhere. So though the place may look like New Mexico, it's definitely cooler to planetary scientists and exobiologists.
But what does all this mean to average you and me? All but a very few of us living today will never set foot on Mars - or work directly to get people there. The rest of us will be cheering the lucky ones on and paying for it.
Ah yes, paying for it. Will we see any benefit from all this activity which will ultimately cost trillions?
Er ... no, not right away, anyway. There may be some cool inventions that spin off from this effort that improve (or complicate, you know tech) our lives, but nothing big and nothing soon.
But, hey, the history of humanity - or at least the history of that part of humanity that has always embraced reason, science, and technology, claims a clear path forward. We have to go somewhere or we will go nowhere, and Mars seems like the best alternative right now to stagnation.
So, here's the bottom line: Don't support going to Mars because we will see benefits in our lifetimes. Support it because this country (and the World) needs to believe in something bigger than itself. Something that transcends all the usual human desires, resentments, and resulting strife.
Mars, it's time to go!
Mars, so what's the attraction?
It's nothing like Bradbury's 'Martian Chronicles'
It's nothing like 'Jon Carter' (and let's be thankful for that)
The place is a dump, astronomically-speaking, or at least a run down ghost town, so what's makes this little planet so appealing that otherwise reasonable people would be willing to risk their lives to go there?
Seriously - go look at parts of New Mexico. That's a lot like Mars, except you can breath, won't usually freeze to death, and won't be mutated by radiation (well, if you avoid the old nuclear testing bits).
But exploring New Mexico is not as exciting (no offense New Mexico, I love you).
Exploring Mars IS exciting, and I think mainly because you can't breath, will likely freeze to death and be blasted by cosmic rays (but you won't get cool superpowers out of it).
So, there will be plenty of thrill-seeking types looking for the kind of excitement that Mother Earth just doesn't pack anymore, and willing to go to Mars. But what about the scientists and engineers who will need to spend their life's work focusing on the place and how to get there (and maybe back)? What's in it for them?
Well, let's face it, as local space destinations go, Mars is the most appealing. It's bigger and farther away than the Moon and therefore automatically cooler. It also comes with a kind of atmosphere. A thin and deadly one, yes, but an atmosphere. And let's not forget there is always the possibility of finding recognizable life buried there somewhere. So though the place may look like New Mexico, it's definitely cooler to planetary scientists and exobiologists.
But what does all this mean to average you and me? All but a very few of us living today will never set foot on Mars - or work directly to get people there. The rest of us will be cheering the lucky ones on and paying for it.
Ah yes, paying for it. Will we see any benefit from all this activity which will ultimately cost trillions?
Er ... no, not right away, anyway. There may be some cool inventions that spin off from this effort that improve (or complicate, you know tech) our lives, but nothing big and nothing soon.
But, hey, the history of humanity - or at least the history of that part of humanity that has always embraced reason, science, and technology, claims a clear path forward. We have to go somewhere or we will go nowhere, and Mars seems like the best alternative right now to stagnation.
So, here's the bottom line: Don't support going to Mars because we will see benefits in our lifetimes. Support it because this country (and the World) needs to believe in something bigger than itself. Something that transcends all the usual human desires, resentments, and resulting strife.
Mars, it's time to go!
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