“Blood is thicker than knowledge.“
Creation and Voyage to Mars
How was the earth formed?
Lots of cultures have different stories about how the earth came to be. One that most people can agree on is the one scientists tell. It’s full of awe and wonder like the others, but without a Hero or trumpets.
Thousands of years before cell service, somehow a box of lit matches was dropped into a fireworks assortment, probably on a dare. The explosion scared the universe into existence. This was the “Big Bang.”
The earth then was a sloppy ball of bubbling gravy. The oceans were hot and bitter, like a mix of vinegar, Tabasco sauce, and that soup your mother made once from the foreign cookbook.
Roaches were the only animals. Somehow, they had been around even before the Big Bang. Who knows, maybe they dropped the matches. But let’s stick to Science.
Land rose up out of the cooling oatmeal of the first oceans. At first the new ground was rocky. But then it got worn down under constant wind and floods and earthquakes. Can you blame it? In the resulting “dirt,” tiny plants took hold to begin the Age of Weeds, which is still with us today.
One-celled animals grew fingers and learned to count to two, and beyond. More advanced multi-celled creatures crawled up on land to feed and boss each other around. From centipedes, they gradually shed their legs to form crabs, insects, salamanders, and then Humans. Maybe someday, we’ll all become Pogo People and hop on one leg, but not anytime soon. So you still have to take dance lessons.
Believe it or not: The “dust kittens” you find under your bed are not really kittens at all. They are jumbles of hair, flakes of dead skin, and tiny mites that crawl on you when you sleep. Sweet dreams.
Will we travel to Mars?
Sure.
Wait a minute. When you say “we,” do you mean you and me, or humankind or what?
You may travel to Mars. You’re young. As for me, well, maybe not…because I’m…
Let’s take a little break.
[Time passes.]
OK, I’m back. It’s all right now. I may slur my words a little, but where were we? Oh yeah, off to Mars!
Sure, we’ll build a huge rocket with lots of fuel and science in it and launch that sucker straight into the sky!
It won’t be easy because it’ll need “escape velocity.” It needs that because Mother Earth really, really doesn’t want you to leave. She’ll drag on the rocket. She’ll use gravity. And guilt. “After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?” You’ll probably launch yourself when you grow up. I remember when you were this tiny…
OK. But the rocket will be so strong you’ll leave your Earth home behind and start a long trip to the Red Planet.
It might be a few days as the crow flies, but any high school kid could draw a straight line. These college showoffs use computers to make a big spiral course that spells their names or something. Anyway, it will probably take a long time.
How much? Well since you’re not turning around on the earth, who knows how many “days” it might be. Who cares? What are you gonna do? Step on the gas?
No, you’ll just goof around, or grow mung beans, or sleep in a freezer or something until Mars gets really big in the windshield and a bell goes off.
Then the crew will do their assigned duties with very serious faces until the captain says “Contact” or “Mars base reporting” or “Nailed it!” and the engine stops.
From there on, it’s mostly photo-ops and digging. Yeah, and a lot of NASA greeting card blah-blah about vistas and progress.
You may be there. But I won’t.
It’s a dumb planet. No Martians or anything. You can have it.
I need a nap.
Image: 1964207 at Pixabay
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