Sailors, fighting in the dance hall...
...oh man! Look at those cavemen go... to Mars? It's a great idea, isn't it? Man on Mars, the red planet. That way the whole of mankind could... um... do... um... stuff. On Mars. Yeah!
It's a point though, isn't it? I was a great advocate of man going to Mars. In fact I was so caught up in the whole idea that it was all I could think about for days after he in the White House suggested the US of A was going to go and do it.
I told a friend of mine about my enthusiasm, to which she curtly replied "What's the fucking point?"
"Well, imagine if we didn't go, and then the Earth got hit by a meteor, and everyone would be dead. End of Man Kind." It's an argument that has bolstered my belief in the space program for as long as I can remember.
She raised her eyebrows. "I just think the money could be better spent, that's all." We left it at that.
Surely the continued existence of man kind is the important thing here, right? I mean, what's the point in doing anything at all if we're not going to be around in ten thousand years time?
Only, poverty is happening right now. To people who are alive right now. The BBC has estimated (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3378837.stm) that a manned mission to Mars would cost in the region of $1Triliion (that's an American Trillion, or 1000 American Billion). They go on to estimate that, in contrast, to aleviate world poverty would cost $50 Billion a year. So, we have the choice between a manned mission to Mars or aleviating world poverty for the next 20 years. Hmmm.
The bottom line, for me, is this: Life is about making the best of it while you're here. Shit happens, and will keep happening. You have to get through it, and sometimes that means a little help from your friends. Imagine how you'd feel if, in your hour of need, when you're cold and starving, your friends all turned round and said they couldn't possibly help because they were putting all their spare time and resources in to building a giant stamp collection. You'd wonder about their moral compass, wouldn't you?
Now imagine what spending a $Trillion on sending an over educated few to Mars must look like to the people of sub-Saharan Africa.
Yes, one day it would be great to go to Mars. I really, really hope I'm alive to see man set foot on the Red Planet. But we have a responsibility to Earth, and to the billions of real, living and breathing people on this big blue ball, before we spend all our money on an effort that amounts, in the end, to satisfying curiosity. Poverty might be boring, but it's here to stay, unless we take the bull by the horns.
Besides, Mars isn't going anywhere.
P.
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