"What can you conceive more silly and extravagant than to suppose a man racking his brains, and studying night and day how to fly?" This was said by English author William Law, in a Senior Call to a Devout and Holy Life, 1728.
Well, although it seemed inconceivable at that time, it has happened, as well as man making it to the moon. However, Mars is a different proposition, and yet there are folk out there racking their brains in order to find out if it can sustain life etc. Only last week, the boffins at NASA were excited because they reckon they've found large quantities of methane gas on the planet.
Whilst most countries in the Western World are in recession, or heading that way, surely no sane government would sanction spending billions to be wasted on a doomed mission. After all, they obviously don't like us out there anyway. Beagle 2 was launched from Mars Express on 19th December 2003, and the good folk of Mars allowed it to land on the 25th. Presumably they were delighted with their Christmas present. Some POSSIBLE signals were picked up from it until 12th January 2004, then Zilch! They obviously started to take the toy apart. Some scientists, it seems, had thought of building and sending a Retriever 1 to find it, but fortunately, reason prevailed.
I did happen to meet two of the planet's inhabitants once (in a pub on Glasgow's Kelvingrove Street), and I can verify that they weren't impressed with our way of life, and especially our football. Mind you, it was a Saturday afternoon, and they had just left a Partick Thistle game.
Anyway, if those bods are so keen to get a hold of some methane, surely it would be faster and cheaper to pay a visit to the nearest dairy farm.
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