Discovery

That is it! Discovery! Christer Fuglesang disappointed me this morning when I went up early to see the takeoff but apparently I get another chance on Friday morning. The shuttle program is at its end and I guess the next logical step is a manned mission to Mars. The takeoffs and landing are spectacular. As entertainment, but at the same time they fill me with a feeling of helplessness. They are not fast enough and a little too explosive. But it is great rooting for the astronauts.

Space travel to Mars is an endeavour that can be compared to the round-the-world trips yonder. They took years. I saw recently, on Kunskapskanalen, a series of 6 televised 45 minute programs that discussed all kinds of aspects of Man's first mission to Mars. My conclusion is that it is too expensive. There is water on Mars, however, as was recently discovered. But no signs of life, so far. It would of course be a fundamentally very important discovery with a second site for the appearance of life. Theology would get a beating, again.

I don't think I agree with Johan Norberg in his Metro column today when he argues against manned space travel. I think it is basic research that is necessary to do. There is not yet enough business in missions to the moon and elsewhere. Fuglesang is doing an extremely important job together with his fellow astronauts. Knowledge about our life form's interaction with space is of paramount importance and worth every cent.

However, I think it is time that we make a new discovery of the dignity of the nuclear power. We deserve a break either in energy production or physics that brings us an order of magnitude further out in space. It would be really nice with a discovery that tells us the speed of light is not the highest possible. An important question is whether we should stay on Earth for this break before we attempt to move passed the Moon? Money might be better spent in this fashion.

A Mars trip might be enconomically feasible if the whole world participated. The question is if it is yet possible to coordinate such a collaboration. Are we so friendly among the nations for such a longterm assignment?