Martian Anniversary

At 686.98 days, the Martian orbital year is roughly twice the length of the Earth year, so perhaps we can be forgiven for being jubilant early. as it has not been a full Martian year. However, it has been an Earth year since the Mars rover, Curiosity landed on the red planet, and scientific community is abuzz with excitement with what has been gathered so far. The rover has sent back to Earth over 70000 images and has tested rock samples, the presence of water and methane in its bid to discover signs of past life. All indications are that water has existed, but methane (an emission of organic life). Curiosty's findings are seen as the prelude to the much talked about manned colonisation. (I wouldn't mind myself!)

Of course the debates about the billions spent on the project do surface when this kind of attention is paid to the mission. This counter balances the argument and are very valid. After all we still haven't solved the imbalances on this planet - from poverty, to diseases, lack of opportunity and so on. 

Two post from the comments left on the BBC news article about this:

dpr1017 

So theory behind the 'spend more money on education argument'. Spend more money on education, our children grow up to be smart. Maybe they become successful scientists & meet up with other scientists. Since they are smart, they will probably have a sense of curiosity, they will want to learn new things. They might even send something to another planet to learn about that planet. Oh wait...
 
George

To all those decrying the costs of this and other exploratory space missions when millions of humans live in hunger and poverty - perhaps you should send your comments to the governments of India, Pakistan etc. They have staggering amounts of poverty and hunger yet seem well able to afford nuclear weapons and space programmes

Oh yes - we stupidly give big dollops of cash to them as "aid". 

 Read more: Independent, BBC, National Geographic, NASA

Over the Moon

I've always been fascinated by Space and the possibilities of exploring and learning about what is out there. So it is rather appropriate that I should choose to write on a day that is none other than the birthday of Buzz Adlrin, the second man to walk on the moon. He happens to be in Scotland today and whilst we are not likely to cross paths, I am intrigued by the stories of a man who has been to the moon and back. 

I particularly admire the inspiration, the hope and the possibilities in Buzz's words to the next generation, so I'm going to dedicate this space to both the man and his mission:

Your parents may have told you “the world is yours” and I’m here to tell you they’re right. I want to take it even one step further and let you know that “the worlds are yours” as well!

When we look up at the sky, especially at night, we can see thousands of stars and planets. Every day, scientists and mathematicians and everyone in the Space Program are doing their homework and getting closer and closer to reaching these heavenly bodies.

When I was a boy, I wasn’t the only kid on the block who looked up at the stars and dreamt about going to the moon or other planets. I read science fiction books about it. But no one had ever gone up there before, so we used our imagination and dreams and figured out ways to make those dreams come true.

Your Mom and Dad, grandparents and great-grandparents, created a lot of terrific machines, from airplanes to rocket ships and space shuttles to land rovers. They worked smart and accomplished fantastic things that people had only ever dreamt of—from flying in the sky to blasting off of the Earth into outer space and, eventually, walking on the Moon.

I should know; I was one of the first two people to set foot on the Moon with my friend, and commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong. The most important thing about everything we’ve done is to get you off to a great start on your mission.

You are the future. And I’m your number one fan!

You are going to achieve super things that are out of this world and that no one else has done before and go to places that no one has ever gone. Earth isn’t the only world for us any more.

It’s up to you to take the first steps on Mars and other worlds, to discover and explore. A good friend of mine, Buzz Lightyear, best describes where you’ll go: “To Infinity and Beyond!”

Are you up for the mission? Will you be one of the first people to walk on Mars? You could even be among the first human settlers to colonize Mars!

But don’t stop there! You can go further on to Venus, Saturn’s rings or Jupiter’s moons—farther than your eyes can see and as far as your mind can dream.

Reach for the Stars!

With such inspirational words, just imagine.  

Twitter: TheRealBuzz

Earth Calling Mars

or rather Mars Calling Earth ...

Curiosity, the name given to NASAs latest Mars exploration rover touched down yesterday on the red planet itself, to start its 2 year mission (1 Martian year). I've always been fascinated with Space and the human pursuit of pushing back the frontiers to learn more about what lies beyond. This little animated video from NASA offers an insight into how Curiosity will send messages back to Earth. Oh, and you can connect to Curiosity via Twitter. Apparently, this robot has "her" own Twitter account.

سپوږمۍ ته سلام

!سلام سپوږمیه

Salaam Dear Moon 

 زما اوستا ترمنځ شوغرونه

سپینې سپوږمۍ ته سلام به کړمه

عبدل کبیرکاکړ

Photograph of the Moon taken by Tor Khan.
Yorkshire, Summer 2010 using a Sony Exmor. 

The landay is dedicated to someone.

Infinity and Beyond

Not that we don't deserve it from time to time, but sometimes we need a little perspective on the grandeur we attach to ourselves. I've always been interested in space and beyond - and it serves as a reminder of the magnanimity of an impressive Universe  that Allah has bestowed upon us. 

We are but tiny, tiny specks in the cosmos. There are times though, when perhaps many of us forget and get caught up in our own emotions. I, for sure, know that I have over-stepped on occasions and have had a cantankerous moment where, no doubt, I may have made out that I was the centre of it all. In reality, it's much different, and here's a film that provides some interesting food for thought:

Avatar

War or Peace?

I would rather avoid jumping onto a bandwagon, and there are greater things to be pre-occupied about, but the film Avatar by James Cameron, is, I must confess, one, that on seeing the 3D version, I am, overall, impressed with. I'm not sure about 'white' man sympathy for native people mind - Hollywood doesn't seem to be able to quite get over this tired cliché .

Apart from the spectacle of 3D images and surround sound etc., the story - about a people's resistance to an invading force - is one that on an emotional level, is both ethical and one that I find myself having some empathy for.

The message here is very much pro-people and pro-independence. I'm all for it.

Adventure Learning: UNICEF in Space

In connection to my interest in Adventure Learning, here's something that has caught my attention - Adventure Learning in Space.

GAO VILLAGE, Mali, October 2009 – In the village of Gao, some 1200 km away from Mali’s capital city of Bamako, local children were given the special chance to speak to UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne – live from space.