Shaun the sheep is back in the news having been given a seat on the Orion and launched into orbit in the latest NASA mission. Lucky Shaun (or not, if you prefer the terra firma). Plans are to send humans to the lunar surface again nearly seven decades after that historic first landing. What is this unending fascination with space? The vast expanse of the skies has always fuelled man’s imagination. Early man weaved intricate stories about Gods and deities residing in the clouds and watching over us. Our ancestors created stories of celestial dramas unfolding amidst the feathery clouds with great clarity and detail.
The Indian psyche too had its share of wildly imaginative tales about space and beyond. In addition, my forefathers theorised that the celestial objects somehow influenced human lives and life events. Astronomy and astrology were closely linked as far as the Indian thinking was concerned and still is to a significant extent. And so every Indian invariably has something called a horoscope– a chart drawn according to the positions of the planets and/ or celestial objects, at the time of one’s birth. Great amount of time and effort is spent trying to interpret the chart and thereby predict the future. Education, careers, marriages, business and many other important life decisions are often based on the predictions made by the astrologer. This is still a way of life amongst a significant proportion of the population. Is there any truth in this? Who knows? To those who believe; it is a science and gobbledygook to the rest.
Once the human intellect cracked the science, and technology and physics took over, man could explore the beyond and understand all about origins of the universe, the galaxies and life on the blue planet. The fascination and adventurous spirit continues to hold sway and another mission to explore our nearest neighbour in space has begun. The Artemis I mission has started with the first uncrewed flight but plan is to get humans on the moon not too far in the future.
“Houston, we have a problem!” The immortal lines are etched in the memory of movie buffs all over the world and rekindle the excitement even today. Apollo 13 was a drama which became very real for all of us in those one hundred and forty minutes, irrespective of whether we chose to be on the spacecraft or in mission control. Even today the thrill is undiminished; helped hugely by the handsome Tom Hanks, of course!
While Attenborough has spent his life teaching us about our current abode, Professor Cox has created several incredible documentaries regaling us with facts about the space and beyond. Perhaps there’s a reason why man continues to explore the space. Perhaps he knows he has wrecked the blue planet too far beyond repair and would soon have to vacate. And perhaps man hopes to create colonies on Mars to save the species from extinction! Who knows?
Sudha's Random Ramblings 