Hello Alamo,
And Happy Earth Day!
I’m cooking up plenty, but I don’t have anything specific to Alamogordo or the Tularosa Basin planned for today. Mostly my mind is stuck on the amazing presentation I saw last night from Jornada Research Institute.
Instead, I’m going to rant about science, NASA, and Mother Earth!
First off, the Artemis II mission earlier this month. I was too busy to obsess about it the way I wanted to then., and I’d like to make up for that. It was so stinking cool having actual people up there, broadcasting their reactions, describing what they saw, and especially close to my heart, wading into sacred cultural mythologies about the moon.
As a North Pagan, who is learning more about my own indigeneity, I feel a huge draw to nature and the cosmos, but especially the moon. It meant a lot that these scientists gave that kind of respect to oral storytelling traditions in such a public way.
Also. I will never stop talking about how precious their comradery was. They all shared this passion for learning ad science, and that passion bought them together i a way that was so beautiful. My favorite part of the entire mission was when they announced they were going to name a lunar crater NEAR A BRIGHT SPOT ON THE MOON after Reid Wiseman’s wife Carroll, who had passed away from cancer. And now I’m crying again.
What does exploring the cosmos, flying by the moon have to do with Earth though?
To that I say two things: some of Earth’s inhabitants, human beings, and our curiosity is fascinating and adorable. The new pictures we now have of the moon and our earth have already inspired so many. I love our creativity.
More practically, after every space mission by NASA, we have applied the lessons/science we learned to us down here on Earth. For example, we would not have things such as home insulation, scratch-resistant lenses for eyeglasses, the Jaws of Life, ear thermometers, or CAT scans without space travel. All of these things provide a net positive to our lives. Could we have discovered them without space travel? Probably, eventually. And now our task is to use these resources responsibly.
Not everyone will have the chance to personally explore space (unless they’re obscenely wealthy, and even that is most likely a pipe dream). Mother Earth came from the Big Bang, and so did every living thing on this planet. Us Earth, and the cosmos all have a common starting point. It is up to us to take care of our home, and therefore ourselves.
Also, watch my favorite anything ever having to do with Earth. And I’m crying again.
Salud!
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