Introduction
Exploration to principally satisfy our insatiable curiosity seems integral to our makeup. I think it is fair to say we cannot contain ourselves, so that it's just a matter of time before that translates into a full scale assault. Already there is no shortage of billionaires willing to underwrite the cost just as there are those willing to risk the long journey.
Notwithstanding the known hostile environment to Mars, which is not going to resemble our blue planet, that spirit of adventure and insatiable curiosity is bound to prevail. Like the first pioneers of old who ventured into the unknown, they will need to take even more with them on the long journey to Mars.
One can only imagine landing in a dust storm in the midst of a cold and desolate landscape, but the excitement of uniquely seeing something for the first time providing a temporary antidote. But with hardly any atmosphere, only a third of the earth’s grivitation one can also speculate as to how long that adrenaline rush will last. Surely the arduous task to survive and pressure to meticulously maintain support systems is going to exert pressure of a kind beyond what we can imagine from planet earth.
Homo sapiens on the move again.
In that respect one is reminded of our earliest pioneers, maybe in excess of 80,000 years ago, setting out from Africa, possibly prompted by severe climatic changes, but venturing on the great migratory journeys into what was then the unknown. No doubt lessons were learnt to narrowly avoid extinction according to anthropologists. One might speculate a new way of thinking ensured survival, to multiply and prosper over time. Later the aim became to conquer and then colonize the new world. Subsequently the aim was reinforced, except for some notable exceptions for those cut off geographically, to obtain more valuable resources and material possessions. This process was supercharged by subsequent discoveries resulting in technological advancements and the accumulation of wealth extracted from newly discovered territories. But as this process accelerated the prior ideas of the cosmos and stars that possibly guided the early pioneers, which came to be regarded as mythological bodies, have diminished. The ancient texts referenced such objects as metaphors for divine intervention. This has made way for the quest to conquer or explore the new world. But the question is will this be repeated once again in our intended colonization of planets? Is there a risk we will end chasing after shadows as no such other world exists? But could it also eventually lead to new discoveries in space that will engender a different type of thinking?
The quest for new discoveries
On the journey of discovery both Voyager in her travels and the launch and deployment of the Hubble Telescope in 1990 has introduced to us a new kaleidoscope of colors present in the Cosmos that is quite beautiful and majestic. The exploration of Voyager from Earth since 1977 has also led to many discoveries such as the existence of active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon.
But that imagery may disguise in our minds the reality of the vastness of space and that black matter possibly represents most of the fabric of the mysterious cosmos. Those so called black holes, arising from collapsed stars, are so dense that no light cannot emerge and have been named a singularity. The idea of a singularity is a bit of a brain teaser, predicated on the concept that when something that has mass collapses, just as we know happens eventually to all stars, they shrink to something much smaller and dense, to white or brown dwarf stars. But should the original star have sufficient mass it can shrink to a very heavy neutron star or even have enough mass and it will not stop shrinking until its size is zero and its density infinite. It then becomes what we call a singularity and there are a lot of them. Not that our intrepid space travelers are ever likely to encounter one to be sucked into its vortex due to the fact they are extremely small and because of the unimaginable vastness of space.
Singularities are known as black holes whose formation entertained the idea (because of the extreme forces and resultant warping) we may be able to travel along created so called worm holes to facilitate space travel vastly exceeding the speed of light. I don’t intend to elaborate on the theory as it is apparent you couldn’t survive. Even if that was theoretically possible we could be immediately zapped by the enormous amount of radiation present.
Physicists then turned their attention to string theory and other propositions suggesting string like wormholes were already formed in the early universe. But such holes were thought to be exceedingly unstable and prone to continual collapses under the forces of gravity. Scientists now propose this gravitational force can be overcome with the infusion of Anti-gravity. It is predicated on a hypothetical phenomenon of creating a place for this in the wormhole.
Fellow Space explorers
Such ideas became rife in the late 1940’s with reported sightings of flying saucers or UFOs - unidentified flying objects whose sightings permeated culture to the extent they were even taken seriously by governments. They have been replaced by alien induction theories of one kind or another. What I think we can say is the idea of some other advanced form of life is equally as probable as it is improbable. Probable given the immensity of the cosmos where some of the light from stars seen by the Hubble telescope are 12 billion light years away. But equally improbable given the exactness and precision necessary over such a corresponding period for life to evolve as we know it on earth.
We are indeed a tiny blue speck that already has vanished from the camera’s present in Voyager. At this time she has only just moved out of our solar system into deep space where there are trillions of such systems to explore.
But returning to my question will the new space frontier usher in a new way of thinking?
I trust my brief sketch aims at reminding us that we are a tiny blue yet wondrous spec in the universe which begs the question we must guard against any idea of self-importance. I like the idea of Carl Sagan included in the latest March edition of New Philosopher who proposes the idea that astronomy is inviting us to be more humble in our thinking.
It has been said astronomy is a humbling and character building experience. To me it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.
Conclusion
One thing that stands out to me, namely in our solar system and the outer boundaries Voyager and Hubble seeks to discover, we appear to be all alone.
Furthermore, if we discover any remnants of past life on Mars it's likely to be a very early single cell type, given its current environment and the fact it’s taken about 12 billion years for us to evolve.
But when we get to Mars aren’t we likely to find the same problems re-emerge that existed back on earth?
But is there a chance along the way we discover something new that fundamentally changes the way we think about things?
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