Space Cadets

 

    Ben and I finish watching 2001: A Space Odyssey  on DVD.

    "Why haven't we returned to the moon?" Ben asks rhetorically.  

    He jumps at any chance to discuss our favorite subject, next to physics. He's actually excited I'm writing a novel about space and hanging with aliens.

    "Oh no not again," I feign with a groan.

    "You mean after fifty five years the technology to get there is still too hard?" Ben answers his own question. Honestly he could carry on without me. "Oh I know, the aliens there are --"

    "--That's old news," I wave a hand in dismissal. "Forget the moon let's go to Mars," I say and Ben gleefully knows where this is going.

    "Yeah, let's put four astronauts in a capsule the size of a VW bus with zero privacy for an 18 months round trip," he cackles.

    "Well that's not going to happen. How about there's no money in a moon mission," I retort which brings the conversation to a halt. Silence lingers as I watch the end credits roll.

    "There is one possibility for real manned space flight," I say in a slow tease and let the commit hang in the air.

    "Oh do tell," Ben says impatient for the other shoe to drop.

    "When the idiots in the military who have been hiding alien craft for decades, hand it over to people who can figure out how to reverse engineer them without all the stupid super stealthy, mumbo jumbo, paranoia bullshit they have been engaging in, yeah maybe can actually get somewhere."

    That's why it's called military intelligence," Ben says and we laugh. We fall into silence again at the collective disappointment.

    " You know, we don't need to go to space. We don't need to land on a distant dead planet just to plant a flag and leave garbage behind, like we always do. We have probes that have surveyed the solar system for decades sending back excellent photos and data." I say at last. Ben brightens.

    "For sure, the images of Jupiter with her four big moons orbiting as the appropriately named Galileo spacecraft approached were amazing."

    "And the James Webb telescope--whew those images just blow everyone away," I declare as I put away the DVD.

    "Still, it would be cool to have a moon base for astronauts to have silly parties like Jerry Lewis," Ben sighs. I agree with a nod.