I was on the treadmill this morning. Normally I mute the television, because I can't stand the ads, but today I had to unmute it, seeing as one of the programs made my hair stand on end.
"NASA to BOMB MOON" shouted the red tape ticker underneath the main news broadcast. I immediately dropped my headphones and turned up the dial.
"MOON UNDER ATTACK" screamed the next headline, in case the first did not stir up enough panic in the viewer's heart. Yes, Headlines Today all but accused NASA of launching an attack on earth's only satellite. I was confused, alarmed, but also wary - there was a moment when I wondered if HT was making the whole thing up. (This is not so far-fetched. Many Indian media share an uncomfortably close relationship with outright fiction)
There followed a highly detailed 3-d animation of the NASA LCROSS, which today crashed into a crater near the moon's South Pole. Scientists hoped to sift the ensuing dust plume for water molecules.
As a science writer, I have conflicting feelings this quixotic quest for lunar liquid. On the one hand, I understand the motivation. On the other, I'm not sure I'm really buying. Although we know now that there's definitely water on the moon, it's also clear that what exists isn't enough to support any form of human civilization. As for some of the wilder themes on this morning's news (turning the moon into a fuel factory, selling luxury condos on its crater-ed face) they're so hyperbolic they might as well not be mentioned.
I feel the NASA mission was at best misguided, at worst a waste. But then again, I'm not a NASA researcher.
No comments:
Post a Comment