The Amazing Human Animal
In our often busy lives dealing with the idiocy that surrounds us and the constant belittling of us as worthwhile creations, I am always amazed at the wonderful accomplishments we humans have made and continue to make on a daily basis. Take for example the Cassini mission on Saturn and the landing of Hyugen's probe on titan this past week. I can hear some of you complaining, "Oh boy, we spent billions of dollars to take some pictures of a moon 2 billion miles away."
4.5 million years ago, our ancestors were still learning to walk upright and fighting to survive in a hostile African geography. 100,000 years ago, man was using fire regularly. 10,000 yeas ago we had just developed agriculture. 5,000 years ago we invented writing. 500 years ago, we discovered that the earth was not the center of the universe. 100 years ago, we were just learning to fly. 40 years ago, we were still developing useful computers.
Over the last 20 years, we built and sent a probe skimming through the solar system, slingshoting it around Venus twice and Jupiter once, to send it flying through a small gap in the rings of Saturn so it could orbit the planet and take pictures of it before launching a 700 lbs probe at a moon 2.2 million miles away from the satellite, having the probe crash through a completely unknown atmosphere on parachutes and land safely on an unknown surface and send data back to us from 2 billion miles away. That is way beyond amazing. That is an epic accomplishment of human ingenuity.
It took us 4 million years to develop fire, yet in 100 years we went from earth bound to landing a man-made intelligence on a moon 2 billion miles away from us. And we did that using technology from the 1980's and 1990's. Just think of what is yet to come as they send robotic missions to Titan. Maybe the robots will be capable of synthesizing the methane in the atmosphere into fuel so they can run permanently and establish the first robotic base off of earth.
As of this moment, Virgin Airlines has purchased several of the next generation version of Spaceship-One, the privately built craft that won the X-prize. In a few years, people will be making sub-orbital flights for $100,000 a pop. In our lifetime, maybe the next 20 years, I will be able to lay down a few thousand dollars and see the earth from orbit, a dream I have had since I was a child.
Everyday people are uncovering new discoveries. They are pushing back the boundaries of our ignorance. Every day there are people out there, who just by being themselves, make a difference in the world. They don't need to be earthshaking changes, but small things that amount to the eventual great leaps we make as a species. Sure, there will always be the idiots, the doubters, the self-haters, and the anti-humanity groups. There will be strife and loss and setbacks, but that is life. Without challenge and conflict and desire to enforce the reality of life, we would not have the medical knowledge we have today. Without those looking to make their lives easier, we would not have the luxury we have today. And without the dreams of seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, we would not have placed a human creation on a moon 2 billion miles from home, showing us what waits for those bold enough to reach for it.
4.5 million years ago, our ancestors were still learning to walk upright and fighting to survive in a hostile African geography. 100,000 years ago, man was using fire regularly. 10,000 yeas ago we had just developed agriculture. 5,000 years ago we invented writing. 500 years ago, we discovered that the earth was not the center of the universe. 100 years ago, we were just learning to fly. 40 years ago, we were still developing useful computers.
Over the last 20 years, we built and sent a probe skimming through the solar system, slingshoting it around Venus twice and Jupiter once, to send it flying through a small gap in the rings of Saturn so it could orbit the planet and take pictures of it before launching a 700 lbs probe at a moon 2.2 million miles away from the satellite, having the probe crash through a completely unknown atmosphere on parachutes and land safely on an unknown surface and send data back to us from 2 billion miles away. That is way beyond amazing. That is an epic accomplishment of human ingenuity.
It took us 4 million years to develop fire, yet in 100 years we went from earth bound to landing a man-made intelligence on a moon 2 billion miles away from us. And we did that using technology from the 1980's and 1990's. Just think of what is yet to come as they send robotic missions to Titan. Maybe the robots will be capable of synthesizing the methane in the atmosphere into fuel so they can run permanently and establish the first robotic base off of earth.
As of this moment, Virgin Airlines has purchased several of the next generation version of Spaceship-One, the privately built craft that won the X-prize. In a few years, people will be making sub-orbital flights for $100,000 a pop. In our lifetime, maybe the next 20 years, I will be able to lay down a few thousand dollars and see the earth from orbit, a dream I have had since I was a child.
Everyday people are uncovering new discoveries. They are pushing back the boundaries of our ignorance. Every day there are people out there, who just by being themselves, make a difference in the world. They don't need to be earthshaking changes, but small things that amount to the eventual great leaps we make as a species. Sure, there will always be the idiots, the doubters, the self-haters, and the anti-humanity groups. There will be strife and loss and setbacks, but that is life. Without challenge and conflict and desire to enforce the reality of life, we would not have the medical knowledge we have today. Without those looking to make their lives easier, we would not have the luxury we have today. And without the dreams of seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, we would not have placed a human creation on a moon 2 billion miles from home, showing us what waits for those bold enough to reach for it.