Category Archives: Mars

"The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" podcast tells a dramatic story about a controversial megachurch in Seattle and the charismatic pastor who built it.

The podcast is about fame, faith and power converging in Mark Driscoll one of the countrys first internet celebrity pastors. He built a church of more than 15,000 people.

As it turns out, the scandals that undermined the church are as compelling as a true-crime show. The story is told from inside the faith by the evangelical publication Christianity Today.

Part of Driscolls charisma came from his biting sense of humor. In one instance, Driscoll scolded men for not being good enough providers and protectors as he saw it to women and children. He doesnt care if a man buys a truck or plays video games, he argued, but its stupid to let those things dominate your life.

You work one part-time job so you could play more guitar. That's dumb. That's really, really dumb, Driscoll said. Some will say, Well it's not a sin. Neither is eating your lawnmower. It's just dumb.

Driscoll often told the story of growing up in a rough neighborhood in Seattle, reporter and host Mike Cosper says. Though he wasnt raised Christian, Driscoll joined the faith after meeting his wife Grace Driscoll, a pastors daughter.

By his early 20s, Driscoll started talking about founding a church despite that hed never been a member of one or received any seminary training, Cosper says.

He just had these instincts, Cosper says, particularly with how to connect to guys like him that he didn't think were interested in churches.

Driscolls charisma made him the star of Mars Hill Church. He wasnt accountable to any denominational hierarchy and could fire people at will.

In one instance, the churchs elders were asked to weigh in on a new governing document and a few of the men sent an email that raised concerns, Cosper says. In response, Driscoll walked off stage after giving a sermon and fired all of them the next day.

There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus. By God's grace, it'll be a mountain by the time we're done, Driscoll said. Either get on the bus or you get run over by the bus, those are the options. But the bus ain't gonna stop.

One of the first stories told in the podcast was of an executive assistant who was fired for saying she hoped some of the older men in the church could confront Driscoll and help him mature, Cosper says.

Over the years, there were quite a few people who were either directly fired by him for what was often in his mind sort of insubordination, Cosper says, What was often in their mind just general confrontation.

The podcast showcases how Driscoll's teachings on masculinity were toxic for women. He would go into graphic detail about sexual submission.

Jen Smidt, a blogger for the Mars Hill website and wife of one of the pastors, was ostracized for supposedly grasping for power. In one meeting, Driscoll wouldn't speak directly to her.

He would not even look me in the eye and acknowledge my plea to him to have some sort of relational restoration, Smidt said on the podcast.

Smidt went on to explain that Driscoll turned to her husband and said, I reserve the right to speak to the heads of households, Cosper says.

On paper, Mars Hill was a cross between complementarianism where men and women have equal dignity but different roles in the home and at church and patriarchy, Cosper says. But in reality, the church was top-down and patriarchal.

Even when he would talk about sex and sexuality, the responsibility of wives was to please and care for their husbands sexually, Cosper says. Every other woman in the world was a temptress and a danger to men, and he would speak very graphically about that as well.

Many people on the podcast express that they cant believe how long they stayed with the church. Cosper compares it to why people stay in cults: community, friendships, relationships, family.

You'd roll your eyes at something Mark [Driscoll] said on Sunday, Cosper says. But you were actually there because of the experience of community.

From the outside, people wanted to align with the young and successful Driscoll because they agreed with him on biblical inerrancy, gender, salvation and spreading the gospel, Cosper says.

One pivotal moment in the fall of Mars Hill was when Driscoll got a book deal for Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together.

As part of the marketing and promotion scheme for the book, they contracted with a company called Result Source, who has this elaborate method of gaming the New York Times bestseller list, Cosper says. So the whole thing cost about $250,000. And then about a year, year and a half later, it started to leak that it had happened.

Then in fall 2013, Driscoll did a radio interview with a woman named Janet Mefferd, who accused him of plagiarism, Cosper says. After that, several cases of plagiarism in his writing were exposed.

For the next nine months, nonstop coverage of the plagiarism and other controversies persisted, he says.

At some point, I think the church needs to have a reckoning with its relationship to power and weakness.

As the church folded, the people around Driscoll slowly left. And the dissenters became persona non grata when they left, like Jesse Bryan, who ran the media team for Mars Hill.

When you leave, you're dead, Bryan said. You're a dead person, not only inside of all of your community but also from a career standpoint, because now you worked for the Enron of churches.

After Driscoll left the church in 2014, he spent a year and a half making appearances at other churches across the West Coast and Southwest. People viewed him as a victim of angry, bitter staff members who were out to get him and gave him sympathy, Cosper says.

Driscoll maintained much of his online audience and relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he started a new church and remains a pastor today, Cosper says.

At the same time, many former Mars Hill members in Seattle were so shattered by their experience they left Christianity altogether, while others found new churches. In the podcast, Diane Langberg, a Christian psychologist who works with trauma survivors and clergy, says that American Christians are forgetting to be like Christ and serve the least of these.

That's not what we've been doing. We've been garnering fame and numbers and money, she said. And it's ugly and it's divisive, and it's really not about Christ at all. And it breaks, breaks God's heart.

The story of Mars Hill speaks to a broader story about evangelical America and celebrity pastors. Part of Cospers interest in the story stemmed from that everything happened online.

But also a lot of us kind of agree that Mark said things very loudly that are said quietly in all kinds of churches related to power related to celebrity, Cosper says. At some point, I think the church needs to have a reckoning with its relationship to power and weakness.

Historically, the church has served the poor and the sick through sacrifice something places like Mars Hill invert by putting wealth in power in the hands of few individuals, Cosper says.

Driscoll didnt respond to the podcasts request for an interview but if he wanted to talk, Cosper says hed get on the next plane to Phoenix.

James Perkins Mastromarino produced and edited this interview for broadcast withTodd Mundt.Allison Haganadapted it for the web.

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'The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill': The abuses of a superstar pastor and megachurch ruins left behind - Here And Now

Before Bryan Fuller's cult hits "Pushing Daisies" and "Hannibal," he made this series. If you like Rob Thomas' off-beat style and sense of humor, odds are that you'll like Fuller as well. There's not a huge mystery element to "Dead Like Me," but like "Veronica Mars" they are both shows about young women with unconventional jobs. Yet there are some questions to be answered and investigated, with quirky characters you'll love just as much.

"Dead Like Me"is about a girl named Georgia "George" Lass who's going through an existential crisis when she gets killed in a freak accident and is recruited to become a Grim Reaper. Perfect timing, right? It's now her job to collect the souls of other people who die unexpectedly. Once she reaches her quota, she moves on and the last soul she collects will replace her. George's fellow Reapers and co-workers come from a variety of eras and former professions, with each having their own approach to collecting souls. They also eat together at a diner and become a found family, which is nice!

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Shows Like Veronica Mars You Really Need To Watch - /Film

Next Friday morning you can see three celestial objects together in the southeastern sky before sunrise. The bright planet Venus will be easy to spot low in the sky. Plus, youll see the crescent moon appearing slightly higher and to the right.

Look in between Venus and the moon for the red planet Mars. All three are in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, one of the southernmost constellations in the zodiac.

You certainly can look tomorrow morning or any morning in the week ahead. Venus and Mars are there. The crescent moon will be there too, though considerably higher in the eastern sky.If you are up early enough in the morning take a time to see these two planets, Venus and Mars, our nearest planetary neighbors as they appear fairly close together. In the month ahead Mars and Venus will move towards each other, Mars moving East and Venus moving West. They will be closest together in conjunction, on Feb. 16.

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Martha's Vineyard News | Crescent Moon, Mars and Venus - The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News

DULUTH Duluth Marshall and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton faced off Thursday at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth.

The Hilltoppers lost 4-2, but the highlight of the night wasnt the hockey played, but honoring one of the driving forces behind the arenas construction.

During the first intermission, longtime Hilltoppers coach Brendan Flaherty was memorialized in a short ceremony with his family.

Flaherty died June 24 after a 3-year cancer battle and his family was presented with a colored pencil painting by Duluth artist Tim Cortes. Flahertys wife Carrie will receive the original piece, and a larger copy will hang in the mezzanine of Mars Lakeview Arena.

The painting includes Cortess reproductions of photos of Flaherty at various points in his career, with a centerpiece showing Flaherty walking through the tunnel at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

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Duluth Marshall's Brendan Flaherty honored at Mars Lakeview Arena - therinklive.com

NASAs Mars 2020 mission team has been working methodically and thoroughly, making good progress on understanding the best path forward to remove the uninvited pebbles from Perseverances bit carousel. Over the previous weekend, and earlier this week, operational sequences were developed and tested to remove these rocky interlopers.

With terrestrial experimentation complete, we have begun executing our mitigation strategy on Mars. On Jan. 12 we did a detailed image survey of the ground below Perseverance. This was done so we would have a good idea what rocks and pebbles already exist down there before some more from our bit carousel join them in the not-so-distant future.

With this below-chassis, preliminary imaging, in hand, the team embarked on a maneuver with our robotic arm I never imagined we would perform ever. Simply put, we are returning the remaining contents of Sample Tube 261 (our latest cored-rock sample) back to its planet of origin. Although this scenario was never designed or planned for prior to launch, it turns out dumping a core from an open tube is a fairly straightforward process (at least during Earth testing). We sent commands up yesterday, and later on today the rovers robotic arm will simply point the open end of the sample tube toward the surface of Mars and let gravity do the rest.

I imagine your next question is, Why are you dumping out the contents of the sample tube? The answer is that, at present, we are not certain how much cored rock continues to reside in Tube 261. And while this rock will never make my holiday card list, the science team really seems to like it. So if our plans go well with our pebble mitigation (see below), we may very well attempt to core Issole (the rock from which this sample was taken) again.

Which brings me to next steps in our pebble mitigation strategy: were sending up commands to the rover later today, ordering it to do two rotation tests of the bit carousel. These tests (the first, a small rotation; the second, larger) will execute this weekend. Our expectations are that these rotations and any subsequent pebble movement will help guide our team, providing them the necessary information on how to proceed. Still, to be thorough, we are also commanding the rover to take a second set of under-chassis images, just in case one or more pebbles happen to pop free.

We expect the data and imagery from these two rotation tests to be sent to Earth by next Tuesday, Jan. 18. From there, well analyze and further refine our plans. If I had to ballpark it, I would estimate well be at our current location another week or so or even more if we decide to re-sample Issole.

So there you have it. The Perseverance team is exploring every facet of the issue to ensure that we not only get rid of this rocky debris but also prevent a similar reoccurrence during future sampling. Essentially, we are leaving no rock unturned in the pursuit of these four pebbles.

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Pebbles Before Mountains - NASA Mars - NASA Mars Exploration

A UFO researcher claims to have found a 25km wide alien base on the surface of Mars which he claims NASA is hiding from the public.

The self-proclaimed expert, Scott C. Waring, is known for his outlandish theories about alien life and UFOs which he documents on his blog, UFO Sightings Daily.

But while his site has gone down, Waring has taken to Twitter to share his latest conspiracy theory with several grey images highlighting a rectangular shaped object on the surface of the red planet.

Explaining the sighting, Waring tweeted: "Found a 25km Base on Mars. 25km according to the ruler on the map. Location to the right of Sulci Gordii.

"NASA doesn't want you to know about it. UFO Sighting News...site is down so I will just post what I find here."

During his explanation, he said that the base is located near Sulci Gordii which are subparallel furrows and ridges in the rocks of the red planet which would offer a plausible explanation for the shape he spotted.

However, this isn't the first sighting the so-called expert has made on Mars as last year. He claimed to spot an alien's face carved in rocks on the planet's surface.

He believes the carving similar to the US's presidents' faces etched into Mount Rushmore could to be up to 10,00 years old which could be evidence that life previously inhabited the red planet.

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He said: "I found an ancient alien face carved into the top side of the mountain. It shows the side profile of an almost human-like alien species.

"The face is built along the hill in a way that closely resembles the American Mount Rushmore and the carved US presidents on it. From the wear and tear of the surface, I think that this is over 100,000 years old!

"This face gives us some idea of what the aliens looked like on Mars long ago. They clearly were intelligent since they carved this face in the side of the mountain. Undeniable proof that intelligent life once roamed the surface of Mars."

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'Alien base on Mars that NASA doesn't want you to know,' UFO expert claims - Daily Star

Imagine hurtling past asteroids on a cutting-edge spacecraft, calculating the speed boost youll get by whipping past a massive planet, navigating space radiation hazards, and developing plausible and speculative technologies for rocket propulsion and for sifting for valuable resources. Its not just NASA scientists who study such things; with the latest board games, everyone can.

Board games have advanced quite a bit since the Settlers of Catan came on the scene a quarter century ago. Games with space themes, in particular, have proliferated in recent years, and while a few of the new generation of games do resemble classic ones, sort of like Risk or Monopoly in space, many others are completely different. A candidate for the most complex game is surely High Frontier, which released its fourth edition in 2020 and has more expansions, or modules, to come. It encourages people to play as space agencies like NASA or Roscosmos (or companies like SpaceX) while designing quick and agile or loaded rockets that bring crews to distant worlds, where one needs to extract water for fuel and mine minerals for building yet more rocket components.

Other board games include Leaving Earth, about space agencies competing during the early space race, SpaceCorp: 2025-2300 AD, about companies exploring the inner and outer solar system and then establishing interstellar colonies, and Gaia Project, where factions of different species compete to terraform neighboring planets to their liking.

In Terraforming Mars, players acting as corporationssome environmentally conscious ones and some notrace to bring the world back to life. They work toward generating a greenhouse gas effect to warm up the planet, they improve conditions for plants to grow, they raise the oxygen level in the air, they make surface water flow once again, and they even build cities for settlers. If one day humans attempt to transform Mars into a human-friendly place, where a stroll outside without a spacesuit wouldnt mean certain death, the technologies they use could be similar to those envisioned in this game.

These impressively advanced games, most of which were released over the past five years, really do bring the future of space exploration to the coffee table. But in doing so, they sidestep controversial ethical questions.

Now that real-world space exploration beyond our atmosphere is finally happening, one can picture how all this could play out in real life. The long-term visions of space agencies and space billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos all involve astronauts visiting, if not settling and building on, other worlds. Humans will likely return to the moon within five years or so, thanks to NASAs Artemis program and to Chinese missions and companies like Blue Origin, Moon Express, and Astrobotic. Using those lunar outposts as way stations en route to deep space, theyll set foot on Mars within the next two decades. Mining for water and building materials will likely come in our lifetimes too, while traveling to asteroids and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn could take decades longer, as theyre complicated by the vast distances from our home world and by the need for non-solar power so far away from the sun.

Some space games today include such technical and logistical complications, and they evoke the very real tensions between international rivalries and international cooperation in space. But they dont engage with broader questions, even as experts have begun debating: Is terraforming a good idea? Whose decision is it to make, and who should take responsibility for the risks involved? On Earth, ideas of transforming our climate and atmosphere to combat climate change, called geoengineering, remain contentious (although they one day might become necessary). But terraforming is even more complex, and theres a big chance it might not work. And as the Gaia Project game shows, terraforming means different things for different species, and it cant be simultaneously livable for aliens with opposite needs. Most planets cant be turned into an ice world and a hothouse at the same time.

People have also begun discussing the perils of space mining and the challenges of doing it sustainably and without defacing the surfaces of other worlds. But who decides that they can take space resources only for themselves? And since those resources dont replenish themselves, how sustainable can it be?

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Games Bring Space Exploration Home. But They Omit the Full Risks - WIRED

Larry D. Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Johnson Development Corp., passed away on Wednesday, the 5th of January 2022, at the age of 81. He joined the Lord peacefully while surrounded by his beloved wife, Suzie, and loving family. Born in Plainview, Texas, Larry was one of Houstons pioneering master-plan community developers.

Founding Johnson Development Corp. in 1975, Larry created one of Texas most successful real estate companies, elevating the concept of master-planned communities to new levels. A true visionary, he anticipated the direction of growth and demand for housing as Houston evolved into one of our countrys largest cities. His contagious optimism, hard work, leadership, and persistence allowed him to successfully navigate his company through the many peaks and valleys that has defined Texas real estate. His motto was You have to line up every day. With more master-planned communities ranked among the nations best selling over the past decade than any other developer in the nation, Larry realized his dream of creating a business legacy that would endure.

Larrys passions were as expansive as his business. He loved ranching, sailing, flying airplanes, running, hunting, watching Texas Tech football, and traveling the world with family and friends. . . just to name a few. He spent a great deal of time at their treasured Elm Waterhole Ranch and beautiful Guadalupe River home, creating life-long memories with Suzie, their children, and grandchildren. Never one to sit still, Larry also turned his eye for development toward the Hill Country, creating projects at Bridgets Basket and LDJ Vineyards in Hunt, Texas. Known for his BBQ, sitting by the firepit, and love of the outdoors, Larry was the center of the party and brought joy to everyone he was around.

Larry carried a deep sense of humility his entire life, never forgetting his modest beginnings. Growing up on a 300-acre tenant farm in the small west Texas town of Kress, Larry learned the value of hard work at a young age with daily chores such as milking cows, hauling hay and spending untold hours on his fathers Ford tractor. This strong work ethic led to a successful high school football career as quarterback for the Kress Kangaroos. He won a scholarship to play football at Texas Tech, where he graduated with an Agricultural Economics degree in 1961. Not interested in a career in agriculture, Larry attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin. He paid for law school by working part time managing an apartment complex and selling houses. This experience ignited his passion for real estate, ending his brief legal career with his move to Houston in 1962 to work for a real estate brokerage firm.

In 1967, Larry partnered with a client to create his first business, the Johnson-Loggins Development Company. The business prospered and was soon acquired by First Realty Investment, a Florida-based public company interested in expanding nationally into residential development. With this new financial backing, Larry turned his sights to creating opportunities across the country.

Following these successes, Johnson decided to start his own company, Johnson Development Corp. Beginning with smaller residential developments, Larry skillfully grew his business as he capitalized on the growth in the greater Houston market. From a single 1,000-acre community in northwest Houston, Johnson Development now has 19 active residential communities in Houston, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, representing more than 80,000 residential units, 16.7 million square feet of retail, 47,500 acres of land, and 2 million trees preserved or planted. Following Larrys vision to create communities that are lifestyle-focused, many of these communities have been ranked among the nations top-selling year after year including Sienna, Woodforest, and Cross Creek Ranch.

At the end of the day, Larrys most important business accomplishments were the uniquely strong relationships and bonds he shared with both his partners and the exceptional team he was blessed to have in his life. Over the years, Larry tirelessly sought out dynamic, talented, driven individuals that he knew were essential to bringing his vision to fruition.

Larrys engagement in the community extended beyond his career with his devotion to philanthropic organizations. His positions included Lifetime Director of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, University of Texas Health Science Center Development Board Member, Member of the Board of Regents of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech Health Science Center, Board Member of UTHealth Development Board, and member of the Urban Land Institute, Texas Tech Alumni Association, Greater Houston Builders Association, Texas Association of Builders, National Association of Home Builders, Center for Opportunity Urbanism, and the Houston Region Business Coalition (HRBC).

Larrys accomplishments did not go unnoticed, receiving accolades including the Houston Business Journals prestigious Landmark Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Builder Legends Award, the 2018 Scenic Houston Visionary Award, the 2019 West Houston Association IMPACT Award and the 2009 Texas Tech Distinguished Alumni Award.

While Larrys business success was deep, his true heart was with his family. He and Suzie enjoyed a love story for over 44 years, marrying on Valentines Day in 1978. She was his companion, champion, confidant, and the love of his life. Larrys children were his pride and joy and his grandchildren were adored beyond measure. Although quiet by nature, Larry showed his love to them each and every day. He was their dad. He was their Papaw.

Larry is survived by his wife, Suzanne Eastwood Johnson: and children, Chad Johnson of Houston, Nick Johnson (Katie Johnson) of Houston, Jennifer Johnson of Houston, Larry Seligmann (Tatianna Seligmann) of Houston, and Scott Seligmann of Austin. He leaves behind seven beloved grandchildren, Matthew Seligmann, Sam Seligmann, Emily Seligmann, Cole Johnson, Caroline Johnson, Finn Johnson and Oliver Johnson; and one great-grandchild, Susie Seligmann. He is preceded in death by his father, Alford Eldridge Cotton Johnson, mother, Wilma Lee Miller; and sister, Norma Jean Johnson Thomas.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances of Larry during a reception to be held from six oclock until eight oclock in the evening on Tuesday, the 11th of January, in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A Celebration of Larrys Life is to be conducted at three oclock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 12th of January, in the Sanctuary of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Street in Houston, where The Rev. Dr. Jim Jackson is to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family at a venue to be announced during the service.

KINDLY NOTE: For those paying their respect in-person, masks are strongly encouraged. Those who are unable to attend may join the livestream whose link will be available in the service information block on his page at GeoHLewis.com.

At a later date, the family will gather for a private interment in Hunt, Texas.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute, c/o Memorial Hermann Foundation, 929 Gessner, Suite 2650, Houston, TX 77024; or to Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Drive, Houston, TX 77024

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Larry Johnson avis de dcs - Houston, TX

PROOF theres life of Mars could appear in 20 years, though aliens could find us first, an expert has said.

According to astrophysicist Sarah Cruddas, decades of exploration of the Red Planet by unmanned probes could pay off.

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Scientists have revealed that organic molecules found on Mars are "consistent with early life", a tantalising clue in the hunt for alien life in our Solar System.

Nasa believes ancient Mars was similar to Earth and was once much "wetter and warmer".

When you look at the numbers, its likely that were not alone in the universe, Cruddas told the Daily Star on Sunday.

We know Mars has been warmer and wetter, so has the conditions for microbial life, which is single cell organisms. We just havent been able to prove it yet.

Whether it is microbial life or something beyond explanation is yet to be seen.

But once we have an answer, we can then extrapolate that to work out how much life might actually be out there.

But the 38-year-old scientist said we should also be prepared for a visit from aliens.

We shouldnt rule out that alien life will discover us first. It may have already discovered us.

Alien civilisations might be much more advanced than us, which is why its likely they will find us before we find them.

She explores unexplained sightings with actor and comedian Craig Charles, 57, on new series UFO Conspiracies, which starts on Tuesday at 9pm on Sky History.

A robot landed on Mars on a search for extraterrestrial life at the beginning of 2021.

The US space agencysPerseverance roverfinally touched down on the Red Planet after an incredible seven-month journey.

The US space agency's Dr. Becky McCauley Rench explains why she thinks Mars was once much "wetter and warmer".

The rover, nicknamed Percy, is drilling into the planet's surface to collect core samples and store them in titanium tubes.

Those tubes will then be set aside until 2028, when a retrieval craft is scheduled to take them back to Earth.

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Proof theres life on Mars could appear within just 20 years though aliens could find us first, says exp... - The US Sun

Going to Mars is stupid. I know, there are hundreds to thousands of people in the United States and around the world who have financial and other reasons for pushing spacefaring nations and private enterprises into sending humans to Mars. To them I will gladly double down and say that going to Mars is stupider than stupid.

Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskGoing to Mars is stupid The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Altria - Marking the Jan. 6 'chaos and carnage' Tesla criticized for opening showroom in China's Xinjiang province MORE tops the list of those pushing to send people to Mars. Do I believe that Musk is a genius? Yes. Do I believe that his uniquely gifted mind holds within it hope for a better future for humanity? Yes. And thats all the more reason that he should snap out of his fantasy of sending humans to Mars, which will only succeed in pouring tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars his money and others into a black hole in space. Its a truly wasteful investment.

Hollywood has romanticized the notion of going to Mars. Just look at the character played by Matt Damon in The Martian, bounding about the surface. Well, actually, his character is trapped there and in big trouble, but its still super cool that hes about to maybe get killed on the Red Planet. Hollywood makes it all look so awesome.

Except, its not. Its stupid.

Going to, and trying to exist on, Mars is fraught with unnecessary risk. The logistical and spacefaring reasons for not attempting the journey are many, each compelling in its own right. Here are but a few lowlights:

What is a better alternative for those who believe that humanity must find a permanent home away from Earth? Perhaps the moon. Its a three-day trip, with virtually unlimited launch windows, and the moons surface is teeming with helium-3, a gas that could provide an efficient form of nuclear power.

First, lets examine the humanity needs a place to survive argument. Well over a century ago, Russian rocket pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky correctly pointed out, Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever.

If that is a bit too esoteric for some, then we have the opinion of English physicist Stephen Hawking, who flat-out warned that Earth faces many existential threats perhaps an asteroid or comet impact, a worse virus than COVID-19, a nuclear war, or even artificial intelligence gone rogue and if humanity hopes to survive, we must colonize other bodies in space.

Both Tsiolkovsky and Hawking are correct. The past two years of the pandemic have made that clear for anyone paying attention. The government should find a way to get some sustainable representation of humanity off our planet permanently, to increase the survival chances of our species.

The easiest body in space to colonize would be our moon. Again, its not only closer than Mars but its a body littered with lava tubes beneath the surface, tailor-made to help protect and sustain human life.

If one doesnt really care about the survivability argument, then lets examine the limitless supply of energy argument. This brings us back to helium-3, an isotope that could provide safe, clean, green energy.

It is estimated that the moons surface holds over 1 million metric tons of helium-3. Some studies argue that just 25 metric tons could fuel the United Statess energy needs for a year. Of course, helium-3 can be a clean energy source only if we go and retrieve it. A number of companies are willing to do so, if we can get them there.

Should we ignore the moon and its untapped natural resources for the foolish fantasy of reaching Mars? I assure you, one nation will not make that mistake: the Peoples Republic of China.

I will make a prediction now, but lets hope I am proven wrong when the time comes: When China finally lands its taikonauts on the moons surface in the next decade, and they plant their flag on its helium-3-covered surface, theyll declare the moon to be Chinas sovereign territory and it will forever come under the guardianship and protection of Chinas military.

Going to Mars is stupid.

Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.

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Going to Mars is stupid | TheHill - The Hill