Israelis on Mars
Israeli ingenuity always amazes us. Their drive to achieve, to solve problems, is second to none.
Really out of this world.
A journey to Mars has long captivated people the world over. But the distance? Only 244 million miles. Keep in mind, the Moon is 240,000 miles from Earth. Visiting Mars, if it can be done at all, is still a ways off.
Yet Israel is preparing for such a day. With participants from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, the Israeli Space Agency is trying to simulate the terrain of Mars, at a giant crater in the Negev.
An astounding 25 miles in diameter, the crater is serving as a staging ground for future space exploration. The six participants will live in isolation there for an entire month.
According to a report from The Times of Israel:
“During their mission, they will conduct tests including on a drone prototype that functions without GPS, and on automated wind- and solar-powered mapping vehicles.
“The mission will also aim to study human behavior and the effect of isolation on the astronauts.”
Here’s where I’ll sound a little nutty, but I’ve never believed that mankind was meant to explore other worlds. At least not in this life. The drive to visit distant planets is fraught with danger.
In this scenario, it’s interesting that one of the participants, German astronaut Anika Mehlis, is a microbiologist sent to “a scenario where bacteria from Earth infect potential life forms that may be found on Mars.”
It’s interesting that the article notes NASA officials believe the first human mission to Mars will take place in 2030. How can that be? I know we’ve sent cameras there, but sending humans such an astonishingly great distance is almost unfathomable.
And besides the danger, there are theological issues with the exploration of other planets. Did God intend this? Did He not? Is this yet another Tower of Babel moment?
Mars, known as the “Red Planet,” is the fourth planet from the Sun! The name comes from the Roman god of war. Americans and various other countries have been exploring Mars’ spaces; in 1976, Viking 1 landed on the surface of the planet.
Of course, one of the main goals of exploration is to see if the planet can be inhabited by humans. The thin atmosphere and extreme heat make this seem unlikely, but again I wonder why the drive to do so?
“What we are doing here is preparing a large mission, the largest voyage our society has ever taken, as Mars and Earth are 380 million kilometers apart at their extreme point,” said [Austrian participant Gernot] Groemer.
“I believe the very first human to walk on Mars is already born and we are the ship-builders to enable this journey.”
Maybe. I’m disturbed but not surprised that Israel is participating. No one said the country is run by Bible believers that would give pause to such attempts at this kind of exploration.
I do believe God will not let man go farther than he should with technology, etc. So, where this Mars study ends up is anyone’s guess.
The center of the universe is Jerusalem, not a distant planet.