Science fiction as a genre has existed almost as long as storytelling
itself. Jules Verne wrote of travel to the moon in the eighteen
hundreds. The Princess of Mars, upon which Disney’s recent film John Carter of Mars
was based, was published in the early part of the twentieth century.
Even in Ancient Greece there was sci-fi: Lucian of Samasota wrote of creatures that resided on the sun and the moon
in the second century C.E. That’s right – nearly two thousand years
ago, someone wrote a book about aliens. Philosophy, science, and
literature have always sought to reach beyond our planet, and the
general public devours stories that combine this super-terrestrial
striving with the very human desire for adventure and exploration.
Last week, NASA released a panoramic photo taken by Opportunity, the sole remaining functioning Mars rover since Spirit fell silent in August 2010. (The new Mars rover, Curiosity, will not land until this August). This beautiful image (which you can click to make massively large)
was seen worldwide – the alien landscapes of Mars brought home to
Earth. This is the power of space exploration. Children dream of
becoming astronauts. Consumers in cafés discuss the possibility of alien
life. Dreams of exploring other planets, other galaxies, and even other
universes enthrall the public. It is possibly the single greatest way
to popularize science as a whole.
Read more at The Inclusive.
No comments:
Post a Comment