Mars, the new frontier. The blue planet. The only planet in the whole universe known to man which has the potential to sustain some kind of life-form. It is planet that has an atmosphere that remotely resembles planet Earth. Scientist have long dreamed to capitalise on this remote resemblance and exploit it enough to make it self sustainable to humans. They envisioned a day when humans will populate the entire planet without any artificial life supporting system, thriving on their own on Mars, just like they are thriving healthily here.

The mission to Mars, still in it’s infancy even though it has been a few decades, has made startling discoveries in recent years. Much due to the improvement of latest space technology, samples of soil sent back by the space probe has indeed revealed that life did existed on Mars before it became barren today. This amazing new discovery has risen the hopes of scientists and space researchers to new heights. Further encouraging finds are signs that water, the basic need of all life-form, is present on Mars, frozen beneath the surface of the planet.

Scientist and space researchers now are faced with a new mission. To unfreeze the water beds beneath the crust of Mars and bring it to the surface. They opined that if there is water, plants will grow, and with green plants growing in abundance, the effect of photosynthesis will take effect, providing the life giving gas called oxygen to oxygen inhaling lifeforms. Like humans, for example.

They might already have that technology and the expertise. What with all the drilling and extracting of petroleum and gasses happening on this planet. There will be two major obstacles though. One is transportation and the other, the setting up of the heavy equipments used for major drilling works.

The perilous journey to Mars took the tiny space probe more than a few good months an it was lucky to survived a few good knocks before landing on Mars. To transport equipments and structures the size of an off shore drilling platform will probably see the need to built a space ship the size of the USS Enterprise. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit, one tenth the size of the USS Enterprise will be more than enough. And it don’t need to be able to travel at warp speed even.

I certainly will not live to see the day when someone lands on Mars on a successful mission and proclaims yet another “bigger leap for mankind”, but I am hopeful. I truly believe there will be that day. When it comes, I hope Planet Earth still existed. I hope my off springs will still be around. I hope they get to witness the first successful man-ed mission to Mars. I hope it’s a man and not a monkey though.

2 moons on 27th August! Have you received your annual reminder yet? Every year, I never fail to be reminded by email that on the 27th of August, 2 moons will be seen in the sky above me. Each year, I waited in vain for this phenomena to happen. I have waited for 3 consecutive August 27 and not once, did I manage to see the second moon.

This year is no different. Right on spot, somewhere in the middle of June, I received that email again. This year, it was a little bit more elaborate. Attached with the email is a Powerpoint presentation on how and why this astronomical miracle can and will happen. Let me share with you the full text of the email I received this year.

Check it out, guess no one will get much sleep in August.

Mars

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history.

The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.

Due to the way Jupiter’s gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again. The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide.

At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

Share this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Now if this was the first time anyone received this email they are going to be thoroughly fooled just like yours truly here. What with all those precise scientific explanation and accompanied with powerpoint slides at that. I bet these emails will get better next year.

No one knows exactly who started this hoax and where it originated from. It first surfaced in or around 2003 and has never stopped till today. Every year a newer version makes it’s round and I bet every year there will be someone new who gets fooled. How the originator benefited from this hoax is something beyond me. I doubt he, she or they even got their last laugh.