Darwin Deez x Napoleon Dynamite

Recently digging Darwin Deez, a cosmically expressive indie band from NYC. Randomly stumbled upon their song Constellations in The Happy Hipster playlist on Spotify. This one's really addictive!

"Constellations"

Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
There's a million little lights when the sky turns black tonight
Are there patterns in our skies, are patterns only in our eyes?

Or is a constellation, just a constellation?
Is a constellation, just a consolation?

Wrinkle, wrinkle little scar, count the freckles on my arm
If freckles don't mean anything, does anything mean anything?

Or is a constellation, just a constellation?
Is a constellation, just a consolation?

We are twinkling stars resurrected
Just like twinkling stars we seem connected but I know that

A constellation is just a constellation
Constellation is just a consolation

The science teacher I never had

Another one with great lyrics (but not as catchy):

"Red Shift"*

Spiral galaxies would turn in your eyes
When I came by with a small surprise
You loved all of my little quarks, so what went wrong?
Don’t superstring me along, come on

Was there a big bang that I just missed?
Did some explosion cause a redshift?
‘Cause you’re moving away from me but what did I do?
The universe is mostly empty space without you

Wave or particle, I can’t be both
So just say which way you like me most
I can be an experiment in your bedroom lab
To figure how the light we had went bad

[chorus]

I’ll build a collider and smash us to bits
To see what’s inside us, to see if we stick
‘Cause I will try anything this side of the Milky Way
To figure out why in the world you’re drifting away

[chorus x2]

*Red shift is a term to describe wavelengths from light or electromagnet radiation being stretched (lower frequency) hence shifting to the red end of the spectrum. Cosmological redshift is evidence of an expanding universe.

Image:YouTube, ClashMusic.com

Lyrics: azlyrics.com

Reference: Wikipedia, European Space Agency

We will be descending onto Mars shortly, current temperature -55 degrees Celcius

Mars. The dusty, cratered, red planet.

Mars is like the unassuming next door neighbor who's always been around, never says much and has a somewhat dark personality. It somehow intrigues you because he is, well, kinda sexy that way. He is so close yet so far, so intimidating yet so tantalizing. Every time you strike a conversation, he amazes you with the little information he gives out. So you probe and you probe, and each time the discovery is jaw-droppingly unreal.

Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun, after Mercury, Venus and Earth. Iron oxide on its surface gives it a reddish glow.

That is how Mars tickles my fancy and made me a stalker - every once in a while something life-changing is discovered and gets you hooked on finding out more. Like back in 1971 (remember?) when NASA's unmanned Mariner 9 orbiter, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, sent back clear images of dry riverbeds during its exploration program. What is the significance of that? It proves that there was once water, a source of life, on the desert-like planet!

Over the last 40 years, several rovers and orbiters have been sent up there on more aggressive missions, collecting ample evidence of ancient streams, rivers and lakes that once glided on Martian surface.

Rovers that have been sent to Mars (in addition to numerous orbiters):
1971 - Mars 2 (USSR) - failed landing
1971 - Mars 3 (USSR) - failed landing
1997 - Soujourner (US) - in operation for 3 months
2003 - Beagle 2 (UK) - failed landing
2003 - Spirit (US)- in operation for 6 years
2003 - Opportunity (US) - still in operation
2011 - Curiosity (US) - going strong
2018 - ExoMars (Europe and Russia) - planned

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover driving past "Dingo Gap" inside Gale Crater. Taken on Feb 11 2014.

So, did bacteria life, or more realistically, brain-headed Martians with bulging eyes, roam our neighbor planet some 3.6 billion years ago? Or are they still in existence and planning an attack on New York? That is still in much debate, but what's for sure is that Mars used to be way wetter and warmer 3.6 billions years ago than it is now, making it more hospitable for life back then. Up till now, scientists have only been able to confirm that human of the male species originated from Mars.

Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars on July 4, 1007, subsequently snapped a photo of the Soujourner rover, posing on what looks to be a floodplain with rocks of various types - evidence of a wetter and warmer past.

Anyway, forget the past, what's the next giant leap? Dun dun dun... human settlement on Mars... by 2024!

In April 2013 a Dutch non-profit called Mars One started accepting applicants to be the first inhabitants of the dusty planet. For the next 10 years, you will get trained up as an astronaut, sort out personal issues with loved ones, learn to deal with loneliness and potential voices in your head, then board a 7-month rocket ride to outer space and make a triumphant landing on Martian soil, if all goes according to plan. There will be pre-sent cargo up there to help you get started - sort of like checking into a Sochi hotel - you'll have a roof over your head but that's about it. So while you're starting a colony and all that, you'll work on construction, maintenance and research to prep the place for the next batch of astronauts. They come in 4s every 2 years. You'll also grow your own food in the greenhouse, exercise regularly to slow down the rate of rapid osteoporosis caused by reduced gravity (38% less than Earth), and even video chat, whatsapp and watch the Superbowl with a mere 3-minute delay (no complaints - Mars to Earth distance is 56 million km after all.)

However there is a catch - it's a one-way ticket, there's no going back. That didn't stop 200,000+ people from signing up though. I did.

Mars settler in fully-enclosed Mars suits photobombing a view of his living quarters, which he shares with the rest of the Martian population - that'll be 3 other astronauts. Year 2026.

I am personally skeptical about Mars One, it seems over-ambitious and makes everything sound too easy - it's not only about technology anymore, but involves starting a human colony from scratch in a hardly habitable environment and calling it home. Nonetheless, if we can take humanity to Mars within our lifetime, the next big question is - will this be our final frontier?

For more Martian fun, check out Expedia's spoof on April Fool's Day 2009 and the crater-spotting Google Mars.



Images: NASA, History.com, Mars One
References: Wikipedia, Time, Bloomberg, Mars One