I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fascinated by watching the recent news clips regarding the ‘mission to Mars’. I’ve been ‘blown away’ with some of the pictures coming back from the ‘Red Planet’, and am intrigued to know what sort of life on Mars there is!
Now that we are having ‘our jabs’, maybe Mars can be another future holiday destination!!! I looked at the NASA web page and found some interesting facts:
- The distance Mars is from the Sun is 142 million miles and it’s 93 million miles from Earth – Wow!
- Thursday’s temperature on Mars was a high of minus 4 degrees and a low of minus 98 degrees (in degrees Fahrenheit); and people are asking the question, ‘when will someone step onto the surface of Mars’?
This is what NASA says;
Mars is no place for the faint-hearted. Arid, rocky, cold and apparently lifeless, the Red Planet offers few hospitalities. Fans of extreme sports can rejoice, however, for the Red Planet will challenge even the hardiest souls among us. Home to the largest volcano in the solar system, the deepest canyon and crazy weather and temperature patterns, Mars looms as the ultimate lonely planet destination.
It goes on to say:
NASA is also planning to send humans to Mars sometime in the future. Preparations are being made, primarily through our robotic exploration in collaboration with the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) and the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The Mars 2020/21 rover will help us understand the current weather, winds, radiation, and dust environment, and will demonstrate technologies that will help humans once there.
Space exploration has come a long way since July 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped on to the surface of the Moon and said those famous words, ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’.
However, while being intrigued with the current ‘mission to Mars’, the words of the Psalmist came to mind. Firstly, David in Psalm 19 reminds us that,
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftmanship.
What an understatement!!!!!!! In Psalm 8, David further proclaims:
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens….
The wonder of God’s creative handiwork blows my mind, from the delicate structure of a beautiful flower to the power of a vast ocean or waterfall or the stunning brilliance of a sunset or sunrise. Yet David reminds us in Psalm 8 that we, ‘mere mortals’ are important and very special to God. I can’t get my head around that at times, but in faith, I am delighted to take it on board! The Divine Designer and Creator is interested in each of us. Our lives are as important to Him as any Mars expedition!!! Whatever you are currently dealing with; whatever you are concerned about in the future, can I suggest that in this period of Lent that you keep your focus on the Cross – because that is the constant reminder that Jesus loves us and came to be part of our world! Be encouraged.
‘Then sings my soul…………How great thou art’!