Avian’s Blog

Yesterday I attended the opening of the astrophotography exhibition in Tivoli, Ljubljana (part of the events celebrating the international year of astronomy).

I don't know about you, but I still get goosebumps whenever I see a picture like this.

Image by NASA

Having grown up watching Star Trek and building LEGO moon base sets, these photographs remind me that at least some small part of the promises we were given in elementary school did come true. There's a permanent international outpost in the Earth's orbit!

Now imagine seeing something like this with your own eyes. And if our unfashionable corner of the galaxy has wonders like that to offer, what kind of unimaginable sights are there to see around other stars?

And then comes the realization that all progress in space flight has been achieved with what, one tenth of a percent of resources put world-wide into senseless wars and destruction?

There are a number of technologies that could bring at least the rest of the solar system within our grasp, if only some more effort could be put into it.