January 2014

One of the fun things this past December, seems the Chinese have landed their first "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover on the Moon... Since then there hasn't been much news about it, or what it's been up to -- Could the rover have gotten a flat tire, Could it have driven into a hole? Or could the reason be, as shown in this recently leaked photo, (featured on this month's Calendar pix) that those two fun-loving Green Space Bunnies, Io & Callisto, have taken their namesake rover out joyriding?? Yes, could we have scooped NASA, the EuroSpace Agency, Drudge and even the East Galway Rock-Tossing Club with this exclusive photo!?! You be the Judge!

In the meanwhile, the rover landing has sparked a fair bit of crazed speculation in some circles (the type of circles where the members wave their arms while running in circles and raving incoherently) - that the Chinese may lay claim to the whole Moon - or use the Moon for some despicable purpose - or one nutcase even suggested the Chinese might drive over to the Apollo 11 landing site and knock over the American Flag there... Hey, I think the flag already fell over when the LEM took off guys... But that aside - my own feelings are: More Power to the Chinese!! So what if most of their space program has been purchased technology - at least they're doing something!! While the US seems interested in going nowhere in space and the Rooskies are too broke to - at least the Chinese are "Boldly going where others have gone before" - although next time around, they may go someplace new and even more fascinating!!

Think about it now, remembering what happened some 65 million years ago - the Dinosaurs had no space program or any other means to alter their fate - However, We do! But until we humans move out into space and figure out how to colonize or terraform other planets, moons and so on, then no matter what we may do here on Earth, no matter what wonders of art or intellect we may create - We are all, really, just waiting for the Next Big Rock!! • • • JQ...