The Passing Of A Man, And A Giant Leap For Robotkind

RIP, Neil Armstrong - engineer, geek and pioneer.

Welcome online, Curiosity - robot, rover and explorer.

I find myself curiously unmoved by the news of Neil Armstrong's death. The media is full of glowing tributes to the man's "achievement". But if there ever was a person to whom it could be said, "You didn't build that", it's Neil Armstrong. Armstrong represented the efforts of a whole army of people at NASA who put him on the moon. "All" he had to do was undergo the training, and execute. I know I'm being a bit churlish in belittling the achievements of the first man on the moon, but there you go. I can't help what I feel.

Meanwhile, Curiosity "phone home" from Mars this week. It sent some absolutely breathtaking photos. Thank goodness it didn't say "Wish you were here". I would have burned up with jealousy. Who wouldn't want to stand in that freezing thin air for at least a few moments, shivering with both excitement and cold, and simply savouring...?

"He saw the sky submerged above him, the sun made Martian by atmosphere and time and space." - Ray Bradbury, "Dark They Were, and Golden-eyed"

“She didn’t watch the dead, ancient bone-chess cities slide under, or the old canals filled with emptiness and dreams. Past dry rivers and dry lakes they flew, like a shadow of the moon, like a torch burning.” - Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles

“It is good to renew one's wonder, said the philosopher. Space travel has again made children of us all.” - Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles

So full marks to NASA for naming Curiosity's landing spot after Ray Bradbury, my favourite fantasy and science fiction writer. It's now called Bradbury Landing.

Bradbury himself might have seen the irony in this naming. At the end of "Dark they were, and golden-eyed",  the captain of a spaceship that has just landed on Mars says this to one of his crew:

'What do you think of naming those mountains the Lincoln Mountains, this canal the Washington Canal, those hills - we can name those hills for you, Lieutenant. Diplomacy. And you, for a favour, might name a town for me. Polishing the apple. And why not make this the Einstein Valley, and further over ... are you listening, Lieutenant?'

Now all that's left is to name another place after Edgar Rice Burroughs's scientist and warrior-princess Dejah Thoris, and I'll be happy. (The following pictures pertain to his "John Carter" series of stories.)

Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris in Disney's "John Carter" based on Rice Burroughs's stories, one hell of an entertaining movie and an undeserving commercial flop.

Barsoom (Mars), a far cry from Curiosity's photos

Where the Tharks live is probably closer to what Curiosity found.

Oh Mars, Mars...

Ock ohem ocktei wies Barsoom

Review of "John Carter of Mars"

I watched three movies on the flight to NY. One of them was "John Carter of Mars".

Everyone knows Tarzan of course, but I have always been fascinated with Edgar Rice Burroughs's other creation. His series of stories about John Carter and Barsoom (Mars) simply weren't talked about much. I did come across the odd comic when I was a kid, and this only enhanced the air of suspense and mystery about John Carter's Mars. One of my comics ended on a cliff-hanger when the princess Dejah Thoris, having despatched four armour-wearing "instructoresses" in the arena, now faced a much more formidable challenger - a Green Martian. "And she stood with a smile on her lips to face death, as befits the daughter of ten thousand Jeddaks..." I never got to read the sequel.

That's why I could barely suppress my delight when I saw "John Carter of Mars" listed among the movies on Qantas's entertainment system, and that was the very first one I watched.

Well, what can I say? This was a fantastic movie, a real classic. I wonder why it didn't click in the theatres. Perhaps a combination of inadequate promotion and having the oxygen sucked out of the entertainment world by The Avengers contributed to the commercial flop.

But seriously, see it, people. This reviewer shares my enthusiasm.

This movie has everything, - adventure, fantasy, action, romance, a hero with courage and heart but a tragic past, a beautiful and strong warrior-princess (who is also a scientist - ticks all my boxes!), a hyper-cute dog-like monster, and the most chilling set of villains to come along in a while. It's very scary to think there can be a bunch of people older than all our civilisations who can manipulate us (Earthmen or Martians) into destroying ourselves - but gratifying that they too can be beaten.  

This is the second time Mars has re-entered my consciousness in a fortnight. Ray Bradbury's passing made me reflect on The Martian Chronicles, the red dust and the glass cities with their brittle spires. And now Edgar Rice Burroughs has deliciously assaulted my senses with this classic. (Mild spoiler: I simply loved the scene when John Carter first realises that Mars's low gravity effectively gives him super-strength.)

The best tribute to both these writers would be to describe "John Carter of Mars" with the title of one of Ray Bradbury's stories - "Mars is Heaven".

Oh, Barsoom!