Photo courtesy of Sarah T. Stewart, UC Davis
Space Unites the World By Sarah T. Stewart
In 1997, I pulled strangers into the street to meet comet Hale-Bopp. Pairs of unfamiliar eyes united on the visitor in the sky.
For decades, I watched robots launch, orbit, and land. United through silent robot eyes, we were now the visitors. Together, we touched the water-lain rocks on Mars. We begged Mercury to reveal its origin. We paused to greet the heart of Pluto. We voyaged beyond the solar system.
In 2017, I pitched a tent and broke fast with fleeting companions. From all over the world, we had migrated to the line of totality. United in alignment, we covered our eyes to see the ethereal petals of the sun.
Today, I scroll, glancing at likes. My eyes blur… tribalism, bigotry, refugees, #MeToo… Are we united?
My eyes focus. I hop, roll, and laugh with princely little landers on Ryugu. Who is smiling with me?
Tonight, with my eyes closed, I will whisper to the dark. Is anyone out there looking for us on Earth? Are we united in a quest to find each other?
“Space Unites the World” is the theme for World Space Week, 4-10 October 2018.
http://www.worldspaceweek.org
Sarah T. Stewart is a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis
