© 2024 KVNF Public Radio
THE ROAD THAT GOT US HERE...
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Western Slope Skies - Astronomy of Hope

NASA

Western Slope Skies for December 23 and 28, 2022:  “Astronomy of Hope” 

Looking back through the episodes of Western Slopes Skies since 2015, I realized that I’ve written features for the end of the year numerous times. I enjoy taking stock of the year – and celebrating all that has happened.

Here's why I think 2022 was a big year in the history of astronomy and why there is hope for the future.

The 50th anniversary of the last time humans set foot on the moon - Apollo 17. The mission is noted for having the only geologist to walk on the moon - Harrison “Jack” Schmitt. He was part of the first group of astronauts that were primarily scientists. Proving scientists could be “very competent astronauts” Schmitt opened the door for others to join the ranks of NASA, furthering our understanding of many aspects of space. Another important part of the Apollo 17 mission was a photo - the blue marble. Being almost as old as this image, I can remember it plastered everywhere growing up. Even at a young age, I seemed to grasp just how small we are in the span of the Universe thanks to this picture. It had a huge effect on the budding environmental movement of the 1970’s and to this day is one of the most reproduced images of all time.

When commander Eugene Cernan climbed the ladder as the last person on the moon he said: “We leave as we came, and God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind,”. Which leads us to ….

The Orion Spacecraft! Even if only filled with a crew of mannequins this time around, Orion had a successful test trip to the moon and back again in 2022. This recent trip also snapped a photo of the Earth, this time with the moon, that will last through the ages much like the blue marble has from 1972. What will it inspire in the people of Earth? What will we think of it fifty years from now?

Writer Wallace Stegner referenced what he called “the geography of hope” when working to protect areas of wilderness in the 1960’s. He said all the pieces that make up our wild spaces are important for all people even if they never set foot in them. “For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures…”

Perhaps 2023 can bring the hope of astronomy. Take a moment to look up and wonder, to get out and enjoy these dark places our country has preserved. But if you can’t physically get here, enjoy them from afar, online, in books, wherever you can and remember that even if we don’t set foot in space, what happens up there is still important to our sanity as creatures and to our hope for the future.

You’ve been listening to Western Slope Skies, produced by the Black Canyon Astronomical Society and KVNF Community Radio. This feature was written by Nick Myers and voiced by Art Trevena.

Links for Reference

Artemis I – Flight Day 26: Orion splashes down, concluding historic Artemis I mission – Artemis (nasa.gov)

Blue Marble - Image of the Earth from Apollo 17 | NASA

Wallace Stegner - Wilderness Letter — Wallace Stegner House