I felt like Cindy Lou Who from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” when she says, “Santie Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?” Because this morning I wanted to know, “NASA, why? Why are you bombing our moon? Why”
Why bomb the moon? The moon is a symbol of love, of mystery, of inspiration. It has been a muse to Dickinson, Yeats, Plath, Thoreau, Rumi, and countless others.
Why bomb the moon? So we have an excuse not to save our own planet? No more tiresome recycling and carbon reductions? If there is water on the moon we can go live there?
Why bomb the moon? So we can destroy another planet?
Why bomb the moon? Do we own it? Oh right, we put our flag there. And to bomb it on the same day President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize is just surreal.
Why bomb the moon? Doesn’t it control the tides? Do we really want to mess with that?
Why bomb the moon? Because boys like to blow things up? I didn’t see any women clapping and high fiving inside the Ames Center this morning. That’s because only 31 percent of NASA personnel at a GS-12 (research positions) or higher are women. Perhaps if there was gender equity in space exploration and aeronautics research someone would have nixed this mission.
Why bomb the moon? Many believe it controls our menstrual cycles. And why, why, why would you want to mess with that?
