Re: NASA Sending a MESSENGER to Mercury

From: Alfred A. Aburto Jr. (aburto_at_sbcglobal.net)
Date: 07/15/04 

Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 20:41:33 GMT

:-)
Humm, I had the same thought in reading this article too! I'll 69 in 2011
...
Al

>"Jack Harrison" <jack.harrison@virgin.net> wrote in message
news:40f6e126$0$64223$65c69314@mercury.nildram.net...
>
> "Ron" <baalke@earthlink.net> wrote
> >MESSENGER's voyage includes three flybys of
> > Mercury in 2008 and 2009 and a yearlong orbit of the planet starting in
> > March 2011.
>
> I wonder if I am alone in finding this time scale a little depressing.
>
> There are so many discoveries being made at the minute (ammonia = life???
> Mars???) that I might well curl up my toes before the really interesting
> results are available. In 2011, I will be 72. I hope to still be around
> then to find out what Messenger discovers, but these long lead times are a
> little worrying.
>
> I suppose there's a parallel with the old days when building a Cathedral
was
> started in one century but not completed until two hundred years later.
You
> need faith.
>
> If I don't live long enough to find out about our encounter with
> intelligence on Beta Pictoris C/2 (or wherever) than at least on my death
> bed, I will have the knowledge that my own generation was trying (yes, at
> times, very trying)
>
> Jack
>
>

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