The highlight of a trying last week for many—with emphasis on light—was unprecedented far-side-of-the-moon shots from Artemis II, which launched on my birthday for a historic mission that broke space exploration records. The awe and joy this voyage brought, including the sheer humanity, brilliance, and decency of character displayed by its fabulously diverse crew, cannot be understated.
The first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, with four astronauts including two girl-dads, a Canadian, a female, and a Black pilot. It set a record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth, paving the wave for Artemis III, when a woman will land on the surface of the moon for the first time. Ever.
Despite that—or perhaps because of it—there were the inevitable attempted detractors which, in one particular MAGA social media gaff, tickled my funny bone—in addition to my snorts of derision—because it involved a subject covered in my third Other Worldly novel, Aliens Abound, published five years ago in March 2021.
Therein, Rowan Layne travels into space for the first time—to none other than Earth’s moon. Upon arrival, the alien spaceship deliberately lands where those on Earth cannot see them disembark. Which is what many still think of as the “dark side” of the moon. In their defense, “The Dark Side of the Moon” is the name of a great song—on its 1973 album of the same name—by Pink Floyd.
This space travel in Aliens Abound, which I did not at all anticipate when I first began drafting Alienable Rights in 2017, inevitably required research to make that happen in my otherworldly fictional realm. Which is how I learned the technical aspects of why there is no dark side of the moon. Back to that in a moment.
Unfortunately, despite the momentous occasion of Artemis II’s nine-day lunar flyby mission, gobsmacking MAGA stupidity will always find a way to show its ignorant dark side, seeing themselves as cleverly zeroing in on a government “conspiracy.” Indeed, the hubris of hapless humans in real life is a subject that never stops delivering fodder for fiction.
This week, a notorious MAGA female whose name I don’t recall (and don’t want to know anyway) posted one of the awe-inspiring and stunning Artemis II photos of a side of the moon seen for the very first time. Was she awed? Not in the least. Because these miserable MAGA folks just have to be kneejerk killjoys.
Accompanying this historic photo was her asinine inquiry as to where the light shining on the moon was coming from. As if it were some sort of ingenious gotcha. Please. Some people will do anything for attention, including making complete ignoramus fools of themselves by claiming anything they don’t like or can’t possibly comprehend to be fake.
Hence, this insipid idiocy will probably make it’s way into my next book, but for those who are curious about details regarding why there’s no actual dark side of the moon, here’s an excerpt from Aliens Abound:
“The [moon] spins on its axis every 27.3 days. It’s that orbital period that keeps the same side of the moon facing Earth, keeping it tidally docked.”
“And keeps one side of the moon always dark?”
“There’s not actually a dark side of the moon. It’s the far side, or backside, as in it is the farthest from Earth and is not ever seen. But when the moon is between Earth and the sun during the new moon phase, the far side is bathed in daylight.”
And there you have it. Bathed in daylight. Just as we who appreciate the moon and this marvelous accomplishment of NASA are bathed in awe and respect. For those who can see the wonder of what Artemis II and its delightful crew just did, I salute you. It’s been uplifting seeing so many folks of all ages on social media captivated by this space travel, and finding hope in humanity as a result.
This mission also provided jaw-dropping and heartfelt images of our home planet. For Aliens Abound, I had to imagine how Rowan Layne felt, gazing at Earth for the first time from a distance. It was one of the more inspired challenges in writing my novels.
As the Artemis II crew said: “You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike than we are different.”
I’ve continued to watch short clips of Artemis II in space, as well as view the photos, including the spectacular splashdown when they arrived safely back on Earth. Anyone else get a tear in their eye and breathe a sigh of relief? Of course we did. This mission has been a joyful gift that keeps on giving for those of us with hearts open to enlightenment and love for the bright side of humanity. Not to mention love for the moon itself.