April 8th - Clipper

Clipper

No, they will not come as a massed superior army

Of silver-glinting gold, invading, swarming insect like.

Nor in sky darkening ships, defying gravity, floating

Defying belief in god-like silence gloating.

That is the romantic and wonderful,

Born in the 50’s 60’s science fiction pulp.

The realm of A and B rate movies. Gulp!

And Star Wars, Trek, Gate, Troopers true alien

Are not really scientifically salient.

Arthur C would have known,

And Isaac and Robert Anson.

They would have known.

Story-tellers all; they would have known the truth

Tampered by the burgeoning scientific youth.

Aliens, bug eyed; warp travel and wormholes...

Give it another millennia.

Of course Area 52 does not exist.

Well, it does; but not like that.

Messages from the other side of the galaxy?

Not for a long time yet.

The chances of there being alien intelligence are good

But the vastness of space involved are not.

There are too many noughts

On the end of miles distance mechanics.

To make it realistic or relevant yet to think of protoplanets and goldilocks zone dynamics.

But.

There will be contact.

We shall meet alien life.

In my lifetime, inshallah.

No. Not Jodie or Sagan style.

But in just a little while.

In about 2028: the Clipper probe to Europa

Will pass through plumes of gas

And will find signs of basic life.

Then we will know.

We are not alone.