TUESDAY THOUGHTS: THE MOON WON'T MIND written 10/9/2009

It was one of things that you hear, hope you misunderstood, then immediately think that someone, somewhere, has gone too far. 

NASA has plans to fire a missile at the Moon in a few hours. 

On purpose. 

“Oh, don't worry, Earthlings and Moon sympathizers. The Moon gets hit by space debris and rocks all the time— hence the craters. Supposedly, the rocks do way more damage than the missile will, so calm yourselves. The Moon won't mind. It's used to getting hit. It's used to suffering damage. Oh. And it's an old rocket that's carrying the missile, so two birds will be killed with one stone. The rocket will be destroyed, and when the missile violently slams into it, we'll see just what the Moon is made of.”

Now…hold up… just whose permission do you get to willy-nilly attack the Moon like that? 

In the name of Science or not, do you think maybe that someone should have asked you what you thought about it? 

Let's say you're NOT a member of the scientific community. 

Let's say you kinda like the Moon, and can't quite wrap your mind around the idea of someone shooting at it. 

Whose business is it? Who’s speaking up for the Moon?

 

You've never been to the Moon, don't have any friends or family there, but you do recognize that it's been a pretty unproblematic, faithful satellite. 

It quietly reflects the light of the Sun, since it has no light of its own. 

It's beautiful, at least from your vantage point, and as far as you know, it has never harmed anyone. 

It just stays in the sky, and does what it is supposed to do. It's no wonder that people are so curious about it. 

This latest plan, however, seems a little arrogant and mean-spirited. 

Two unmanned spacecraft are poised right now. One will deliberately hit the Moon. The other will examine the debris created from the impact.

I had a silly thought. What if the Moon hits back? What if, after all these years of being impacted upon by debris and rocks, it decides that it has had enough. 

What if the impact is the last straw, and the Moon just leaves its peaceful rotation and retaliates? What if it just starts wilding out, and spitting back all kinds of stuff because it has been wounded so deeply? 

One more crater won't matter, right? 

It's the Moon, after all.

After all these years, does it even feel the blows anymore? 

Are the wounds of the Moon so characteristic, that no one cares or hears as it is so violently assaulted? Does it groan like the Earth, or has it resigned that daily abuse is a way of life? 

Will the Moon mind being hit one more time? 

Would it be justified it it hit back? 

Will it forgive like it always does? 

More than likely, it will keep showing, and sharing only a small part of itself while keeping a dark side hidden away. 

With the help of the Sun, it will keep on shining- wounds and all.

We’d better hope it doesn’t mind.