Photographer Unknown

I’m GEN X- so you can be sure that on Saturday mornings I was laying on my belly  in front of the TV with my bowl of cereal watching cartoons until American Bandstand came on- at which point I was done with the TV for the rest of the morning.

I had loads of favorites back then, but I have to say that if I had to pick my absolute favorite, it was Scooby Doo because I loved dogs and I loved ghost stories.

I also thought it was great that that Scooby and Shaggy always found a fully stocked kitchen and snacks in abandoned haunted houses.

On the other hand, I thought it was a cheat and a disappointment  that the ghosts and monsters were never real. They were always crooks on the run.

Oh well. I could watch spooky movies on Nightmare Theatre to even things out so that was ok.

I also loved the Jetsons because there were space ships and robots and a dog named Astro in that cartoon, plus the George and Astro reminded me of grownup versions of Scooby and Shaggy.

I guess if there was a dog involved, I was going to watch the cartoon. I had a one track mind back then. I also loved snappy theme songs and both cartoons had that going on too.

From the moment Astro was introduced to viewers, it was clear that he was more than just a typical robot. With his ability to walk, talk, express emotions, and even perform tricks, Astro became an integral part of the Jetson family. His unique blend of robotic abilities and genuine canine characteristics made him an endearing character that both children and adults fell in love with.

My granddaughter introduced me to a cartoon called ” Bluey ” which is about a family of dogs ( the more things change, the more they stay the same hahahaa).

The stories are really good and two of my favorite characters are two Grannies portrayed by Bluey and sister Bingo.

They’ve done a few episodes with Janet and Rita and my favorite from  line from Janet and Rita’s adventure is,  ” I slipped on mah  beans! ”

Yes. Yes I am a simple creature.

A very simple creature who likes dogs and cartoons.

Data visualization of the Sun from the Moon as seen from Hadley Rille, the Apollo 16 landing site. The topography and shadows are scientifically accurate. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Ernie Wright

The thing about Space Travel isn’t the cost it would take to get  you to the Moon or to Mars ( I’m down with that, I’ll explain more later ).

This isn’t about money.

If you want to travel to a place like The Moon, or Mars, or one of Jupiter’s  or Saturn’s Moons the question is:

How many YEARS of your life would you be willing to pay  to make those trips?

If you were able to take a trip to Mars today the cost would be  2-3 years of your life. If you traveled to Titan, the current travel time based on the our existing technology  would be seven years. So we are talking about a hefty price tag of 14-16 YEARS.

So the question is, would you pay almost sixteen years of your life to rocket to Titan and orbit around Saturn? Would it be worth the chance to see and touch a new world? To be part of a journey that would change the way humanity sees their place in the Universe? To look up into a sky that human eyes have ever taken in? Maybe even see a new life form in it’s natural enviorment?

Titan orbits Saturn in this Cassini image.

Here is my answer, it’s simple.

If I could take my dog with my I’d leave for Titan or Mars TONIGHT.

All dogs go to Mars!