The greatest countdown in 4th grade history being topped (grrrrrrr 😡😡😡😡)
and
its rendezvous with Mars once thrilling a fourth-grade me...
The only time I ever wrote a letter and got one in return is in the 4th
grade, when Mr. Futchko had us choose a planet and write to NASA with
questions. I asked about Mars ("Hi NASA. What's Mars like? By the way, I'm not gonna be 36 and alone, right?"),
and a coupla weeks later BLAM! a little packet with a bunch of pictures
from I think Voyager's 1976 passing of Mars. It was unbelievable.
...so much I'd use use the moment 40 years later in my second book:
He told them how he’d been in love with her since they were in Mrs. Harris’ fourth grade social studies class, how she’d helped him choose Mars as the planet he’d write to NASA to ask for information about, and that when he got a package of photos of Mars from the Voyager space probe, he knew they were meant to be together. Sure, the two of them never actually spent any time together after that; she would go on to high school at St. Margaret’s while he went to the public high school and their social paths never seemed fit to cross, but Tim always felt that if Todd freakin’ Blanton could cross the Rubicon then goddammit, he could too.
Sadly, they think that by 2026 we'll lose any connection to either Voyager and they'll be lost to us forever; happily, you can keep up minute-by-minute on its NASA website.
Thank you, Voyagers.
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