Would you go to Mars?

I recently purchased a years subscription to a battery of Masterclasses.

One of the classes includes instruction by Col. Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut. Whose list of achievements includes installing the Canadarm2 in 2001, Chief of Robotics, CapCom, NASA’s operation in Russia, to piloting a Russian Soyuz. The first Canadian commander of the International Space Station (ISS), to name but a few. He also does not too bad of a cover of 'Space Oddity'.

In some sense, when one sits down to write, I think they take on the challenge of becoming knowledgeable in many areas. They fact check meticulously, or at least they should. It was in this spirit that I thought, what better way to learn more about what I'm attempting to write about. What better way to write better about space, than by learning more about space exploration from the lips of someone who had actually been there.

I've always adored Col. Chris Hadfield, I loved the way he showcased his particular personality and the quirky way he would interact with the Earth, while he was on the International Space Station. So immediately, even though I am attempting to focus on writing, my first Masterclass was his. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

He's a compelling storyteller, and he has an engaging way of expressing how he felt about what he was doing. More resoundingly, I find that his expertise in what he's speaking about is just that. Expert level experience. His explanations are simplistic in nature but meaty enough for those who would like to do more digging.

In one of the forums related to the class, it asks the question 'Would you go to Mars?' I think anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and dreamed of walking on the moon would likely jump at the chance. At least until they got around to thinking of the logistics and practicality of such a journey.

I appreciated Col. Hadfield's breakdown of the necessary qualities of those who went to the ISS or to even be an astronaut. He spoke of the value of having a calm level head, under difficult circumstances. He spoke of personalities and leadership styles. He spoke of the way that an individual must learn to be more of a generalist in the sense of what they know, rather than just one specific area of focus. Yet, each comes with their own particular strengths/skill.

As he continued to speak, I thought 'I’m listening to these inspiring words about 30 years too late.'

While the younger me used to dream of becoming a doctor, she also dreamed of becoming an astronaut. The inability to do mathematics though swayed my decision to not pursue that course.

It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I realized I could actually be successful in math. I needed to approach it differently and have an instructor who could cycle through a number of different ways of teaching it. Mine tended to connect points but skipped steps. The easiest way I can explain it; if we were counting from 1 to 4, I would go from 1 to 4, but I couldn't tell you how I got there. This became apparent to me in some of the later mathematics and physics classes I took. I'd often stay behind and I remember one particular incident where another student and I were listening as the instructor explained a rather complex equation to us.

Within moments of him finishing, I exclaimed 'Oh! I get it', and I started to explain the equation we were using to my fellow student. The Prof confirmed 'Yes, that's correct, but he's not there yet. He needs to make different steps in understanding than you do.' I had always believed my brain was incapable of doing the math, yet not only was it doing it was also doing some of the more complex math found in theoretical physics. He floored me even further with the statement 'S, if you could get your math together, I think I could be looking at the next Nobel Prize winner in theoretical physics. I've never seen anyone make the leaps in understanding you do.' Whether he was sincere or not, I don't really know. However, it did encourage me to keep trying.

So if you happen to read this, and you think you can't do the math, or coursework that requires some heavy math that's a lie. You need a different teacher. Not saying that the teacher you have isn't fabulous, they may just not be able to put complex subjects into a language that you personally can understand.

I found my professor at a local university. Long hair, carpenters jeans and he looked a whole lot like Jesus. I also had a private snicker about that, because I had figured it would require someone who could practically walk on water when it came to teaching me math.

So while I've somewhat deviated from the original question, I wanted to encourage those who may look at this, read the question and think 'I'd love to be an astronaut, I'd love to go to Mars, but I can't do the math.' Let me repeat for emphasis, find someone who can teach you the subjects you are struggling with.

In returning to the topic at hand, Col. Hadfield thinks that those who will populate Mars are currently in school. I tend to agree with him. The ones who will go there will be our children and perhaps even our grandchildren.

So while I would have loved to have gone, I'll leave those goals to the younger generation and do my best to support those curious little minds the best I can.