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Elon Musk wants Mars. We all should

An interplanetary mission may be a balm for our cynical times

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We need not be earthbound forever. Photo: iSTOCK

Stephen L Carter | Bloomberg
“He awoke — and wanted Mars.”
 
That’s the first line of Philip K Dick’s classic novella, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, the inspiration for the Total Recall films. I first came across the story in a sci-fi anthology back in high school, and I can remember the force of the yearning the words roused in me: I wanted Mars, too. After all, men had just walked on the moon and everybody knew Mars would be next.
 
Well, the moon landing will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in two years, and human beings haven’t even tried to