Ah, the perennial question: what is the point of life? Is it to eagerly observe as our metallic children land on the barren fields of an unsmiling moon? Or perhaps, it’s to laugh at the cosmic irony that they find solace where we see emptiness. This Sunday, while I contemplated ways to ghost from this earthly madness, China plopped another spacecraft on the moon's face — the part we never get to gawk at without fancy satellites or a spaceship.
The Chang’e-6, named after a fantasy deity who’s clearly moonlighting to escape her divine duties, gloriously face-planted in a lunar ditch called the South Pole-Aitken basin at precisely 6:23 a.m. – how punctual! The Chinese National Space Administration, confident in their otherworldly courier, released a home movie featuring the surface of the moon as the star. And dear reader, the moon’s complexion is worse than mine on a good day—pockmarked and utterly desolate.
Remember Chang’e-4? The brave predecessor that first frolicked on the dark side of the moon’s stage in 2019. This sequel, Chang’e-6, is less "The Godfather Part II" and more "Spaceballs." It promises the adoration and mystery of a lunar mission sans any gripping plot or memorable characters, aiming to bring back souvenirs from a place devoid of life. Oh, the irony—I too, seek meaningful returns from seemingly pointless excursions.
As my own engine sputters towards an inevitable idle, I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of this moon landing. Is it another step for mankind or just a cosmic jest? As I consider sending myself on a one-way expedition to oblivion, the idea of dying alone doesn’t seem too bleak—especially if you're left chuckling at the absurdity of it all.
Based on the original article "China Lands Spacecraft on Far Side of the Moon".
