As you know, I have been comparing the pandemic experience to Columbus' first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. To the crew, it must have been frightening, intense, and mystical. They were going where no one that anyone knew had ever gone. Some believed in sea monsters, some in the end of the earth. Most, in some sense, believed in fabulously rich spice islands, and that's why they went.
I think that this analogy is reaching the end of its useful life, although it will be interesting to do a final analysis of the two journeys someday. The problem is, that no sea voyage, that anyone survived, ever sailed out of sight of land for a complete year, with no end in sight. It was a different world.
We're a year into our pandemic - the anniversary is today, or next week, or yesterday, or whatever day you believe was the beginning last year. Or March 11, when WHO formally declared a pandemic. But we were already out of sight of land by then.
How long to go? At least six months, maybe a year, depending on how well vaccinations are organized, and how many refuse the jab.
It would take about seven months for a space mission to reach Mars. Seven months isn't even in our rear-view window any more. More like the asteroid belt - maybe around 18 months.
So we're going to the asteroids. Imagine that.
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