Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/441527
Voices 8 | Overdrive | January 2015 Members of the human race have landed a spacecraft the size of a refrigerator on a comet the size of New Jersey, which happens to be whizzing through space 310 million miles away. Operators of the device probably can relate to bumping the dock at the copper mine in Baghdad, Ariz., as it also is roughly the size of a refrigerator and about 310 million miles away from anything remotely Earthlike. The original team of sci- entists who sent the Philae probe out on what's known as the Rosetta Comet Mis- sion waited 10 years to see their little package deliv- ered. They can understand what it feels like to be sent out on a "Safeway Grocery Mission" and show up for an appointment with 30 other trucks that have the same appointment time at a distribution center with six open docks. The sci- entists, however, were not asked by comet-dwelling lumpers to provide them with extorted monies to have their goods unloaded. Apparently, the comet isn't union. Yet. This event is truly science fiction turned fact. Scientists and those who write about fantasy science are awed by not needing Bruce Willis to save the planet from deadly asteroids anymore. That is so '90s. Sci-fi writer Alastair Reynolds said, "This is science fiction made real in terms of the achievement of the mission itself, but Rosetta is also taking us a step closer to answering science fiction's grandest question of all: Are we alone?" Alastair could pose the same question after traversing the entryway of Flying J in Phoenix on a blistering hot Friday afternoon, where at any given moment you may run into an argument be- tween someone who thinks he's Jesus and someone who thinks he's an Alpha Centurion. Or a transves- tite Dolly Parton lookalike with boobs that are shaped suspiciously like merchan- dise from the teddy-bear aisle inside the store. There were flaws with the landing – when Philae made impact, it bounced at least twice, and then stuck the landing. And that was all that counts. Who the hell ever has done a double blindside back can argue with that? So it's become pretty obvious: If you're consid- ering another line of work, space exploration is just a lateral move. It requires a lot of the same qualities as trucking: intelligence, skill, patience and – bo- nus – no hours of service regulations. Think there's a driver shortage now? Just wait 'til everyone goes to outer space. Wendy Parker chronicles her journey on the road with her owner-operator husband, George, in the George and Wendy Show blog on OverdriveOnline.com. Scan the QR to read more from her on your phone or tablet. Yes, you could be a space trucker "I would gladly go into space to haul cargo. I might have to dope up my wife to get her on the rocket, though." — Jason Mansfield Via OverdriveOnline.com Think there's a driver shortage now? Just wait 'til everyone goes to outer space. Courtesy of ESA/Rosetta/MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA This mosaic comprises images captured over 30 minutes spanning the first touchdown of the Philae lander as the Rosetta spacecraft was orbiting the comet about 9.6 miles from the surface.