I recently saw—don’t ask where—a U.S. Space Force officer dressed in camouflage. How fitting for a Trump-era agency. I should think a Space Force uniform should be all black, maybe with little white dots on it. Rather like my black lawn furniture that got in the way when I was cleaning my paint sprayer full of white paint. I often wonder about our love affair with feeling safe. Perhaps my own phobias have reached such a level that they’ve cancelled each other out. If I was trying to hide in space, I think I’d try to look small, and dress in black. Camouflage, which is based on colors found down here, probably wouldn’t do so well for the other planets of our solar system. Or even the moon, for that matter. And I personally think I might trust the aliens not to have earth-like issues. After all, we think it’s okay to let machines think for us.
I grew up quite the sci-fi fan. I read lots of books in that genre and enjoyed science fiction movies almost as much as my beloved monsters. I used to watch that show, UFO in the 1970s. The one with the interceptors with a huge missile on their noses. I wasn’t really worried about aliens trying to invade. Perhaps these days I think it might be better than the tedium of daily existence in the 9-2-5 world. In any case, if we must have a Space Force, ought they not dress for the job? I’m pretty sure I’ve got some tin foil in the kitchen with which to construct my hat. Let’s look the part—that’s all I’m saying.
Photo credit: NASA
" data-orig-size="800,577" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-image-title="Pleiades_large" data-orig-file="https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" width="800" data-medium-file="https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg?w=300" data-permalink="https://steveawiggins.com/2017/05/26/human-omniscience/pleiades_large/#main" alt="" height="577" srcset="https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg 800w, https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg?w=150 150w, https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg?w=300 300w, https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg?w=768 768w" class="wp-image-11252" data-large-file="https://steveawiggins.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pleiades_large.jpg?w=800" />Photo credit: NASAWhile all this is going on speculation has been growing about water on Mars. There’s a good chance we may find it. (We can always hope that if Elon Musk makes it to the red planet that he will take Donald Trump with him.) If we are looking for invaders, though, we probably have to go further afield. That’s alright, dynamic duo, we’ll get along without you. Perhaps in the interim someone will realize that, dressed in earth green camouflage, our Space Force will surely stand out against the surface of Mars, or wherever they might go. Unless it’s a planet very much like earth. That houses intelligent life. Maybe the beings there feel safe, knowing that their space force—for surely they will have one—is dressed in black. Or at least, their life really is intelligent.
