Winterfam

2021 is almost over? It still seems strange to be living through years that don't start with the number nineteen! Looking back, though, there have been some incredible achievements this year that have already or soon will change our lives forever.

Here are my top 3; I would love to know yours!

When SpaceX's prototype fully reusable orbital rocket took to the skies on May 5th 2021 and made it back down safely, all my birthday wishes came true. I'm incredibly excited for the future of this craft, as I think everyone should be. It will achieve truly historic feats over the next decade, which could fill a top ten of its own. Returning humans to the moon, for good, will enable science we cannot do here on Earth to happen. Starship will make spaceflight more accessible to everyone relatively cheaply and rapidly so that ultimately, it becomes an everyday thing. Then, taking the first humans to Mars to begin building a city, creating a second homeworld for us to cherish will possibly be the most important thing humans ever do.

A crisis brings out the best in our species. At the pandemic's start, many technologies such as rapid testing that we all now use routinely existed but were not part of our daily lives. When the first vaccines for the novel Coronavirus began to appear, who would have dreamt of the global efforts we would go on to see. The tireless work and sacrifice of the people helping to provide jabs are as inspiring as the scientific innovators that created the vaccines in record time. Thanks to our ability to collaborate for a common purpose, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'd say that we are a better, more prepared civilization because of the way we rose to the challenge of mother nature's latest trial.

NASA flew a helicopter drone by remote control on another planet? Need I say more? The footage of the sky crane landing (look it up if you haven't seen it!)  was like something from a movie – complete with a Dan Brown hidden message. Then days later, after the helicopter deployed from the Perseverance rover to see the tiny aircraft take flight, hover and land on the surface of another world was indeed draw dropping. The path opened up by this technology could lead to moons like Titan, which orbits Saturn. In years to come, we will be able to soar over methane oceans, making extraordinary discoveries that further unlock the secrets of the Universe we inhabit.

There are many more milestones we could cover. China's ongoing moon rover work, the DART mission to experiment with asteroid deflection, Inspiration 4, Blue Origin's NS missions and Virgin Galactical and Oribital's flights are all remarkable strides forward.

So have a family chat tonight about what we've managed to do in 2021 and, more importantly, what you plan to do in the years to come.

One of the things I am most proud of, which has brought me great satisfaction and enjoyment during 2021, is writing a new short story called The Starling King. It's a prequel to The Science of Santa Claus and let me revisit my childhood trip to communist Romania. A visit that had a profound effect on me inspired telling this story of crashed sputniks, spies and saviours. By clicking the link above, you'll get exclusive FREE access to a Beta version of the work, which I would be honoured for you to enjoy and give me feedback on. Just a few minutes of your time a day, will mean the world to me. Why not make it part of the bedtime read routine?

That’s all for now – but thanks again and let me wish you all very happy new year!

M G