Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

Four Russians, a German and a Frenchman Walk Into a Hermetically Sealed Tube...

Tuesday July 14th marked the end of an important early stage in the ambitious Mars-5oo project. Six Europeans spent 105 days in a hermetically sealed tube in Moscow meant to simulate conditions that might be experienced by astronauts traveling to Mars. While sequestered they conducted experiments, tended to their garden and watched "Lord of the Rings". This 3 and 1/2 month "voyage" was a build up to longer simulations that will be used to gauge the best way to prepare future traveler for the physically, mentally and socially challenging journey to the red planet. To that end, the Mars-500 call for candidates listed "Personal or family history of psychological disturbance or disease, which could adversely affect data or increase risk to the subject during the study" as one possible reason for exclusion from the experiment. Nobody wants to see a "Silent Running"-esque meltdown when the actual Mars expedition takes place.

The idea that perfectly rational, level headed people are the stewards of space travel is put to the test in Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle. Here we learn about the enigmatic co-founder of Jet Propulsion Laboratories and Aerojet Corp who associated with Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard and participated in occultist activities as leader of the Agape Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis. The cutting edge science that Parsons engaged in as a member of Caltech's "Suicide Squad" was emblematic of a time when humanity's potential seemed to be growing exponentially and Parsons applied this fearless experimentation to cultural matters with rare passion. Strange Angel documents the success that his imagination and skill made possible and delves into the fascinating and bizarre personal life fueled by that same ambition and creativity.

John Whiteside Parsons was eventually killed in an explosion but his writings provide some insight into a life that defied social convention. His collection of essays Freedom Is a Two-Edged Sword provides some insight with passages such as, "The truth, that is the truth about the immediate aspect of some culture, is always different from the accepted values and alleged truths of the culture. This truth is then irritating, annoying, upsetting, and highly dangerous." The truth is dangerous but so is messing with mercury fulminate in your home laboratory. Parsons' untimely death lends an air of intensity to Freedom but even without the mystery surrounding his demise this read sheds some light on an era in American history that typically is seen as rigid and conformist but must have necessarily contained the seeds for the social upheaval that occurred in following decades.

Certainly the six Mars-500 participants (the aforementioned four Russians, a German and a Frenchman) who spent fifteen weeks sharing 550 cubic meters experienced a greater test of personal freedom than most of us will face in our lifetimes but the experiment was equally about creating a self-reliant environment. Some might argue that those qualities, personal freedom and self-reliance, are inextricably inter-related. To that end I include here, The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living as edited and compiled by Walter Szykitka. In these 600+ pages the reader will find all the information necessary for living off the grid and/or seamlessly integrating effectively with society. Looking for tips on how to find a source of water in the desert? How about choosing between renting or buying a house? Either way The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living has you covered. Go forth and do what thou wilt!