when rubber duck met washing machine

I couldn’t let today pass without acknowledging what humankind can do when it really gets its act together. I take my hat off to a bunch of guys who landed a probe on the surface of a comet; rock and awe.

Here are the key facts:

Comet 67P
More than four billion years old
Mass of 10 billion tonnes
Hurtling through space at 18km/s (40,000mph)
Shaped like a rubber duck


Philae lander
Travelled 6.4 billion km (four billion miles) to reach the comet
Journey took 10 years
Planning for the journey began 25 years ago
Shaped like a washing machine

So much in the news fills me with gloom; this fills me with hope. If we can do this, then we can do anything. Like devise a system whereby you can get to see your GP without a 4 week wait.

Compared with the comet, this geode is just a baby, perhaps a million years old at most. Not having access to a comet, it’s the best I can do in the time available.