REMEMBER the comics we read as a kid. The likes of Buck Rogers, Speed Gordon and Brick Bradford who pioneered space exploration in their rocket ships by visiting other planets.
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It was stuff we loved but took with a grain of salt because there was no way you could believe people hopping in a space ship and flying to the moon, Mars or Pluto.
But it’s all happened. We’ve walked on the moon, put space stations in orbit and landed the rover Curiosity on Mars while NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has scooted past Pluto and sent back photos.
Astronomers hunting for another earth have found what may be the closest match yet, a rocky planet circling its star at the same distance as we orbit the sun.
The CSIRO has just signed a multi-million dollar deal to use the Parkes radio telescope to look for life on the closest stars to earth, beyond the Milky Way and into other galaxies, covering 10 times more of the sky than previous programs.
So will they find any little green men out there?
And will the pictures of Pluto show weather-beaten signs displaying messages like “weekly red garbage bins under fire”, “no pipeline”, “humans go home”, “power charges through the roof”, “turn back the rockets”, “no airport industrial area” or “look out for potholes”?
The pics might even show some empty beer cans, Macca’s or KFC rubbish.
But whatever scientists learn about Mars and Pluto, the outer space achievements do Buck Rogers, Speed Gordon, Brick Bradford and Co proud, considering they were doing these things back in 1929 and bringing into popular media the concept of space exploration.
Buck Rogers might still be out there somewhere battling hostile species he met including the Tiger Men of Mars and if he or ET call earth the radio telescope at Parkes will be listening.
Orange a hot spot for aliens
TALKING about little green men, while the Parkes telescope is searching for outer space aliens it should spend some of the time pointed over Orange.
The UFO experts, who many people say also believe in fairies at the bottom of the garden, claim Orange is on a crossover-point on plotted routes of flying saucers that’s been established by a grid system set up by “approved” sightings.
They say the UFOs fly in straight lines and turn at angles of 45 and 90 degrees with flight paths about 15 kilometres apart on a triangular pattern.
Other crossover points in the district, the experts say, are near Newbridge, Cargo, Molong and Canowindra.
So every now and then little green men from outer space apparently fly down to check us out in their bell-shaped, disc-shaped or cigar-shaped flying saucers that usually hover 200m above the ground before speeding off in a loud roaring noise.
Flying saucer sightings tend to provoke cynicism but those of us inclined to dismiss UFO watchers as geeky conspiracy theorists or people who spend too much time in the pub might now have to take some of this stuff a bit more seriously.
A sign from above
HAVE you noticed the flash new bus stop signs just put up in Orange?
Some of the major stops like outside Myer, Hotel Canobolas and the Summer Centre have signs similar to Sydney that show the timetables.
They’re blank here so will they soon have timetables added so people will know when to catch, say, the 537 to Orange hospital.
The revamp hasn’t included painting boxes on the road at bus stops with a high incidence of illegal parking that restricts bus access.
A mountain to climb
THERE must be a way to avoid the closure of the road to the top of Mount Canobolas when it’s covered in snow.
The mountain is a district attraction and visitors who come to see the snow are disappointed to find the road is shut.
Four-wheel drives at least should be allowed.
Apparently it’s the SES that makes the decision and this month with the best falls for years the road was closed even before the snow came.
There’s been lots of tourism development plans for the mountain through the years including the construction of artificial ski slopes and restaurants although none has gone ahead.
And Cabonne Shire Council staff have been chasing government money to seal the road but don’t seem to be having much luck.
Like the Orange-Mudgee road it’s probably in the too-hard basket.
Maybe the mountain should come under the control of Orange City Council.
Pulling a fast one
SOME of our aggressive Orange drivers are still taking short-cuts through petrol station driveways rather than waiting for lights to turn green.
They duck through the corner of the United driveway from Byng Street to Woodward when the lights are red and through the Shell station from Summer Street to Sale Street.
There’s usually enough traffic in the driveways as it is with cars going in all directions without some idiot tearing through there for a short-cut.
Confederate flag goes south
THE divisive confederate flag has gone from South Carolina's State House and locked up for keeping in a museum.
The flag has been a focal point of controversy in South Carolina, birthplace of the confederacy, since it was raised in the early 1960s in defiance of the civil rights movement then sweeping the US.
Thousands gathered at the State House to cheer the removal of the red, white and blue civil war-era battle flag, regarded by many as a bitter symbol that had no place in modern America.
So it’s interesting to note there’s lots of Aussie groups including rebel motorcycle clubs, hot rod clubs and even in Orange a hockey club that use the confederate name. Some have adopted the flag as a club logo.
Will they now follow the Americans and rid themselves of this civil war controversy?
Let me off the hook
St Peter stops a man at the pearly gates.
“You’ve told too many tall stories for me to let you in,” he tells the man.
“Have a heart,” he replies. “Remember you were once a fisherman yourself.”