6 August 1945. The day on which science helped deliver atomic catastrophe on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
6 August 2012. The day on which science delivered its exploration rover, Curiosity, onto the surface of Mars.
Sixty seven years on from the supreme criminal action ordered by American president Harry S Truman, a more peaceful craft has landed its more benign payload.
The significance of such may be lost on those who still view 'necessary aggression' and scientific exploration as two distinct issues.
But it's worth considering on this landmark day just how little the terrifying technology and threat of Western-led bombing has changed, notably now against Iran, while other Western science has forged ahead in its more fascinating quest to understand and appreciate life, even in its extraterrestrial form.
While one, the science of militarism, is still obsessed with developing ways of wiping out civilian populations, the more beautiful science of discovery offers us, at least, a little more hopeful glimpse of what may exist across our wondrous universe.
To the greater rejection of unwarranted and merciless state bombing.
To the greater illumination of conditions and life beyond our tiny, war-driven planet.
To the thoughtful remembrance of the sacrificed souls of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
John
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