I would love to see humans walk on Mars. For a long time—especially when I was a kid—it felt like a certainty that I would see it happen in my lifetime. After the Challenger disaster, that dream felt shelved. Only now, with the U.S. returning to crewed deep-space missions, does there feel like an outside chance I might live long enough to see someone set foot on the Red Planet.
The Cost of the Final Frontier
It’s complicated, of course. Crewed spaceflight is inherently political, and that baggage bothers me. It’s the same frustration I feel with the Olympics: the cognitive dissonance of claiming to act “for all mankind” while simultaneously planting a national flag. I understand national pride, but there is a disconnect between the rhetoric of unity and the reality of competition. That said, I suspect the path to Mars won’t be paved by one country alone; the sheer, astronomical cost will force a truly international endeavor, much like the International Space Station.
I’ve been thinking about the “one-way ticket” volunteers—people ready to leave Earth forever. If I were 25, with no strings and no roots, I’d like to think I’d take that adventure. It would be one hell of a story. But the reality of space isn’t just the romantic, majestic imagery we see in films. Space is cold, lonely, and physically overwhelming in a way that’s hard to conceive. Even the act of moving to South Carolina with my then-wife felt daunting; I can’t fathom the isolation of being cut off from everyone and everything I’ve ever known.
The Parallel of Starting Over
Perhaps that’s the real parallel between exploring the final frontier and the process of rebuilding a life: the endurance required. People often ask if there’s a connection between my writing this blog and the “space guy” I’ve always been. There is. Starting over is tempting, but starting from absolute zero is a terrifying, lonely process. It requires a level of grit I didn’t think I possessed when I started this journey.
I didn’t think I had it in me to write every single day for over 1,000 days. I thought it would be a sprint, but it became a routine—a necessary, quiet endurance. Some might worry that by making it a routine, it loses its “magic,” but I’ve realized that the ultimate journey of exploration isn’t found in the stars or the reach of a rocket. It’s found within.
When you strip away the spaceships, the special effects, and the plastic makeup, the best science fiction is just stories about people—their isolation, their resilience, and their need to find meaning in the void. My own “voyage” has been the same. It turns out the most difficult terrain to navigate isn’t the cold vacuum of space; it’s the quiet, often lonely work of clearing space for yourself when you decide to start over.
Some might worry that making this a daily routine cheapens the journey. I see it differently. The consistency isn’t the routine; the consistency is the exploration. And I’m still learning that the view from inside is just as vast as anything we might see on Mars.”
What about you? If you could witness one leap for humanity—whether it’s stepping onto a new planet or solving a problem right here at home—what would it be? Or, if you’re currently on a journey of your own, what’s the ‘final frontier’ you’re trying to navigate right now?
If you enjoyed reading “Dreaming of Mars,” see where that headspace landed in my latest reflection, “Between Pride Rock and the Plains”.
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Whether I’m on the road beyond 1000 days of blogging or reflecting on the decade of work that brought me here, the mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
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The article “The Final Frontier Is Within: Why We Still Dream of Mars” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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