Ray Bradbury’s now officially part of the galaxy.
It’s almost something out of one of his own tales, but if the master-storyteller belongs to the world, why not the whole dang universe as well, especially up on Mars?
As the Christian Science Monitor reports, Curiosity’s landing site on Mars was recently named “Bradbury Landing,” and for a man who could only imagine the wonders of outer space (and Mars) in his imagination and on the page, wherever he is right now, he’s got to be delighted.
Bradbury Landing was christened on what would have been his 92nd birthday, and it was partly Bradbury’s wonderful imagination that made many want to see what’s beyond our world.
Michael Meyer of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program said, “Today would have been Ray Bradbury’s 92nd birthday, but he’s already reached immortality in his short stories and books. His books have truly inspired us. His Martian Chronicles has inspired our Curiosity.”
Meyer also added that the name Bradbury Landing won by a majority vote among the science team. Other sites on Mars were named after Carl Sagan (Carl Sagan Memorial Station), and the astronauts of the Challenger and Columbia shuttles (Columbia Memorial Station and Challenger Memorial Station).
In the latest issue of Rue Morgue magazine, the cover is also dedicated to Ray Bardbury and his last interview, which he gave to Tim Sullivan.
The interview took place in the fall of 2011, and one of my favorite passages from the interview is Bradbury recommending, “You should never grow up. You should be in love with life.” And although he didn’t believe in the afterlife, he told Sullivan, “You are forever. I am forever. You are the future; you live it. You make it occur.”
Sullivan finally asked Bradbury if he felt he’d ever run out of things he wanted to express. “I’m not old enough yet, no.”
