We’ve gone from focusing on global warming to universal cooling. According to Yahoo News, The European Space Agency’s Planck spacecraft has just reached a key step in observing the remnant radiation of the Big Bang. In order to do so, the craft was fitted with technology allowing it to cool down to negative 273.05 Celsius – only .1 Celsius above absolute zero. With this stage complete, it is officially the coldest known object in the universe.

That’s right, the coldest object in space. Not unbelievably impressed? Many aren’t. Although a terrific milestone of astronomy, this recent event hasn’t completely turned over the furniture of our minds yet. Why not? Well, the planet is in the midst of a recession and a pandemic. Threats of terrorism are robbing us of our composure when riding trains and planes. Violence is battering civilians in every corner of the world. Fanatical countries are test launching ballistic missiles and threatening their future use. Many of us don’t exactly have the mental real estate to plot in concern for frigid space launches.

What is even more cold blooded of the European Space Agency is the absurd amount that this project is costing. 700 million Euros (nearly a billion US dollars) is being spent to send this ice tray to the heights of the dark canopy.

So, what can YOU do to stop the European invasion of space? You can play an important role in the protection of our heating and refrigeration systems by becoming a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technician! Due to the onslaught of the European Space Agency, our nation is in desperate need of certified HVAC workers who possess the technical know-how to out-refrigerate the Europeans. Our nation may lag behind in reading, writing, and math , but that doesn’t mean we as Americans can’t have central air.

Now listen, human beings are explorers by nature. We are bound by this quality and it has saved us in our most dire evolutionary hour. Tens of thousands of years ago, during the childhood of our species, our instinct for exploration resuscitated our floundering tribe when our only known home was the African continent. In the savannas of this land mass, the lack of natural resources and an unfavorable climate were speeding us to a blank future. According to Spencer Wells, director of the Genographic Project, at one point “genetic data suggests that the population eventually dwindled to as few as 2,000 individuals. Yes, 2,000—fewer than fit into many symphony halls. We were on the brink of extinction.” It was our ability to push beyond our imaginary limits, to gather and journey to new frontiers, that made today’s argument even possible. If we did not, we would have joined the 99% of all the species to ever exist on Earth in irreversible extinction. I’m regretting it a little.

However, why do we spend on that which cannot save us now? The wilderness of space is the distant tree-line that’s well beyond our means to travel to. Strange and unexplored yes, the heavens hold the answers to questions we’re not ready to ask yet. We do not have dominion of our own castle, yet we continue our effort to expand our empire. Camelot is on fire. The walls of Troy are smashed. Earth is in the middle of several civil wars. Why are we spending billions on what is currently vanity?

The summit of our responsibility is to keep our foundation secure. In our exploration of the immeasurable cosmos, we are dismissing the calculated risks pounding on Earth’s door. Einstein said, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” Perhaps we are exercising this stupidity when we focus on a telescopic, and not a microscopic, view of existence. Space exploration and understanding is vital, but not when our world is dying a death that is not yet terminal. Stephen Hawking said, “I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet. But I’m an optimist. We will reach out to the stars.” Agreed, but we need to reach out to each other to secure tomorrow first.

Help secure tomorrow by becoming a certified HVAC-R technician!