In the last 150 years of the Moon Array’s existence, a massive structure mind you, we’ve found some amazing things in the universe. Turns out, space is littered with planets. That’s not anything new of course, they knew that when the first planets were being found 300 years ago. What have we not found though? Everyone knows it. In all the planets, moons, asteroids, solar systems, galaxies, everything we’ve looked at, not one shred of evidence of intelligent life out there.

So what I guess. It gives the religious right some strong ammunition of course. Every year that passes with no sentient life found outside the system is another year the Right grows stronger. I have to admit, it is a bit odd that there’s nothing out there. I’m no scientist but doesn’t some rule state if you take 1% of all stars and 1% of all those that have planets and 1% of all those that have atmosphere’s and 1% of those that have life and 1% of those that have intelligent life, that there would be millions of sentients out there. Who knows. Maybe they are out there but just can’t get here. Maybe there’s solar systems chocked full just like ours is.

I stopped by the science department recently and asked some of the astrophysicists there what they thought. Most thought there was intelligent life out there but we just haven’t found them. Also, it’s only 3,000 earth-like planets. If there are 1 million out there, what we’ve found is very small. And, perhaps we are looking in the wrong place as well. We still are only focusing on the visible spectrum, radio waves and a few other bands in the electromagnetic spectrum. Maybe they talk to each other in something else. If so, they’d be invisible to us.

Whatever the reason, we haven’t found em. And can you imagine what it would be like if we did? There are, right now, nine fully recognized sentients and two more that have petitioned for recognition. I think we have our fill of intelligent life right here in our own back yard. Sure they are all born from the original humans, Primes, but they are still right now wholly and completely separate species.

So, I say, big deal. Stop interrupting my morning news with announcements of newly discovered planets. At least lets hear about the seeder ships that we sent out to those planets or the up coming FTL tests. That’s interesting to us all. If those work we can just go there and find out if life is there or not! You know I’ll be on the first transport to alpha centauri!

Imagine you are sitting somewhere in the Mojave desert. You’ve just strapped on a space suit, kissed your girlfriend and waved to a throng of like minded morons. Now, you are waiting for the inevitable. You wonder how you’ll do. Will your equipment malfunction and you burn? Or will you ride the atmosphere for 60 miles straight down?

A lab coat wearing smart guy waves to you. You stand up, brush yourself off, and walk over to your on personal rocket ride to lower earth orbit. You buckle up, take a deep breath, wait for your green go light, as do your three competitors, and pray. One, two, three, GO. Your pod engine, and yes that is all it is, a capsule sitting on a rocket, blasts off and you get pushed back into your seat with several gravities worth of force.

In just a few minutes you reach low earth orbit at around 60 miles. Your rocket detaches and falls back to earth to burn up in the atmosphere. A sight that you will get to enjoy watching. Your pod seams crack, explosive bolts fire, the sides of your cocoon fall away and there you are, floating in space, with a space suit and a atmosboard.

You’ll hover there for a few minutes. I have to admit, I’ve seen the vids and virtuals, it’s a hell of a view. Beautiful really. But, you aren’t there to take in the view. Your mic goes off and the refs give the go ahead. You and your fellow fallers are to begin your descent. You have to wonder about a race where you get a prize for surviving.

You spin your board, give it a shot of thruster, point yourself towards the ground and hang on to your ass. At first it’s slow. the earth looms large beneath you but it seems as if you’ll never reach it. And then, the race begins.

Imagine a 60 mile ride through compressed atmospheres causing a fireball with you in the middle of it. If you tilt your board at the wrong angle, you burn. This is not a sport for the feint of heart. Now, I know you are asking the same questions I am, why in god’s name would someone do this? The Borealis effect of course. When fallers reach a certain altitude, I forget what it is, they can release packets from their board of highly charged particles. Those particles interact with the upper atmosphere and create a Borealis effect. And, you guessed, it tilt your board, surf the fireball and you can make your own effects. Oh it’s crazy cool alright, crazy insane too.

Ok, ok, all you die hard fans out there are screaming at your vids right now. No,there hasn’t been a death in this sport in a long time.The suits are safe and can survive the burn on re-entry. Fallers rarely get hurt and most are long time veterans at the sport. Still, on a race by race basis, it is the most deadliest sport on earth. I make that distinction mind you, on earth, there are way more deadlier ones elsewhere in the system for sure.

So, the point of all this is, there is no way a sport as dangerous as orbit jumping will make it into the Olympics.  The fact that they insist and demand inclusion is driving me bonkers. It doesn’t matter how safe you think your sport is, it just isn’t. Yes, it is cool. Yes, it is neat to watch the Borealis effect from multiple fallers. But really, how can this possibly be an Olympic sport? If just one mishap occurred, the Olympics may be shut down for another 50 years just like during the 22nd century. That would truly be a shame. Especially since they just decided to include non-terrestrial governments in the mix. I personally feel that the Spatial Olympics is just fine without orbital jumping. It’s a nice addition to Winter and Summer Olympics and is full of enough of danger to keep things interesting without being too dangerous.

In my opinion, Orbit Jumping should be left to the fringe sports category and not included in the main stream. And all you fallers, jumpers, whatever you call yourselves, stop being so pissy about it. You’ve got your sport, it’s legit, you get respect, you get major time on the vids, virtuals and networks. Why do you want to be in the Olympics anyway? Give it a few decades, keep your safty up, don’t whine so much and maybe you’ll get in.