Express & Star

Cathy Dobbs on Space, Letby and our dismal summer

Nasa has said that humans will be living and working on the moon within the next 10 years. It sounds unbelievable, like a plot for a movie, but with six space agencies on the case as well as billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos it could actually become a reality.

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Matt Damon in The Martian

But how would it be possible? Thoughts of big domes filled with vegetables spring to mind thanks to Matt Damon’s film The Martian.

Although if you think the cost of living crisis is bad on earth, just think what it would be like on the moon. It seems it would cost $36 billion to support four astronauts for a year.

Here’s one answer – maybe they could trade with earth? After all, how much would you pay to eat an apple grown on the moon? One day lunar veg could be a delicacy enjoyed at posh dinner parties. The host would say things like “Jeremy, are you enjoying the carrots – you know each one was grown on the moon and cost £1,000. Now pass the caviar.”

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We think the Lucy Letby case is finished, but it’s possible it’s only just started. Everyone that followed the court case will have been sickened when hearing of the horrendous acts carried out by the nurse. However, the case is now starting to build for her appeal, with some staticians apparently arguing that more deaths happened when Lucy wasn’t on shift. A website called Science on Trial has been set up and states: “Through fundraising, researching, and legal assistance, we aim to ensure that Lucy Letby can have a fair trial where evidence is reliable. We are currently working to form a group of scientists, lawyers, and activists to aid in the upcoming appeal.” Luckily, we live in a democracy and have an effective judicial system that spent many months considering in detail the Letby case. She has the right to appeal and we must trust that any further legal hearings will be based on fact, just as her trial was, and not idle speculation.

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I wonder if the eco zealots have been disappointed by the summer as they can’t come out with a ‘hottest since records began’ rant. Parents everywhere have been trying to entertain the kids for the last six weeks while dodging the rain and wrapping up in jumpers and coats. You have to ask yourself, where’s a climate crisis and global warming when you need it? Oh well at least us Brits can get back to what we do best – moaning about the weather.

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