Into The Deep Beyond
Carmelo Rafala
I have been an avid follower of the Voyager spacecrafts since they were first launched in 1977. It was the middle of a new age of robotic missions to the planets of the Solar System, and as a boy hooked on space travel and other worlds I was intrigued by their mission.
When the first images of Jupiter came back from the probe I was gobsmacked. So was the scientific community. The colours and the clarity were striking. There were clouds, moving, swirling in colour and storms raging, with mouths that could swallow the Earth without any difficulty.
And don’t get me started on those images of Saturn. The rings never looked so clear and inviting. The beauty and the majesty overwhelmed my senses—and my sense of wonder! Uranus and Neptune followed, and what we have learned from these rugged little probes is how wonderful and inspiring our Solar System truly is.
And what lies out there? In the deep beyond? Only the Voyager probes will ever know. Well, at least until we get out there.
As of August 2012, the Voyager One probe officially left the Solar System and entered the interstellar medium, and will spend the better part of 30,000 years passing through the Oort Cloud before beginning a journey that will take it within 1.6 light years of the star Gliese 445.
Man has left the Solar System, metaphorically speaking. In a way, I feel a little like that probe.
As of this issue, I have decided to step aside as Managing Editor. To do what? Explore.
Like the men and women who studied the information sent back by those probes, I have learned a lot, loved reading good stories, and enjoyed the ride.
Driven by my sense of wonder, I will take to other avenues, explore other realms of publishing and the excitement of various “secret projects”.
I am grateful to Wendy for allowing me to sit in the Big Chair. I will cherish the memories, and continue to live in awe of the magic that is Abyss& Apex. But it’s time to go to a-roving once more. I cannot resist the pull of the unknown.
And hopefully I will see you around.
Out there.
In the deep beyond.
