Scientists plan to build 'doomsday ark' on the moon |
World |
Written by Chris Perver |
Thursday, 13 March 2008 05:36 |
Last year scientists announced that they were putting the finishing touches to a storage facility which would provide protection for the biodiversity of plant life on this planet in the event of cataclysmic disaster. Buried under hundreds of feet of solid rock on a remote island within the Arctic Circle, the facility has been designed to withstand the ravages of climate change and even thermo-nuclear war. It's been called the 'doomsday vault' and the 'Noah's ark for plants'. But up until now there hasn't been a 'Noah's ark for people', at least not in the worldly sense of the word. Well that may be about to change. Within the next decade, scientists working for the International Lunar Exploration Working Group hope that a 'Noah's ark for people' could be constructed, this time on the moon. The idea is, that in the event that some global catastrophe wipes out civilization, such as an asteroid impact, accelerated climate change or thermo-nuclear war, our civilization could be rebuilt from the information stored in this remote facility. Quote: ""A basic version of the ark would contain hard discs holding DNA sequences and instructions for metal smelting and planting crops. It would be buried in a vault just under the lunar surface, where it would be tended by robots. Transmitters would send the data to heavily protected receivers on Earth in the event of a catastrophe. If no receivers survived, the ark would continue transmitting the information until new ones could be built. According to the article, the European Space Agency is already preparing experiments aimed at discovering whether or not plant life could survive in a biosphere on the lunar surface. If their experiments prove successful, scientists postulate that it may be possible for this archive of human civilization to be expanded into a genetic vault of life from earth. Over the past few nights I have been watching the film Planet of the Apes. In the film, four astronauts are sent by the United States of America to begin a new colony on some remote planet. Thousands of years pass on Earth, while for the astronauts who are travelling at near light speed, time passes very slowly. Eventually the astronauts land on what they first believe to be an uninhabited planet, but later discover to be their own planet some 2000 years in the future. The astronauts find that civilization has been wiped out by nuclear war, and that Earth is now governed by a race of highly evolved apes. I enjoyed watching the film. But it is of course heavily influenced by evolutionary and atheistic ideology, as is today's news... Quote: "Dr Foing says that although there is no evidence that an asteroid is currently on a collision course with Earth, craters on Earth and the moon "indicate that asteroid strikes have occurred often" over the lifetime of the solar system. "The damage to the Earth's environment from a large impact can be catastrophic, with fatal consequences for life. It is widely believed that the dinosaurs went extinct because of such an impact event 65 million years ago. " I must admit I am fascinated with the idea of exploring the far reaches of the universe and the possibility of travelling to other planets. In my mind, that is a desire God has created within the human heart, to search out all the things that He has created (Proverbs 25:2, Ecclesiastes 1:13). And the Lord has given us the authority to subdue His creation and to take dominion of it (Genesis 1:28). But unfortunately today's news reveals the fallen side of man's nature... a belief that this universe has been created by mindless evolutionary processes, that there is no loving God that cares for His creation, and that ultimately man is in control of his own destiny. These things could not be further from the truth. Man's efforts at self-preservation are ultimately futile, for God is in complete control of world events, and will not let man destroy himself. Men would also rather believe that there is no God, and that that this 'Noah's ark for people' will secure the future of the human race. They will not come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the real 'Noah's ark for people', the One Who's side was opened wide for you and me. Of course while God will preserve mankind in keeping His promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:16), He will judge this world for its wickedness, and this world and all its works will be burned up (2nd Peter 3:10). Mankind's future does not lie in colonizing the moon or indeed any other planet. For after this world is burned up by fire - following the thousand year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4), God will create new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness (Isaiah 65:17, 2nd Peter 3:13). Then the saved of earth will be able to enjoy God and His creation for eternity. Life was not created by mindless, evolutionary processes, but life is meaningless when you don't know the Creator. His name is Jesus Christ. Come to Him for salvation today. John 1:10-12 Source Telegraph |
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