Where there’s no pandemic

Re “Not the time for mission to Mars,” letters, Aug. 2

The letter from a reader who was “disheartened” by an op-ed article about the value of missions to Mars missed the point being made in it about the knowledge, hope, even delight such events can give us.

I look to the endeavors of science for relief from the bombardment of narcissistic outrages on social media and conspiracy-mongering of a grotesquely failed president.

On a planet being consumed by scarcity-based power intrigues, the profound comprehension of a more boundless reality — which is clearly visible in the coverage of the scientists, technicians and NASA astronauts engaged in exploration — can prompt a calming sense of hope through a shift in perception about what really matters and why. David Pabian

Los Angeles