That Circuitous Fastest Path…

For years I've been fascinated by the ingenuity of rocket scientists and space navigators who came up with a brilliant idea that made long-distance interplanetary travel possible. For the benefit of the straight shooters, it is virtually impossible to deliver a space craft on chemical fuel alone anywhere further than Jupiter, and even that is a great challenge. That is, if you point your rocket right at the target and shoot - like they do in the military. Burn your fuel, accelerate that baby to the limit, and watch it fall short of the target. Such is physics. But these guys found a way out - swing by one of the planets nearby, and steal some of its energy! That's how they shot Voyagers way out of the Solar System. That's also how they saved the Galileo mission - by getting the spacecraft first to Venus (who would have thought!), then back to Earth, and even that was not enough - a couple of years later it fell right back towards the Mother Earth, swinging by a hair from its surface - and only after that it got enough speed to finally make its way to Jupiter. In their lingo it's called gravity assist.

This may be the rocket science at its best, who knows... But this is also what sometimes happens in our lives. Each of us is destined to a particular destination, something we proudly call the life's purpose. Whether we are aware of it or not, rarely we get to "point and shoot" to that target. More often, we go for a little detour around the block, get that degree, find that job, earn some cash, get proud of ourselves... And only after the close fly-by of what we thought our goal was we finally get this "gravity assist" that makes it possible to look back at what we've always been dreaming about, and turn our wheels (or wings, or solar panels - whatever) to that still distant but now reachable target. The circuitous path was not a distraction. It was a necessary step to get the momentum from where we were, with the resources we had.

Now, here's the thing... The gravity assist can work both ways; it may give you a "steroid boost", or it may slow you down, and in fact, if you are not careful, may force you into a crash landing. The maneuver requires careful attention, knowing what you really want at that point (no more slacking and fooling yourself), flawless execution, and the ability to let go of that transitory target at the right moment. Because if you fail the test, no Jupiter for you, dear. You'll be forever burning in hell of Venus. Talk about that midlife crisis... I'd rather be turning it into my personal gravity assist. The heavier it is, the better the sling shot. Who said rocket science is not for everyone?

So, what's your story? What is / was your "gravity assist" in your own life? Please do share!

[techtags: gravity assist, Venus, Jupiter, Galileo, Midlife Crisis]