The Museum

Mars was also affected because farming on the planet is a long way from being able to sustain the three billion people who live here so most of Mars' produce comes from Earth.

People on Mars (or as some Earthlings call us 'Martians') are more careful about pollution. I guess it's because compared to Earth, Mars is clean and pure while Earthlings who figure that in a place where you have to dig several feet through garbage to reach the asphalt, an oil spill or a few bottles out a window can't hurt right? Living conditions on Mars are the best in the solar system. And of course, you have those people that live in space. Although it is as clean as a hospital in 2000 (hospitals don't exist on Earth anymore), living in space doesn't give you much room.

Small scientific communities also live on Mercury, Europa, and on orbits around Venus. I have to admit that the Mercury station is a bit boring and Venus is just volcanoes and canyons and acid and other unpleasant things, while the Europan team found life! Nothing like the walking trees and mutated sharks were found as described in 3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, but they did find viruses, bacteria, plants, insects, mollusks, and fish! Most of their finds are waiting to be put in the SWERVEM and some are already there.

Technically, a virus is not a living thing but it has a few rooms in the museum anyway. It is located on the first floor with other 'simple' life forms. The museum displays the organisms according to their place on the great scale of classification. Life as we know it laid out nicely for the ETs to look at when they get here. Some say they came long ago. Some say that aliens are those striped fish found on Europa. Some say they have yet to come and even some say they do not exist. But we'll never know will we?

Today, August 15, 3177 A.D., I will unveil in front of the world the new display at the museum. A billion and some reporters are here and a billion and some more tourists are here. The display rests on the fortieth floor and all the elevators have been disabled. I am proud to say that was my idea. Only the ones who climb the whole building dragging their recording devices will have a chance to see with their own eyes. Never have I seen such a crowd around an endangered species exhibit. I can hear them counting down and in three seconds a species will officially be an endangered species. I'm sure you have heard of it before. The animal is called homo sapien sapien.