A NASA illustration depicts the Europa Clipper spacecraft over Europa with Jupiter in the background.
To hear the tabloids tell it, life on Earth is going to change in a few weeks.
And no, they aren't talking about this election.
From New York to Ireland, the tabloid media are reporting that we're on the cusp of an announcement, one that's been decades in the making.
You guessed it: We are not alone.
The story goes that competing groups of scientists -- including one tied to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg -- are rushing to publish findings of the first real signs of extraterrestrial life in the universe.
Apparently, that alien baby the scandal sheets once claimed Hillary Clinton had adopted doesn't count.
Basically, these outlets suggest a telescope in Australia has picked up unmistakable transmissions from somewhere in this galaxy with a decidedly nonhuman technological signature.
Whatever that means.
As they say, big if true -- and certain to significantly change the focus of those congressional hearings on UAPs (the politically correct term for UFOs these days) scheduled for November.
Of course, the bigger question is why Congress is rushing to talk about little green men ... but not to approve more FEMA money for all the "Independence Day"-like destruction left behind by all these recent hurricanes.
But that's another story.
Proof of intelligent life in the universe is a monumental story, and not just for the conspiracy-minded among us. It should change the way we think about ourselves ... and each other.
You didn't have to wade through stories about Ireland's own Nessie or Canadian pilots shooting down UFOs to find news this week that could fill your mind with wonder.
On Monday, NASA launched the Europa Clipper with a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, and it's perhaps the most exciting development for space exploration in years.
Its five-year mission (OK, it's a bit longer than that, but couldn't resist) is to rendezvous with Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, Europa, where scientists have long suspected there's a massive ocean under its icy surface.
And where there's water, there's usually life.
In April 2030, the Europa Clipper will reach Jupiter's neighborhood and begin a long series of fly-bys to examine the moon in search of signs that it is indeed one of the most likely candidates for life in this solar system.
Beyond us, natch.
Imagine the implications: A celestial body 1.8 billion miles away with an environment that could support life. A place where astronauts could go, use some of that water to make fuel for even longer journeys.
Or catch space fish -- hey, everything would be a world record -- and live without social media.
Now, that would be a truly civilized society.
The possibilities will set some folks dreaming about a colony among the stars ... or sending their political adversaries there with a one-way ticket. But the operative word is dream.
People who most vocally dream of better times -- when America was purportedly "great" -- are usually talking about the post-war boom of the 1950s, even though there was little great about that time for minorities or women.
For many others, the greatest period of our recent past was the 1960s. We got civil rights, fabulous music from the only welcome British invasion and, admittedly, an unpopular war. But also ... space exploration.
Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong inspired a generation, and they did it not with insults and divisiveness, but with science and discovery. The whole world followed their exploits, in something that these days would look a lot like unity.
And then, it just stopped.
Assuming we still have a country when the Clipper reaches Jupiter in five years (and assuming the tabloids' announcement doesn't trump it), wouldn't it be nice to imagine that the discovery of life on Europa could bring this world together again?
Imagine a world where invention and inspiration were the driving forces, not the latest mindless social media trend or blustering politician.
Imagine a time when knowledge was valued over alternative facts, when the border we most concerned ourselves with was the atmosphere of this fragile planet.
This world would be a much better place if we again looked up to scientists and explorers instead of hucksters in loafers. If we dreamed of worlds with less inane politics, not more.
The vast, endless expanse of space may be our last refuge.
For a little bit of that inspiration, visit the website space.com, which offers regular updates on the Europa Clipper and NASA's ongoing Artemis program, which plans to send humans to Mars by 2035.
We have plenty of problems in this world, but some of those answers -- some of the inspiration to fix those problems -- may be out among the stars.
Besides, out there may be the only place to escape social media.
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