Tara na, mars!

As the country wrestles with pandemic woes and madness, Filipinos set their eyes outside the world (literally)—and when the chance came, we are now the leading country to join more than a million earthlings (and counting) bound for Mars in 2026. Well, not really, but at least sending our names in outer space.

#ByePhilippines trends in the Twitterverse with Filipinos posting their "ticket reservations" for the future space program in Mars as they spew distaste for the country’s current state. See some of the funniest and most interesting tweets:

Souvenir boarding pass for the 2026 Mars mission can still be obtained here: https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass

The invitation came ahead of the Perseverance Rover's launch yesterday, which carried microchips electronically stenciled with nearly 11 million names from the registration last year, 69,995 were from the Philippines. NASA is inviting everyone to participate online and join the virtual expedition in search for signs of ancient Martian life on https://go.nasa.gov/2EXB6dx. The spacecraft is expected to land February next year.

For now, life on Mars is still a distant reality yet it is a deliverance that Filipinos seem to be willing to take in hopes of a fresh start.