Universal Mapping Initiative
The idea behind the proposal was simple: civilizations could arise and vanish and their traces disappear with time.
Even if the whole universe was mapped, civilizations could have existed without anyone knowing about them; and with those civilizations, there would be knowledge, experience, and feelings… Lost forever.
The proposal consisted of enhancing the Universal Mapping Initiative with time travel. This way, aside from mapping the whole universe, the whole universe through time would be mapped. Each location would be visited every 100 million years, observed, and analyzed. If there had been life, it would be found.
It seemed like a good idea, but the task was enormous, the resources required immense, and then there were all the usual issues and concerns with time traveling; some still believed that by undertaking this project the universe as it was known could be altered in unpredictable ways!
Sadly, the proposal wouldn’t get enough support.
The Universal Mapping Initiative would continue as projected, in an attempt to map the whole universe, if there was enough time for it.
It’s a pity.
Had the proposal been accepted, had the project gone forward…
Perhaps someone could have found us.
Before we ceased to exist.
Before we failed to preserve ourselves.
Before we went extinct and all our traces wiped out with the ages.
