A poor family leaves Norway in the 1800s. They travel across the ocean to Wisconsin. The chilly, agricultural landscape of the American Midwest feels very familiar to them. They can farm the same animals they are used to farming. For them, Wisconsin is the perfect home away from home.

When people move far away, they often find spots with terrain that reminds them of the places they have come from. Think about the kid who will one day travel to Mars. Where does he or she live today? Is that future astronaut going to school in Oman, or China, or the United States? Even if he or she lives in one of the most extreme parts of the world, Mars probably won’t feel like home. Mars has a red, stormy surface. But even a kid living near the Atacama Desert—who may have seen lots of dust devils (whirlwinds of dust)—wouldn’t be used to the storms on Mars. Mars storms sometimes cover the entire planet! Mars has a thin atmosphere that can’t keep heat in well. Mars is also farther from the Sun than Earth is. That means the planet is very, very cold. It has survivable temperatures during the summer near the equator. But the planet’s average temperature is negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Near the poles, it gets as cold as negative 195 degrees! Even a kid from frozen Greenland wouldn’t have a parka thick enough to handle that!

Preparing to visit other planets gives us an important reminder. The universe is incredibly large—larger than we ever thought. In that huge space, God has made a comparatively tiny place called Earth. This place is like no other. Here, we have air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and the perfect amount of sunlight to make life work. It may be possible to travel to outer space and even survive there for a time. But don’t be fooled. God clearly made a home for people: Earth. His design shows how much He cares for us. Think about how unique He made our home planet. Doesn’t it make you want to say “thank you”?