Your article (Nasa moon rocket creeps to its launchpad in preparation for astronaut flight, 18 January) quotes the crew commander of Artemis II, Reid Wiseman: “They are so fired up that we are headed back to the moon. They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible.” I imagine that most of Earth’s lifeforms would agree.
Pete Stockwell
St Buryan, Cornwall
• Ravi Holy’s thought-provoking article on the power and purpose of prayer (19 January) reminded me of a favourite cartoon. Two monks are sitting on either side of a chess board and about to start a new game, with one of them saying: “Right, this time praying’s cheating.”
Matthew Newman
Leeds
• Slicing one’s thumb with a mandolin (Letters, 16 January) is the posh version of what used to be the cause of many sliced thumbs in former years – opening a tin of corned beef.
Linda Gresham
Kings Heath, Birmingham
• As old age creeps onwards, I find the Guardian’s daily birthday lists provide a valuable measure of my memory: how many names can I still identify? Sadly, Saturday marked the low point, as Michelle Obama was the only name I recognised. Nurse!
Bob Forster
Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
• Looking at the birthday columns on Monday: Julian Barnes, 80; Michael Crawford, 84; Tippi Hedren, 96; Richard Lester, 94; Dolly Parton, 80. That could make a fun old-age home.
Charles Harris
London
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