… as drawn by the younger Free-Ride offspring.

The Earth as described in 2006:

The moon was going through its phases, the meteor catcher was catching meteors, and the ozone layer, while holey, was still there.

The Earth as described in 2009:

The meteor catcher appears to have been replaced by a large satellite dish. Maybe we have better options with which to handle falling meteors now. (Or maybe we’ve just prioritized telecommunications.)

Just past the asteroid belt, Mars seems in a very close approach to Earth (possibly because the Mars Rover would appears to be back on Earth — for repairs?).

The moon’s still there. Volcanos are still erupting. Giant palm trees are still visible from space.

But where the hell is the ozone layer?

2009 may be a good year to invest in sunscreen.