Perseverance lands on Mars
*Photos NASA
In the endless stream of Covid-19 in all forms of media, I thought I would write about something positive. On February 18, 2021 the Mars Rover Perseverance safely landed on Mars after surviving the “7 minutes of terror (the descent and landing on the planet,” to the cheers of scientists back on earth. Like its predecessors (Sojourner (landed 7/4/97), Opportunity (landed 1/25/04), Spirit (landed 1/4/04), and Curiosity (landed 8/6/12)), Perseverance is also exploring the surface of Mars, but this time, this sophisticated rover is searching for ancient (microscopic) life on Mars. Perseverance is About 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall. Billions of years ago, Mars was not the frozen desert it is now. The Red Planet had water and a warmer environment that could have supported life. Perseverance is searching for evidence of that ancient life. It is exciting to see what Perseverance sees and to learn the geological history of Mars. “Understanding Mars’ past climate conditions and reading the geological history embedded in its rocks will give scientists a richer sense of what the planet was like in its distant past. Studying the Red Planet’s geology and climate could also give us a sense of why Earth and Mars – despite some early similarities – ended up so different.” (Mars 2020 landing press kit)
Perseverance has 19 cameras to photograph the surface of Mars. “The rover has a drill to collect core samples of Martian rock and soil, then store them in sealed tubes for pickup by a future mission that would ferry them back to Earth for detailed analysis. Perseverance will also test technologies to help pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.” (mars.nasa.gov)
Presently, there are plans to return to the moon and one day have a mining colony there. Also, there are plans for a manned exploration to set foot on Mars, and one day to have a Martian colony. There are even plans by space mogul Elon Musk to terraform Mars (make it habitable) by detonating nuclear weapons on Mars’s poles to free up the CO2. Although this plan is controversial, Musk believes it is promising. (PopularMechanics.com May 19, 2020)
I love both Star Wars and Star Trek and as a child I wanted to be an astronaut and dreamed of exploring the galaxy in a starship. I always supported the space program and its importance. When working on the space program nations work together peacefully for a common goal: space exploration. People work together to solve problems and create technology not only for the space program, but to enrich our everyday lives. Many of today’s technologies came about because of the space program. Such technology includes: memory foam, many commercial baby formulas, the Dustbuster, space blankets, food safety (HACCP), the freeze-drying process, CAT scans and other technologies. (Source: “15+ Space Age Inventions and Technologies We Use Everyday”, Christopher McFadden 6/14/20 https://interestingengineering.com)
I believe that one day, the colonization of the moon and Mars will eventually alleviate the overpopulation problem on earth. It is time the human race stops its senseless bickering over pettiness and works together in other matters as well as space exploration. K.M.
Mars Rover Perseverance
*Photo NASA
