The day we land a car on Mars
(oh, yes, it’s not like other cars)
When scientists are having fun,
The talk in schools, or parks, or bars
Is of some skinhead with a gun.
The biggest story has been missed
(not quite—page three contains the gist)
The world ignores the Martian story
Because some white supremacist
Decides to kill, for God and glory.
The best and worst of humankind
Together, in one day, we find,
The cautious steps toward outer space
The prejudice of damaged mind,
Perceiving tribe, or faith, or race.
It just doesn’t seem right, that the day NASA lands a freakin’car on Mars, that anything else should be on the front page. This verse exaggerates, of course–the touchdown was on page one. But not the way it should have been:
Minute 1:10 of this video comes close.
Science fiction got it wrong
They reversed it, in a way.
It seems Earthlings sent to Mars
A robot with a heat-ray.
In a flying saucer, no less.
http://i.space.com/images/i/20126/iFF/mars-rover-curiosity-heat-shield.jpg?1344107220
I just went to Google to see the latest pictures … and the first article I found was mostly about Mohawk Guy.
A guy with a Mohawk sent a car to Mars, with frickin lasers on its head, in a flying saucer!
car on the mars: big deal. There was double decker bus on the dark side of the moon. Saw the photo so must been true
The successful landing of Curiosity, Rube Goldbergesque as is seemed, is just another testament of human ability. As wonderful as the previous three rovers were, this one promises to be a distinct cut above them. I love the fact that it is nuclear powered and will not have to hibernate during six months or more of Martian winter. And it has a friggin Lazer!
I’ve been through a lot of comment threads on news feeds and read complaints of the (relative) poor quality of the first images. This despite the fact that the articles all explain the existence of dust covers and the slow and deliberate deployment of the on board systems. Amazing, innit, how many people think that they should be rewarded instantly.
Over the coming two years, and more, I confidently predict, this buggy with its laboratories and sensors will inform us of the nature of another world to a degree we have been longing for. This mission will flesh out the clues that Sojourner and Spirit and Opportunity have merely provided a skeleton. While cautious scientists will not, for the most part, make blanket proclamations regarding the current presence of life on Mars it is certain that Curiosity will inform us as to the suitability of a favorable environment in the past. Using that information coupled with what previous missions have taught us, we can begin to make sound conjectures about the question of life existing off Earth. I think the conclusions will be tantalizing.
We have discovered on our own world that life is incredibly tenacious and inventive, inhabiting places where humans and most familiar lifeforms would wither and die quite quickly. Still, there they are. Given such surprising perspicacity here on our planet any discovery of either accommodating environs or indirect evidence (how ’bout direct!) of life on Mars will be less of a surprise than a confirmation that biology is an integral part of the cosmos as much as particle physics or the main sequence of stars. After all, stars and living organisms are intimately related, the one being progenitor and the other beneficiary.
Hail! Curiosity! and mega hat tips to the many, many people who have invested so much of their lives in order to obtain this promising beginning. May they and their rover one day reach the summit of Mount Sharp. I can hardly wait to see that panorama!