Saturday, November 26, 2011

Next stop - Mars!

The Mars Curiosity rover began it's journey to Mars this morning and I couldn't be happier...well, actually, I guess if it's propulsion system instead utilized a combination of light/solar sail and plasma rockets to cut it's 8 1/2 month journey to 8 1/2 weeks or less, I'd be absolutely ecstatic.  Some day...some day.

Here's hoping that it lands safely and begins the next phase of Mars discovery - thus paving the way for man's next foothold in the solar system (of course, there's that little hurdle of protecting astronauts from extreme radiation - but - we'll get there).

Be sure to check in on the official Mars Curiosity Twitter feed (which I've also added to the bottom of my blog).

As an aside, it's my humble/un-researched opinion that if we made colonization of Mars the top goal of our country, we could easily cut unemployment in half in the near-term; and eliminate it, not just for our country but for all countries on Earth, in the long-term.  Not to mention the technologies surely created for such a goal could also be used to clean up our own planet and make it a better place to live.  But - *sarcasm alert* why attempt such a revolutionary evolution for our species when it's soooo much easier to spend our time destroying things, stabbing each other in the back for material possessions, and policing others' morality here on our tiny blue marble.  *Here's where I kick the dirt and do my best grumpy old man "Bah-humbug!" spat*

Keep looking up.