A Curious New Search for Life

In the last year, NASA has been planning future space exploration. With the cancellation of the shuttle program in the US, theories have risen, revolving primarily around the concept of NASA’s development of pod-like capsules which launch single passengers into space. Plans for a space elevator, capable of transporting large quantities of supplies into our atmosphere, have been released to the public. Additionally, perhaps their boldest move yet, they have announced the plans for man to land and settle on the moon in approximately 10 years. These groundbreaking announcements have only served to hype up the most recent in NASA breakthroughs: a rover on Mars.

The complex maneuvers required to land the rover

                NASA has been preparing their rover, nicknamed “Curiosity”, for its descent to the surface of the red planet. As an article in the New York Times states, this is the first time that Earth has successfully placed a mobile laboratory on the planet. The rover is tasked with the mission to search for carbon-based particles. Should carbon be found, it would serve to support the fact that life once existed on the planet. The mission is one of the most controversial ones, as there are a good number of individuals who claim that, at this time, it is a waste of money. This is simply preposterous.

                The search for extraterrestrial life and expansion of humanity to other worlds should a priority in these times. It has become evident that our population will continue to increase, exponentially, until natural selection eventually allows the rate of expansion to taper off. Regardless whether or not it tapers off, conditions on this planet will only get worse. Overcrowding, global warming, famine, water shortages, and mass deaths seem like the most probable outcomes in such a scenario. If humanity makes the effort to push civilization’s boundaries beyond that stars, we can lessen our harmful impact on the Earth.

                Stating the obvious evolutionary benefits of expansion of humankind into space may not, by itself, serve to convince some of the necessity of space exploration. There are those who, despite piles of evidence, do not believe in things such as global warming or evident overpopulation. Those individuals must realize that this is an achievement, beneficial to our country. Though this is an achievement for all of mankind, NASA’s involvement with the government in accomplishing this feat is a way of displaying leadership and dominance. The Cold War may have ended years ago, but the Space Race has not stopped; it has only slowed down substantially. Any country that can successfully conquer the final frontier will only expand its influence over the world. By successfully landing the rover, the US has proven its dominance, and shown (at least to some extent) that it can accomplish nearly anything this nation sets its mind to.
                The media’s coverage of this event has greatly exceeded my expectations. Being that this is a science/tech article topic, I expected, at most, an honorable mention in the New York Times. I expected the Times to view this as just another rover landing on the planet, as this is now the third rover to touch down on Martian soil. To my disbelief, the Times covered this story to the fullest extent, interviewing technicians and engineers at NASA, as well as describing in full the technique the rover used to land on the surface successfully. I’m pleased to see this, as the rover (powered by plutonium) will be running for years, possibly decades, to come. They even went as far as to describe the planned first mission for the rover, rightfully so. Thanks to the Times, and other well-accredited news sources, this great moment in world history will not be overlooked by the masses.

I’m well aware of the enormous amount of time, effort, and money that it takes to launch and land a rover on a foreign planet. It’s a ton of work, and in the end, if one wrong move is made, the rover could be destroyed. However, if mankind never dared to venture where no other creature has gone, the world as we know it would not have been documented. Had Columbus never attempted to venture beyond the horizon, the world would have remained flat in our eyes. The most distinguishing ability of humans is not their ability to use tools, or their advanced knowledge over others, but their ability to question the unknown. Indeed, it has been shown time and time again: one small step onto a new frontier can be a giant leap for mankind.