Man, who has always prided himself on reaching out, exploring and conquering, may have outdone himself in landing a car-sized rover on Mars, even if it cost as much as $2.5 billion. That Nasa scientists celebrated by distributing $1 Mars chocolate bars goes to show we can be humble as well, if only because we are cosmically so insignificant.
A 352-million mile space journey would have been a huge waste had not scientists been able to guide the nuclear-powered vehicle successfully through Mars’ red sky and see touchdown at 17 times the speed of sound in a crater older than all mankind. We have sent rovers to Mars six times before, but this time it feels extra special due to the vast improvements in electronics and video technology, plus greater sophistication in chemistry and geology gadgets that will analyse soil and rocks. If the technology leap gives us credible evidence on whether life can or did exist in planets far beyond ours by seeking clues like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen that are essential for life, the mission will have served its purpose. There is a genuine thirst for knowledge, with India, too, in the queue to launch a $90-million Mars orbital mission next year. This may go to show we are also a serious space player, reaching out to explore the limitless expanse of space to discover if we are really all alone in space and time. The naming of Curiosity has caught our imagination: we now eagerly await the results of its tests.