NASA triumph hard to find
At 1:32 a.m. Aug. 6, Curiosity triumphed.
NASA’s car-sized rover parachuted onto the surface of Mars, executing a complex landing sequence that had never before been attempted.
Mars is so far away, it took more than eight months for Curiosity to get there, and engineers and observers around the world had to wait anxiously for confirmation the rover had arrived, a time lapse NASA engineers themselves dubbed “seven minutes of terror.”
Curiosity is a machine, not a person. Still, getting this billion-dollar machine 350 million miles across space is a triumph of American science and ingenuity that recalls the thrill and wonder of the moon landing more than four decades ago.
Sadly, for anyone trying to watch the landing live on television, it wasn’t easy.
NBC’s reruns of Usain Bolt qualifying for the 100-meter race were easier to find, even though he had already won the final by the time Curiosity landed.
The games should capture our attention. Every four years, the Olympics provide an endless stream of fascinating feats of athletic excellence. At the same time, NASA’s latest achievement is so exceptional, how is it possible local stations failed to carry the landing live?
Just like Olympic athletes, scientists and engineers have devoted the last 10 years of their careers figuring out how to get Curiosity to Mars and then executing their plan. As reruns of normally flawless vaulter McKayla Maroney’s try for Olympic gold demonstrated, even the most reliable of performances can instantly go awry. Olympic vaulting was rebroadcast just moments after Curiosity landed with perfection.
Today’s world economy draws scrutiny to the cost of this mission, and many complain the money could have been better spent.
Since Apollo, America has led the way in exploring the frontiers of space, and this mission demonstrates the United States remains at the forefront of discovery. How can we possibly hope today’s young people will be among the explorers of tomorrow if we fail to show them – live – the spectacular achievements of Curiosity today?
