If you had 8 ½ months to kill and had a big ol’ rocket you could get all the way to Mars. That’s the mission for the new rover which just launched for the angry red planet. Hopefully, it won’t be too angry when the rover, which is the size of a “monster truck” touches down on the surface. This rover the next generation is a six-wheeled, one-armed device named Curiosity. The mission of Curiosity is just what you might except from something called Curiosity: it’s going to jackhammer drill, laser rocks and use other gadgets and gizmos to poke, prod and dig up as much of the Martian surface as it can. Yes, in other words, Mars is getting its very own infrastructure project.
Curiosity is the first launch to Mars in four years. This is a rover weighing in at just under a ton. It’s 10 feet tall, 9 feet wide and is powered by a mini nuclear reactor that will be able to analyze all those rocks and soil samples it collects right on the stop. Naturally, the folks over at NASA are just busting with pride.
“It’s an enormous mission. Its equivalent of three missions, frankly, and quite an undertaking,” c program director, Doug McCuistion told reporters. “Science fiction is now science fact. We’re flying to Mars. We’ll get it on the ground and see what we find.”
The price tag of this mission is a hefty $2.5 billion. Now, this might seem like an extravagance considering the economic upheavals our country is facing. But that money is not just in hard costs of hardware. There are lots of folks who are working in this project. This matters a lot especially since our national Space Shuttle fleet was recently decommissioned.
Still, it’s hard to convince some folks that any money spent on a space program is money well spent. Perhaps it’s best not to look at the immediate mission as opposed to all the benefits we’ve already gotten from our space program. Let’s talk satellites. These would be those hunks of hardware shot into orbit and developed thanks to NASA engineers. What’s the benefit of satellites? Try watching television or making a phone call or using your GPS without a satellite. You won’t get very far.
What about a cordless drill? Ever use one of those things? If so, thank NASA. Back during the Apollo, the astronauts needed a way to drill down into the moon’s surface. Not only were they planning on drilling down at least 10 feet but the drill had to be compact, lightweight and battery operated. Who did NASA call on to build their drill? That would be Black and Decker. You know Black and Decker; it’s that same company which is the industry leader in cordless drills. That same cordless technology spread out over to mini vacuum cleaners and a wide range of other cordless appliances.
Can you remember when there was time where your home didn’t have a smoke detector? You’d have to go back to the 1970’s for the first appearance of a smoke detector. This was built for Skylab at the request of NASA. Honeywell got that contract. Today, smoke detectors are in every building, home and apartment.
Want more? Think about water filters for your sink, insulation for your attic, CATScans, MRIs, scratch resistant lenses, high-density batteries, trash compactors, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, composite golf clubs, flat panel televisions, freeze-dried foods, sports bras, hang gliders, quartz crystal timing equipment, and plenty more. Not to mention all the advances in computer programming. All of this started with NASA. So next time you’re inclined to ask, “Why are we going to Mars?” You might want to ask, “What cool new stuff are we going to get?”
— Meyer
