'Miracle of engineering' allows scientists views of Mars

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
8/7/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Curiosity rover will 'actually drive on Mars and execute a very complex and beautiful science mission'

Hailed as a "miracle of engineering," NASA scientists hailed the Mars rover Curiosity's smooth descent as a milestone of modern technology. Researchers are now scanning early images of a Martian crater that may hold clues about theoretical life on the Red Planet.

The rover transmitted a picture seven minutes later, showing one of Curiosity's wheels on the planet's gravel-strewn surface.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The expedition was fraught with risks, one that could have dashed many years of meticulous scientific research. "We trained ourselves for eight years to think the worst all the time," Curiosity lead engineer Miguel San Martin said. "You can never turn that off."

NASA engineers now say the landing stands as the most challenging and elaborate achievement in the history of robotic spaceflight. The landing opens the door to a new era in planetary exploration. President Barack Obama hailed the accomplishment as an historic "point of national pride."

The landing's success was a major milestone for a U.S. space agency beset by budget cuts and the recent cancellation of its space shuttle program.

Encased in a capsule-like protective shell, the nuclear-powered Curiosity rover weathered an eight-month voyage as it streaked into the thin Martian atmosphere at 13,200 miles-per-hour, or 17 times the speed of sound.

The capsule's "guided entry" system used jet thrusters to steer the craft as it fell, making small course corrections and burning off most of its downward speed. About the size of a small sports car, the rover landed as planned at the bottom of a vast, ancient impact bowl called Gale Crater, and near a towering mound of layered rock called Mount Sharp, which rises from the floor of the basin. The descent, dubbed by some as "seven minutes of terror," proved to be unfounded.

From an orbital perch 211 miles away, NASA's sharp-eyed Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took a picture of Curiosity gracefully riding beneath its massive parachute en route to Gale Crater, located near the planet's equator in its southern hemisphere.

Flight controllers at JPL received the equivalent of a text message from Curiosity that its journey of 352 million miles had ended successfully.

The rover transmitted a picture seven minutes later, showing one of Curiosity's wheels on the planet's gravel-strewn surface.

"When you see a picture of the surface of the planet with the spacecraft on it, that is the miracle of engineering," lead scientist John Grotzinger told journalists.

With the late-afternoon sun slipping behind the crater's rim, Curiosity relayed six more sample pictures and the results of initial health checks of some of its 10 scientific instruments before shutting down for the Martian night.

Curiosity touched down about 6.2 miles from the foot of Mount Sharp, a monstrous formation of sedimentary rock that rises like a stack of cards three miles from the floor of Gale Crater.

"The surface mission of Curiosity has now begun," mission manager Mike Watkins said.

"We built this rover not just to be launched or not just to land on Mars, but to actually drive on Mars and execute a very complex and beautiful science mission."

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Mars, Curiosity rover, technology, NASA, expedition

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

Juneau Alaska
10 months ago
Hi Patrick, no and no. First, I simply don't have to accept that "existing to begin with" is a miracle regardless of the definition used (1. supernatural or 2. highly improbable). I am under no ecclesiastical mandate to shut down and accept anything by authority alone. Obviously, as an atheist, I've never encountered any plausible reason to accept a supernatural claim. Nor Patrick, is there a need--any more--to use the second definition of improbable. The latter is also called the "fine tuning" argument and there are serious flaws with it. In fact, there are, right now, scientific reasons to assert that the ancient philosopher's definition of "nothing" (ex nihilo) is wrong. Nothing really isn't nothing anymore (Lawrence Krauss' book "A Universe From Nothing" addresses this). Regarding the lines of code, 500,000 lines of code is the correct number at least according to the JPL engineer who put it together! Patrick, I regret that I somehow left you with the impression that splendor and awe is somehow lost on me because I'd rather see this as a natural event (at least that's my impression from you words). I am not autistic. It is a natural, beautiful, and yes, wondrous accomplishment that simply doesn't require faith to understand or ponder. I hope I've made myself a little more understandable. Cheers! -Mike
Patrick Reynolds
10 months ago
@Mike

What you fail to recognize is that it is a miracle. Cognitive processes are a miracle. The fact that we exist to begin with is a miracle. Even if you reject God, you have to accept the unbelievable nature of our existence, the sheer 'luck' that resulted in the alignment of billions upon billions of different variables that allowed for the formation of life. Following the initial development of life, there were trillions more variables that had to happen in just the right way to result in the formation of Humans and the human intellect. It truly is nothing short of miraculous. Additionally, even the scientists who designed the system and had the most knowledge of it accepted a fairly high probability of failure, just as a result of the number of things that could go wrong, and that's excluding human error.

You're right, it was hundreds of thousands of lines of code (I would honestly bet that your estimation was on the low end), and the dedication of hundreds of people tirelessly working towards the same goal, that in no way reduces the awe of splendor of what we, as a species, have accomplished.

Also, a secondary definition of miracle is : "A highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment." or "a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality" (the first is taken from Google's definition system, the second from Dictionary.com) Even your closed secular mind would admit that this amazing accomplishment meets both of those definitions.
Juneau Alaska
10 months ago
Miracle, no, rather 500,000 lines code coupled with reasoned engineering methodological naturalism. Please don't plan on erecting a Shrine around the Curiosity debris field on the 4th planet. -Mike

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