Exploring Mars
Last week I was glued to NASA’s live stream of the Perseverance rover landing on the surface of Mars.
I wasn’t thinking so much about the purpose of the mission, the scientific advances it will bring and future travel opportunities - although I’m sure my thoughts will turn to that over the next two Earth years as the mission continues.
Instead what captured my attention was the teamwork involved in flying and landing the craft, and that the scale of the operation was so vast it seemed unknowable. It’s certainly an aptly named craft.
Seeing the trajectory of the craft as it seemed to gently float towards its destination then seeing the speed at which that ‘floating’ was actually taking place was flabbergasting. The precision involved in travelling such great distances just doesn’t seem to match up.
The concentration on the faces of the NASA team was so evident, as was the delight when they achieved the landing successfully. I was struck by the balance of the micro and the macrocosm, the connections between the individuals in the team but also the connection between Earth, Mars and the Universe.
I wondered if this exploration makes the universe more knowable, less vast, but actually for this mission at least, I think it’s shown us how small we are, but also how connected.