If the mission of Curiosity were an Olympic event, it would be safe to say that the Mars rover absolutely nailed the dismount at the end of a flawless routine.
It's wonderful that the American public and especially children can admire the exploits of such Olympic heroes as swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Gabby Douglas and our own Cooperstown native, triathlete Sarah Groff.
But let's take a few moments to give a gold medal to hundreds of folks who probably wouldn't mind at all if you called then nerds.
These are the people who sent a spaceship from the planet Earth to the planet Mars 354 million miles away in deep, dark outer space. The journey began Nov. 26, and ended at exactly 1:32 Eastern time Monday, precisely the moment predicted months ago.
"The team went to the Olympics, and we weren't sure what would happen," Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told a jubilant crowd of co-workers. "But you came back with the gold."
Incredibly, given a degree of difficulty that went well beyond daunting, everything went perfectly on the distant world.
The two previous roving vehicles NASA sent to Mars were delivered using a method in which they were cushioned by a balloon device that bounced along the surface. But the Mars Science Laboratory was much too big for that to work.
The method employed during its "seven minutes of terror" descent is far too complicated to do justice here, but it entailed slowing the craft down from 13,000 miles an hour to a 2 mph upright landing ... with Mission Control helpless to do anything if something went wrong.
And so much could have gone wrong. It takes 14 minutes for signals to reach Earth from the Red Planet, so with the spacecraft in "entry mode," Curiosity was on its own.
What if the ship wasn't able to shift into the right direction to deploy its heat shield to protect the rover? What if the zig-zagging it did to slow the descent went awry? What if the ballast material didn't get ejected from the ship on cue? What if the huge parachute didn't deploy correctly? What if the rockets slowing the ship malfunctioned? What if the wires lowering the rover snapped? What if, what if, what if ....?
Watching the Olympics in London, Americans are justifiably proud of their athletes and often break into cheers of "USA! USA! USA!"
What the "nerds" in Pasadena accomplished was even more impressive. There was a crowd early Monday morning in New York City's Times Square watching NASA's achievement.
They started chanting: "Science! Science! Science!"
Now that is a gold-medal moment we can all cherish.
Opinion
Mars landing was Olympian feat
- Opinion
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Make sure you vote in school tax election
School superintendents have it anything but easy in these challenging economic times. In addition to dealing with myriad day-to-day and semester-to-semester issues, they have to have Solomon-like political acumen and management skills.
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No foreign aid until our needs are met
I couldn't agree more with Sal Furnari's letter published in the Weekend edition. I would also like to add that when I was growing up I was taught to "take care of my own first" and then share with others.
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THIS WEEK'S POLL
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It's sad to see Rich Murphy retire
It was a sad day for Otsego County when Rich Murphy announced his intention to retire from the county board at the end of his current term.
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Liberal media only care about themselves
Sounds like it all depends on 'whose ox is being gored' when it comes to the illegal phone tappings of reporters.
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Street Talk: May 20, 2013
Do you think that recent high school graduates have a harder time finding a job than previous generations?
- Saturday, May 18, 2013
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Casino in our area worth talking about
If Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his way, casinos will be awarded to three upstate locations.
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Public financing could cure pols' paranoia
Paranoia is an irrational fear of persons, places or events that have no basis in reality.
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Resort proposal is just too big
Belleayre Mountain Ski Center is a New York state taxpayer-owned recreational area. People who have paid for BMSC with their hard-earned dollars should not have to also pay for the infrastructure necessary to assure an enjoyable ski experience for the visitors to a private developer's monster mega-mall/spa resort on a mountaintop.
- Friday, May 17, 2013
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Take precautions to prevent kidnappings
It has been nearly two weeks since the arrest of Ariel Castro in Cleveland on rape and kidnapping charges for acts that should send a chill through the spines of everyone in America.
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Redistributing wealth just isn't fair
Yesterday a dozen of us were eating lunch in the break room where I work, most of us complaining that all we could afford was peanut butter and jelly and bologna ... except for Rob.
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Hoping many will adopt a grave
It's that time of year again; adopt a grave. I am hoping when you buy flowers or a plant for a family member or friend's grave that you will buy some for another grave. I wish everyone would open up their heart and honor someone else by putting flowers on their grave. My hope is that groups, families and youth groups adopt a cemetery or a grave, and at least once a year that person or persons will be remembered. I started out with two and now am up to 14. It doesn't have to be expensive; just what your heart tells you to do.
- Thursday, May 16, 2013
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IRS, Justice actions violate our trust
After the recent actions of the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Justice Department, belief in the integrity of our government is hanging by a very slender thread.
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Blame Dems for Social Security woes
In his inaugural address President Kennedy said: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'
- Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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After 40 years, it was time to get married
This newspaper publishes lots of wedding announcements, but one that appeared prominently in Monday's edition was especially heartwarming.
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Newman housing would benefit city
I would like to comment on the excellent letter written recently by Alan Cleinman concerning the "Newman Development."
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Paying what you can afford won't work
Our president said:
- Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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Cheers
To three longtime public servants who recently announced their decisions to leave their posts.
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What will happen when Manor is gone?
I’m writing this letter as I was unable to attend the Otsego County’s board meeting in regards to the sale of the Otsego Manor. My grandmother is 75 and resides at the Otsego Manor; she has for the last three years. The county has a lien on her home to recoup money that they have spent out in regards to Medicaid. My family does not mind this as we are thankful the staff is able to provide the care we cannot.
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We must move ahead to thrive
Recently, we had some compelling letters and opinions on the gas industry and how it can benefit local economies. Marie Lusins' letter explained how the Manor home and its woes could be, or could have been saved with vertical-well gas drilling.
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Make sure you vote in school tax election
