Mars Exploration

Amazing!  Truly Amazing!  The word "perseverance" has taken on new meaning.  It’s the name of the Mars rover. Its purpose is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.  It was launched on July 30, 2020 and landed in the Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021.  

We now watch its Mars Helicopter fly off the surface, head off then back to return to its “pad.”  Videos and photographs boggle our minds and demonstrate what many dedicated men and women technicians and scientists can accomplish.  

The Earth is about 93 million miles from the Sun.  Mars is 143 million miles away.  The Earth is about 7,900 miles in diameter with Mars being about 4,200 miles.  Our atmosphere is of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and other gases.  Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide with some water vapor.  We have one moon, but Mars has two.

It took the Perseverance around seven months to get to Mars. Past missions to Mars, including flybys, have varied in time, taking between 128 days and around 330 days to make the journey.

According to Space.com, travelling at the speed of light, (186,282 miles per second) it would take a minimum of just over three minutes to reach Mars. On average, a light shined onto the red planet’s surface would take around 12 ½ minutes to reach its destination.  Again, mind-boggling and an example of the majesty of God’s creation.  

We all should pay attention to this spectacular achievement. We should not take it for granted. The human mind seems to have no bounds.  Now, we should ponder the spiritual meaning of deep-space exploration to worlds beyond and how it challenges or fortifies our faith.

Deacon David Pierce