Sunday, August 05, 2012

Sheer Awesomeness

So I want to thank my friend Waka for reminding me about the Curiosity Rover landing tonight/tomorrow morning.  I had heard the Team Lead for the Entry, Descent, and Landing Team on NPR and he had a pretty cool story about how he wasn't a student at all in high school, but became fascinated that the planets moved in the sky from when he would see them in the day versus the night.

So, the mood in the country is pretty down.  The economy still isn't great.  Our "leaders" are squabbling over nonsense instead of fixing things, and we're being talked to like children about issues that effect us as adults.  I'm reminded of the 50's and Sputnik.  The Soviets got to space first, and this was a crushing blow to us, and people wanted answers.  And our funding for math and sciences ballooned, from an act of Congress.

And tonight or early tomorrow morning, depending on where you live in the US, one of the most impressive pieces of science and engineering are going to happen thousands of miles away.  Watch this video and I dare you not to get goosebumps.

They're using a freaking crane, people.  So I'll admit that I'm not a huge space junkie.  But I do love the balls on these NASA guys for their audacity.  I understand that money could have gone to school lunches or to bridges, which are important things.  But watching our best and brightest come up with incredibly complex solutions to near impossible problems is also a good use of money.  If I watch the news, I'm embarrased of our country.  But late tonight, around 1:30AM, watching my laptop, regardless of what happens, I'm going to be very, very proud.   

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