News and Commentary on Space
I was poking around in the MarsBlog archives and came across this post on “environmental ethics” from last fall.
Note the line to the effect that “there is no nature without life”. That is, the term “nature” implies the presence of life. Since there is no life (of which we are aware) on Mars, the term would seem to be inapplicable there.
Any suggestions on an appropriate alternative? “Original”? “Raw”? “Agrestal”?
The first rover, scheduled for launch on May 30, will be directed to Gusev Crater, located 15 degrees south of Mars’ equator. The second robotic scout, slated for liftoff on June 25, is targeted to land at Meridiani Planum, which features rich deposits of gray hematite, an iron oxide mineral associated with water. Meridiani Planum is about 2 degrees south of the equator and halfway around the planet from Gusev Crater.
Interesting that both rovers are targeted to the southern hemisphere, where we’ve not landed before. I’m not familiar with the terrain in those specific areas, but since a good portion of the southern hemisphere is rough highland terrain, it’s possible that we’ll actually see terrain that isn’t the Martian equivalent of central Illinois.
It’s that time of year again.
The event doesn’t seem to be getting all that much attention this year (for several obvious reasons). I had completely forgotten about it until yesterday, myself. Fortunately, this year I am in Denver, so I’m somewhat close to one of the parties (Colorado Springs).
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A young girl sets out to prove herself by resolving a long-forgotten mystery. But when she gets close to the truth, what she thought was a harmless adventure becomes a threat to the future of the independent commercial settlements on Mars.