Let's Turn Our "Curiosity" to Mars!

This week Mars will be visited yet again by a NASA mission!

This coming week there are several interesting scientific "events" that focus the public on the realm of scientific exploration and thinking. At the same time, though popular, these events provide little about science other than to be stolen opportunities where the craft and practice of science can be highlighted. In other words, non-scientists get a glimpse of what scientists do.

The most striking of these upcoming events is scheduled to happen next weekend when "Curiosity", a Mars lander, attempts to safely touch down on Mars. Unfortunately, much of the science, engineering and mathematics (STEM anyone) that went into the mission will be lost on the public as the focus easily could largely become "Is there life on Mars"? Notice that this focus is a question! Not only the scientific process, but curiosity in general arises from questions. If this question were able to definitively be answered, more great scientific interest from the public would follow. That is the positive aspect of the query.

The negative is that there is a misconception that we send expensive spacecraft and landers with exotic instruments to far away places to answer singular questions, or explore singular ideas. Certainly, Mars captures our imagination and garners the political support to be explored. However, consider what has been thematic since the beginning of this blog: practice, repetition, feedback and how they relate to learning. The same holds true here. These processes are the bedrock upon which science itself is forged - the foundation for scientific thought. How much of this process will be transparent, or even viewable, as coverage heats up for the August 5th touch down attempt?

As the week progresses, I may hone in on the landing attempt as an area of great interest. A great place to keep up to date on news related to the event is that "JPL Facebook Landing Party Event Page". The mission can also be followed  on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity. An expected increase in solar activity over the next few weeks is also of great interest, since the Sun is frothing as it does every 11 years. As we think about Mars Curiosity together, let's try to keep in front of us the deeper science behind the mission. Where did the practice and earlier questions arise from? What have we learned from past missions that are used here? Most importantly, what here will get us to that most compelling of futures where we no longer inhabit one world, but inevitably, multiple worlds. I await and anxiously look forward to your comments and additions!

Added on to the blog later: Awesome video animation of anticipated landing:  Challenges of Getting to Mars: Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror .