Perseverance

I watched the fifth Mars rover slip the surly bonds of the earth, on its way to Mars! Perseverance follows the trail blazed by Mars 2 and 3 (USSR, both lost upon landing 1971), Sojourner (US, landed 1997), Spirit and Opportunity (both US, both landed 2004), and Curiosity (US, landed 2011).

I admit, I got a little teary-eyed watching the launch. Knowing that Perseverance is on its way to the red planet specifically to seek out signs of ancient life – think microbes, not some Martian Parthenon – just made the experience even more breathtaking. But it’s not even that, really. I mean, chances are, Perseverance won’t find anything (which won’t mean anything, other than that it didn’t find anything). But it still the product of humanity’s accumulated knowledge and skill, all animated by our greatest aspirations; Perseverance represents exactly that – our perseverance in the face of tremendous difficulty. In a very real sense, Perseverance is every bit each one of us, looking beyond the challenges we face daily, and still able to dream big.