Phoenix Mars lander gets the soil into its oven
It seems that when the Mars soil was first scooped up and the arm tried to dump it in the ovens there was a bit of a problem. The soil was clumpy and things didn’t turn out quite the way they were expected too. However, scientists on Earth sent commands to jiggle/vibrate the screens over the intake tubes of the ovens and some finer bits of the soil filtered through and now the tests can continue.
Okay, I’m still in awe that someone here can send a message (actually computer instructions) to a machine there (170 million miles from here) and have it work out. I find it very inspiring that Earthlings are actually branching out to explore our solar system in this small way. The more we understand the geology and geography and physical composition of the other planets and bits of debris that populates our solar system — the more we learn about our own environment.
A favorite saying of my grandmother was something like, “you can’t see the forest for the trees”. When we study Earth, we have all sorts of preconceived ideas about how things are and how they should be. So, we look for what we expect to find. In exploring the Mars surface, there is some of that. But, we don’t know what’s there and there are so many competing theories about what it is like and why it’s the way it is–that we have to look with open minds as well as open eyes (or probes, lens, and other mechanical tools). Once we look without the preconceived notions at another planetary body — scientists often find things that make them then turn towards our own planet and look again to see if those same insights can be used to better explain our world.
Of course the study of Earth is a bit complicated by the fact that we have an abundance of plant and animal life in a complex interplay and interconnected reliance on things being in balance. It’s the imbalance that has built up and caused (totally and unabashedly simplified here) what’s endearingly called Global Warming.
All that we learn is added to our knowledge of planetary formation, life, and decay. It can help us understand our own planet. No knowledge is useless, for science always builds on what has gone before — even if it is to reject it and start over from scratch.
Meanwhile, I marvel at the wonder of communicating with another planet even if it is communication with our own machinery. (Hyperion: Especially when my cell phone won’t function in the brand-new high tech office building where I work. Maybe we should relocate my office to Mars?)