The Value of A Penny

I watch CNN for news—although now five days running of Whitney Houston coverage is not news!—and I feel generally informed. And what I don't get from CNN, I get from scouring the Internet, or at least popping in and out of a few regular sites I like.

But still, I miss things. Events happen that pass completely outside of my radar, and I am surprised to learn of them months after the fact. Such is the case with NASA's launch of Curiosity, a new rover headed to Mars. It was launched successfully on November 26, and after an eight-month journey, it should land on its predetermined target. It will spend what amounts to two years for Earthlings studying the Mars environment, but what would amount to just a year for Martians, if there were such a thing.

I was intrigued by this story, which I only just read this past weekend—where was I on November 26, 2011? I was spending Thanksgiving with the in-laws, so I must not have heard the news that day. Well, better late than not at all, so here is my take on Curiosity, as it appears in today's edition of Small Town Newspaper.

And here is a snappy NASA-produced "trailer" about this massive project.

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