"Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror"

NASA's compelling video about Curiosity's final seven minutes before landing on the surface of Mars is exciting to watch!



Here's a Spencer Michels' report on the Mars lander, as presented on this past Friday's PBS News Hour.

Watch New Discoveries From NASA's 'Curiosity' Rover's Mars Mission on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

There were so many things that could have gone wrong as Curiosity prepared to set down on our nearest planetary neighbor, the fourth rock from the sun. The elegant design for the craft's landing on Mars is a marvel in itself.

The story of Curiosity is a great one that needs telling more often. It testifies to the importance of taking risks and reminds us again of how people can devise technologies that make it possible for us to explore this universe in which, I believe, God has placed us.

Regular readers of this blog know that I don't usually opine about political decision making here. But for so many reasons, I believe that every penny the federal government can spend on space flight enhances technologies we use here, opens up new commercial possibilities which, after NASA does the pioneering for us all, can then be opened to private companies, and teaches us more about the universe we live in, knowledge that can be applied in yet unknown ways.

All these things have been experienced as wonderful, life-changing fallout from previous commitment to space flight and space exploration. When something's working, you don't stop.

NASA still inspires me!

I hope that after you watch these two pieces, it will keep inspiring you too!