NASA's spirits soar on Mars

In a reversal of fortune for NASA, the early work of Mars robot explorer Spirit has been nothing short of spectacular.

Spirit's cameras have transmitted high-definition, high-resolution color photographs of Mars' surface, which somewhat resembles the desert Southwest. Spirit's mission is to study rocks and soil in the Gusev Crater and determine whether the basin was an ancient lake bed that could have nurtured life.

Bit by bit, the mission seeks to answer the questions that have dogged scientists and laymen alike since the planet's discovery: Has Mars supported life? Could it again?

The whole notion of a generation of Baby Boomers, whose impressions of Mars were largely formed through science fiction accounts of Martian invaders, now calling up photographs of the red planet on their home computer is astonishing. If you haven't yet, go to marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov

This landing is a remarkable feat considering NASA's spotty success with Mars missions. Two U.S. satellites orbit Mars but Spirit is only the fourth successful landing in 27 years. Others include two Vikings in 1976 and the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1997. The loss of subsequent probes were an expensive setback to the space exploration program, which was rocked further by the deaths of seven shuttle astronauts last spring.

We hope the smooth sailing of Spirit portends equal success for Opportunity, Spirit's twin, en route to the Martian equator later this month. Utah companies manufactured important components of both probes, which should serve to enhance Utahns' interest in these missions.

In fact, Utah will continue to play an important role in space exploration.

Although the event has been largely overshadowed by the success of the ongoing Mars missions, NASA chalked up another great feat late last week when it successfully flew the spacecraft Stardust through the tail of a comet 242 million miles from earth, snapping photographs and collecting samples of dust and ice for later return to earth.

The probe is scheduled to land, literally, in our own back yard in the Utah Test and Training Range in in January 2006.

These recent milestones in space are remarkable in themselves. But when one understands Utah's important and ongoing role in the exploration of space, it gives these events even greater significance.