Just in case you have been too busy watching the soap opera that is Democratic politics to follow other news of the day, let me tell you that tonight is an incredibly exciting night for those of us who fall into the duel categories of political junkie/science nerd.
Just a couple of hours from now, the Phoenix Mars Lander will attempt to land close to the North Pole of Mars to begin exploring its icy soil. Although the Phoenix has a greater chance of landing successfully than Hillary has of being the Democratic nominee, a successful landing not a given. Only have of the missions to Mars have landed successfully. Hopefully the brilliant scientists who have been working on the Phoenix Mission will be rewarded with a successful landing. The landing will be covered on some news stations if you are interested.
One main objective of the Phoenix is as follows:
Should it find ice, the lander will analyze dirt and ice samples for traces of organic compounds, the chemical building blocks of life. It will also study whether the ice melted at some point in Mars' history when the planet was warmer than its current harsh, cold environment.
http://ap.google.com/...
One potentially incredible aspect of the Phoenix Mission is that it may lead to further missions which may find conclusive evidence of life outside of Earth. The implications of such a discovery on our perspective of our place in the universe and the implications on world religions would be profound. So profound, in fact, that it would require an entire other diary written by an author far more philosophically and theologically knowledgeable than I (no doubt, this includes many people).
So, if you get a chance tonight, take a break from the Obamas and the Clintons and join me in a beer as we watch a successful Phoenix landing.