There’s been a lot of hoopla at NASA over the landing of the Spirit probe on Mars and rightly so. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the visible excitement of the research team broadcast recently on television.

The space odyssey has also captured the spirit of the nation and it seems we all are waiting just as anxiously as scientists for the first color pictures from the surface of the Red Planet.

Mars, at 100 million miles away, is a close neighbor to Earth. Has it ever supported life? And if so, could it again? Is it important to know more about such questions? It certainly is.

As we continue to use up Earth’s resources, one has to wonder where will we turn when all here has been depleted. No, this isn’t likely to happen in our lifetime, perhaps not even in the lifetime of our great-great-grandchildren. Still, it’s good to know there are those curious souls out there learning more about the world &045; and galaxy &045; of which we are a part.

And there is no denying that seeing the surface of Mars stirs up visions of futuristic science fiction images as portrayed on TV. That is perhaps what is most intriguing about this trip to Mars &045; it seems to open before our eyes so many possibilities. It’s the sort of thing that makes us dream of all that could be here and elsewhere.

There’s also no doubt that the price tag for the mission is mighty hefty. Perhaps the money could be spent differently. However, research should never start when an emergency is at hand. When our earth is no longer capable of sustaining life, knowing our options could be mighty important.