Tired of Iraq, election politics, Christmas controversy, and flu shots? Consider this: BBC News: The Huygens spacecraft is about to begin the final leg of its journey to Saturn’s enigmatic moon Titan. We’ll sample its atmosphere, test its surface, take its temperature, and even get a good look at it. With all the money we’re blowing on blowing each other up, it’s nice to think that even though our reach exceeds our grasp, our grasp never gives up.
Like any space probe, it could fail before it sends back any data – for every Hubble space telescope, there are a handful of Nozomi and Beagle 2 probes that just don’t make it. But isn’t that to be expected when we’re reaching that far into the unknown? The miracle is that any of them work. It’s a reminder that somewhere in the heart of humanity, there’s a burning desire to know, to learn about the universe.