Mission to Mars is set to go

As you grab another Turkey leg today...here's something else to chew on. A $2.5 billion dollar NASA mission is set to learn whether Mars was, or ever could be, home to extraterrestrial life. You might say...Are you kidding?

You see, NASA's Mars mission is set to launch in a little more than 48 hours. The launch is set for 10:02 a.m. on Saturday for the 354 million mile path to Mars. If the unmanned Mars Science Laboratory lifts off, it will lower to the surface a sedan-size rover called Curiosity, which has the potential to change our understanding of the cosmos.

The big issue here is the point of the mission. Across the cyber spectrum, there are plenty of critics asking why this over budget trip is even worth it. Most accounts have the Mars Mission 30 percent over budget. Should this trip yield few interesting results, or worse, fail- this would certainly give credibility to the negative voices. Not to mention, the possibility of a slashed or gutted NASA budget.

The last six Mars missions have been a success. However, of the 43 world wide missions, checking out the Red Planet, only about a third have been succesful. Plus, NASA is attempting something never tried during a science-lab mission: It will use a new multistage landing system to lower the one-ton rover on a tether that some are likening to a “sky crane.” If it succeeds, the system is expected to be the prototype for rover landings on Mars and elsewhere.

So, clearly there are worthwhile components to this mission scheduled to reach Mars in August if everything goes well. Yet, the question still remains...in these times of cuts and economic concerns...is the $2.5 billion Mars Mission gravy for the space program or simply a big turkey?