Aurora

Man, indeed, is capable of putting together amazing dedication and fascinating effort to accomplish a great task and bring to reality a great vision. However, while one may succeed convincingly, another may fail miserably. Failure is not the end of it all, though, unless he quits trying again. Sadly, some fail to conquer great heights. They have failed to maximize their full potential because they have been too afraid to fail and some because they are not willing to wait.

The European Space Agency had begun in 2001 its Aurora Exploration Program. It is part of Europe's strategy for space, endorsed by the European Union Council of Research and the ESA Council in 2001. This strategy calls for Europe to:

-explore the solar system and the Universe
-stimulate new technology
-inspire the young people of Europe to take a greater interest in science and technology

The primary objective of Aurora is to create, and then implement, a European long-term plan for the robotic and human exploration of the solar system, with Mars, the Moon and the asteroids as the most likely targets. A second objective is to search for life beyond the Earth. Future missions under the program will carry sophisticated exobiology payloads to investigate the possibility of life forms existing on other worlds within the solar system.

Among the technology needed to make a human mission to Mars possible are aero-braking, precision navigation and landing, propulsion systems that offer cheaper, faster travel and life-support systems to enable humans to live in hostile space environments. The first Mars exploration under the Aurora Program is set to take place by the year 2033.

On a personal note, as a Christian, I find this project as a noble one. ESA might have initiated this program mainly, on the point of view of science but the results of their explorations will only record the beauty of the universe- the perfect and exact workmanship of our God Almighty.

Nothing is easy to accomplish. If you have observed the length of time that ESA has fixed for this program, it is over 30 years. It requires a lot of hard work and painstaking research and testing. If you have a short staying power, such undertaking is never your playing field. Failure is not far-fetched but it is not one of their options. Success is closest to the determined and unrelenting, those who are willing to take on the challenge.

Picture and information courtesy of:
http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Aurora/index.html
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