NASA's Rover -- Curiosity -- Lands on Mars

In the News

More than eight months after launch from Cape Canaveral, and 47 years after the first attempts to place a robotic explorer on the surface of Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover, a vehicle about the size of an SUV, touched down on the Red Planet last Sunday, with all systems intact and is already sending information back to Earth.

The event is remarkable for several reasons, not least of which is that the history of attempts to explore Mars -- including efforts by the United States, China, Russia, the European Space Agency and Japan -- is littered with failures and limited successes. The Curiosity mission is the 18th attempt to put a lander on Mars, with only eight of those landers making it to the surface safely.

The Curiosity mission, however, is on target to be all its designers had hoped.

After rocketing through space for more than eight months inside a larger craft, the Curiosity rover was lowered gently to the Mars surface after a complicated series of maneuvers that first accounted for the planet's gravity increasing the spacecraft's speed from 8,000 mph to 13,200 mph. Then, using a landing technique called "sky crane" -- which involved thruster rockets, a 51-foot-wide parachute and nylon cords -- the lander placed the rover on the surface at 1.7 mph. The lander itself then fired thrusters to propel itself out of the area before it crashed, as was intended, elsewhere on the planet. All of the landing sequence was directed by a preset program, since the time delay for radio communications was too long for control from Earth. The success of these maneuvers is all the more remarkable in that they could not be rehearsed first on Earth because of atmospheric differences.

Although the spaceflight had lasted more than eight months, the whole mission involved more than 5,000 people, some of whom had worked on this project for 10 years.

When Curiosity landed safely, mission control personnel leaped to their feet, expressing joy and relief. They say, however, that the moment of triumph celebrated just the success of the start of the Mars surface mission. The plan, still to come, is for Curiosity to drive around Mars, execute an effective scientific mission and relay the findings back to Earth.

Scientists and engineers at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managing the mission for NASA, say the rover landed on an ideal location, where there is much for Curiosity, a six-wheeled geochemistry lab, to explore and analyze right in the neighborhood. Eventually, it will be directed to move to other areas for further exploration.

The rover is nuclear-powered and is designed to operate for a full Martian year -- two years Earth time -- but officials say it could easily last twice that long.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments, some of which are being employed for the first time on a Mars mission. The cost of the whole mission is $2.5 billion, which includes spacecraft development, science investigations and the cost of launch and operations.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Curiosity Rover Hit the Perfect Spot on Mars, Scientists Say. Los Angeles Times
Why Is It So Hard to Land On Mars? Popular Science
Curiosity Lands On Mars: 10 Amazing Facts. Information Week
 
The Big Questions

1. Is conversion to follow Jesus a moment of decision, a lifetime of discipleship, both or something else? Explain your answer. When you think of your commitment to Christ, is it mostly a solo success, or can you look back and see that many people have had a hand in your life of discipleship?

2. What is holiness as it applies to the spiritual life? How is it related to spiritual maturity? Is it possible to be mature in years but immature in faith? How do we know?

3. In what ways is the Christian life like a sprint? In what ways is it like a pilgrimage? What is the difference? If the Christian race is a lifetime journey, what shorter races need to be run along the way?

4. How should you view hindrances, doubts, troubles and distractions on the faith journey?

5. What are the benefits of long-term obedience to God?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Micah 4:5
"For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." (For context, read 4:1-5.)

Micah 4:1-5 is a prophetic oracle that looks forward to a time when the people of the world live in peace and harmony. In that time, say these verses, people will recognize the one true God, seek to learn what God expects of them and no longer pursue war to settle disputes. People will be left undisturbed to live in prosperity on their own land.

Verse 5, quoted above, is the end of the oracle. It is an admission that the vision of hope described in verses 1-4 has not yet come to pass, for other nations continue to follow other gods. The followers of the true God, however, live in hope and commit themselves to continue walking in the way of the Lord until the promise is fully realized.

In other words, they are followers of the Lord for the long haul.

Questions: In what ways do you live out a similar long-haul commitment? What unexpected obstacles have come up during your life of discipleship? What contingency plans do you have for difficulties in your Christian "mission planning"?

Luke 2:36-38
"There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." (For context, read 2:22-38.)

Anna is one of the people who recognized the baby Jesus as the redeemer sent by God when his parents brought him to the temple for presentation to the Lord (a ritual something like the dedication of infants in some churches today). What's remarkable about Anna is not merely that she was 84 years old, but that throughout those many years, she worshiped God in the temple "with fasting and prayer night and day."

This doesn't mean, as we might say today, that "she had no life," but rather that part of her daily routine included attention to her commitment to God. That faith routine also put her in the place where, when Jesus was brought near her, she was equipped to see what most others had not -- that redemption was at hand.

Questions: What has attention to your long-term commitment to God revealed to you about his ways in the world? About his will for you? About hope for the future?

Luke 17:20-21
"The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you." (No additional context needed.)

In the gospels, Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God both as a future realm (as in the Lord's Prayer petition "thy kingdom come") and as one that is already present (as in the verses above). Theologians usually take this to mean that the kingdom of God will come fully only in God's own time, but that it is already present in some ways in the hearts of Jesus' followers (thus, "the kingdom of God is among you"). If that is the case, then one task for believers is to live like citizens of that kingdom.

Questions: How is the inner kingdom of God made manifest? What evidence do you see of the kingdom of God at present?

Galatians 6:9
"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up." (For context, read 6:7-10.)

Author Eugene Peterson describes the Christian life as "a long obedience in the same direction."

Questions: In what ways is the phrase "a long obedience in the same direction" helpful to you in thinking about your commitment to Christ? In what ways does it make you uncomfortable? In what ways is it a challenge to walk more consistently in God's ways?

Does your congregation make long-term plans that give vision and guidance when people grow weary? Do you tend to wait until there is a problem or an opportunity before making decisions or changes? Has there been a time when you or your congregation indeed grew weary before the time of harvest? How have you dealt with that?

Philippians 3:13-15
"Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind ..." (For context, read 3:10-16.)

Paul's use of the word "mature" in this context is telling, for he is not necessarily talking about people who are legally adults, but those who, regardless of their age, are "straining forward ... toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" -- in other words, those who are continuing in the practice and confidence of their faith in God through Jesus.

One of the signs that we are maturing in faith is when we realize and accept that the Christian life is not only a matter of initial repentance and commitment, but also a matter of perseverance.

Questions: When has persevering in faith helped you? How mature in faith would you say you are? Why? What prize, if any, do you and your congregation have your eyes on? Is there something that provides focus for your fellowship?

For Further Discussion

1. What are some benefits of space exploration? (For help with answers, see Why Space Matters. Benefits of Space.) Do you think the benefits are worth the cost?

2. There were years of work before Curiosity's landing, and it is expected there will be many more that follow it, but the landing was certainly a crucial and dramatic moment. If you can think of one crucial moment in your life of faith, a landing of sorts in Christ, what would it be? What took place before that moment that made it possible? Describe what has followed that moment.

3. Read the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8) to your class and ask class members to connect that to today's topic of long-term obedience. If needed, read Jesus' explanation of the parable (Matthew 13:18-23).

4. In a world that wants things done in seconds, why would anyone gamble on a project that takes 10 years, with less than 50 percent chance of succeeding? When have you done something similar? Why did you do it?

5. One team member said she loved that the rover is named Curiosity, adding that curiosity is a quality of humanity made in the image of God. Why do you think God implanted curiosity in us? Is it because God himself is curious or is there another reason?

6. Comment on this, from a TWW team member: "The act of pilgrimage takes effort. It doesn't matter if it is a well-known pilgrimage path like the Camino de Santiago, or a retreat at Iona, or a walk on a cloth labyrinth in a church basement, the act of committing oneself to a journey is life-changing."

Responding to the News

This is a good time to renew our commitment to follow Jesus through whatever comes. 

Other News This Week

Attack on Sikhs Rooted in Xenophobia?

When a gunman opened fire in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin so soon after the massacre at a Colorado movie theater recently, some saw it as more of the same madness. But the two incidents differed in one significant way: Those hurt or slain in the theater a random mix of people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, while the victims in the second shooting apparently were targeted because of their race or creed. So this lesson will address the issue of how we relate to those who are unlike us.

In the News

Last Sunday, Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran who may have been involved in the white supremacist movement, attacked and killed at least six people at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee before he was wounded by police and then killed himself. Because Sikh men wear turbans and do not shave their faces, some have mistaken them for Muslim terrorists following the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001. Since then, the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group, has recorded more than 700 attacks on Sikhs ranging from humiliation and vandalism to beatings and even murder.

In December 2001, a Sikh store owner in L.A. was beaten by two men wielding metal poles declaring, "We'll kill bin Laden today." Five years later another Sikh was stabbed at his San Jose home by a man who admitted that he wanted to "kill a Taliban." Vandals spray-painted the phrase "It's not your country" on the wall of a Sikh temple in Fresno in 2004; earlier this year another Sikh temple under construction in Michigan was defaced by the word "Mohmed" (presumably a misspelling of "Muhammad") and graffiti depicting a gun and a cross.

The United States is home to about 700,000 Sikhs, nearly all of Indian origin. "Our appearance looks like Osama bin Laden and those of Afghanistan," stated Suminder Sodhi, a friend of the first Sikh killed after 9/11. "But we are different people from Muslim people. We have different beliefs, a different religion." Sikhism, the world's fifth most popular religion, is a monotheistic faith that believes in equality and service to others, Sikh officials say.

Rajwant Singh, from the Maryland-Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said Sikhs growing up in the United States should not feel as though they don't belong. "Everybody should feel at home," he said Sunday. "This nation belongs to everyone."

More on this story can be found at this link:

Temple Shooting Dredges Up Memories of Long History of Bias Crimes Against the Sikhs. CNN

The Big Questions

1. Talk about a time you felt afraid or uncomfortable because you looked or behaved differently from those around you.?

2. Does it make a difference in your mind whether the victims of attacks were Sikh or Muslim?

3. How might Sikhs or Muslims be like lepers or Samaritans in the Bible? How did people in the Bible treat lepers and Samaritans? How did Jesus treat them?

4. Respond to this from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "You're probably familiar with the word xenophobia, whose Greek roots mean either fear or hatred of strangers. [In the New Testament, the opposite of xenophobia is] sometimes translated as hospitality, but the [underlying Greek] word, philoxenia, really means "love for strangers." It's used in Hebrews 13:2, with the reminder that those who have shown hospitality have sometimes entertained angels without knowing it. (Hospitality isn't just welcoming folks like us in for cherry pie. It's showing extraordinary generosity and welcome for people who are not like us -- as per Abraham and the three strangers [Genesis 18], alluded to in the Hebrews scripture.) Philoxenia is the opposite of xenophobia, and it's the Christian value. It's valued by Sikhs, too. ... I seem to remember that somebody we all respect and admire not only told us to love our enemies, but also said we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. I think we all know who said that."

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Romans 3:1, 9-10, 23-24, 27, 29-30  
"Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ... What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for ... all, both Jews and Greeks, ... have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ... Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. ... Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith." (For context, read 3:1-31.)

Questions: What are the benefits of emphasizing our differences? The dangers? What are the benefits of seeking to discover what we have in common? How does it change your view of others when you realize that everyone has the same need of God's mercy, and no one has a greater claim on God's love because of racial or religious identity?

Ephesians 2:12
"... remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." (For context, read 2:11-18.)

Questions: How does your attitude change toward those who are different from you when you remember that you were once a stranger to the gospel, excluded from the family of God, and yet now God has accepted you among his beloved? If you grew up in the faith, does that make it harder or easier to answer the last question?

1 Samuel 16:7
"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'" (For context, read 16:1-13.)  

Samuel looked at the outward appearance in hopes of discerning the man God had chosen to honor as king. But when God looked at the hearts of Jesse's sons, he didn't see the positive traits Samuel thought he saw, until David stood before him.

Question: Is it possible that we may also see negative attributes in others based on their physical appearance, while God looks at their hearts and sees something completely different -- hearts that are open to him in love and submission? How can we pattern our own approach to people on the way God relates to us?

Matthew 8:20
"And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'" (For context, read 8:18-22.)
John 1:11
"He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him." (For context, read 1:1-18.)
Matthew 25:37-40  
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" (For context, read 25:31-46.)

Questions: How are you and your church welcoming strangers? In what ways do you welcome people who are different from you? How have you given the Son of Man a place to lay his head?

Romans 12:13, 18-20
"Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. ... If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink ....'" (For context, read 12:9-21.)

Paul counsels the Roman Christians to care for one another, but he doesn't stop there. He urges them to go the next mile by welcoming strangers, even blessing their persecutors and meeting the needs of their enemies when they are hungry or thirsty.

Questions: How can you and your church live out this attitude of empathy toward the stranger among you in practical ways?

Closing Prayer
 
"Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly, day by day." Amen. (A prayer of Richard of Wyche, Bishop of Chichester, 1197-1253)
 

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