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Celebrating a new Spirit of exploration
Zhou Liming Updated: 2004-01-05 10:22
Millions of people across the globe were mesmerized by
the scene, or more accurately, by verbal commentary and computer simulations on
TV.
The touchdown of the Spirit rover on Mars was truly a
moment worth celebrating.
Human beings have always been fascinated by our closest
planetary neighbour. We conjure up living species who reside there and
alternately attack us or befriend us.
We dream of a future home away from home where one day
we'll be able to travel for vacations or even settle down. We fear Mother Earth
will degenerate into a similarly uninhabitable sphere if we keep ravaging
her.
Man's imagination always runs ahead of his ability to
transform it into reality. Previous attempts at exploring Mars have resulted in
frequent failure. The latest casualty might be Great Britain's Beagle 2 lander,
which has been unaccounted for since an attempted landing on Christmas Eve.
As this edition of China Daily went to press, the Spirit
was functioning normally. And we will keep our fingers crossed that the Spirit
accomplishes its entire 90-day mission.
We congratulate American scientists for their
extraordinary work. The space race of the Cold War era has given way to a spirit
of co-operation.
As scientific research becomes more globally integrated,
any advance in science usually reflects years of travail by scientists across
many nations. And we have good reason to believe that, eventually, it will
benefit all mankind.
Someday, our favourite Martians may be those who travel
to Earth for a change of scenery.
(China Daily)
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