For a short, four-year period in the 1960s, the man sitting to my right was a High School teacher. I knew him for two of those. None before, and none after.

Inspired by “Why Does E=mc^2” by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, I admit to giving my imagination considerable free rein in this essay.

Curiosity, the biggest, heaviest and most complex rover, landed successfully on Mars this evening.

Curiosity experiences its Seven Minutes of Terror tonight, or becomes loose parts scattered across Mars.

Curiosity is on it’s way this morning to Mars for the next eight months. Launched this morning atop an Atlas V vehicle, Curiosity is the size of a small car, several times the weight, and carries many times the scientific instruments of its predecessor rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.