The Phoenix... A Feeling Well Founded...

The end of the hit HBO series, "From the Earth to the Moon" had actor and co-creator Tom Hanks asking "when will we be going back to the Moon?" While the answer to that question is still in flux, even with the Orion Mission brewing at full steam, there's some other fantastic stellar news that many probably weren't aware of.

The Phoenix Mission is all about the continued exploration of our brotherly planet, Mars. It's mission was to land on the martian icescape in an effort to continue to prove that there was once/is water on Mars which continues to extend the knowledge base of what is mans preliminary steps to the red planet.

Well - we did it again. We've had our nations best, along with cooperating staffs from other countries figure out the details and "thread the proverbial needle" to get another piece of equipment from here to there as was planned last August.

The feelings that projects and stories like this conjure are simply magical. The rising feeling in my heart, along with others that eventually follow or find out about this accomplishment is something that makes me wonder: When WILL we get back into the driver's seat of space exploration? I previously mentioned the Orion project that promises much, but has only the base structure at this point. So much was initiated, achieved, and of course, lost, when President Kenndy challenged the nation and our spirits to get to the Moon. When "on Earth" can we hope to have some of that spirit be initiated by the accomplishment achieved today? The future projects both on their way to Mars and those to come?

We are a nation that can and is able to achieve what is essentially "the impossible": This mission was describes as "hitting a ball from the home plate of Dodger Stadium, and having it land directly on home plate at Chicago's Wrigley Field. WE DID IT. We continue to achieve the impossible and as Tom Hanks tantalizes viewers in the last episode of "From the Earth to the Moon..." When will we be going back?

Thoughts?