Head of Vatican Observatory welcomes success of Mars landing
(Vatican Radio) The Mars science rover Curiosity landed on the Martian surface Monday
morning - shortly after 0530 GMT - to begin a two-year mission seeking evidence the
Red Planet once hosted ingredients for life. Mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California received signals relayed by a Martian orbiter confirming
that the rover had survived a make-or-break descent and landing attempt to touch down
as planned inside a vast impact crater.
The Curiosity rover is the first fully-fledged
mobile science laboratory to be landed on the surface of the planet Mars. Curiosity
is designed to hunt for soil-based signatures of life and send back data to prepare
for a future human mission. The head of the Vatican Observatory, Fr. José Gabriel
Funes, SJ told Vatican Radio that he welcomes the achievement. “I think everybody
should be happy with the success of [the start of] this mission,” he said, adding,
“we now have to wait for results, to see if we can learn more about Mars and the possibility
of organic elements on the surface of Mars.”
Asked whether Catholics and believers
in general have anything to fear - whether from from the search for extraterrestrial
life in particular or from scientific exploration generally, Fr. Funes SJ responded,
“No, of course not – we are not afraid of science, we are not afraid of new results,
new discoveries.” The Director of the Vatican Observatory went on to explain that
the Church is deeply committed to scientific research. “That’s the reason why the
[Holy See] has an observatory,” he said. “Whatever the truth might be, we are open
to new results, once they are confirmed by the scientific community.” Listen to
Vatican Radio's extended interview with Fr. Jose Funes, SJ: