Over the Horizon and Way Beyond
kwooton@aimmedia.com It’s in our DNA to explore, to cross oceans, to reconnoiter bays, to run rivers, or just to probe the recesses of our own minds. When our compulsion to explore—for food, safety, conquest, enrichment or simple curiosity about what was over the next hill—led us away from our ancient origins, we started something that would define us as humans. Eventually, we conceived vehicles to carry ourselves and our gear farther and faster with navigation ever more complex and accurate. I don’t know about you, but I found the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars an unexpectedly exhilarating, emotional experience. I’m not sure what triggered my reaction. We’ve sent probes farther into space, and we’ve put ingenious rovers on Mars before, but this one somehow felt different—more dramatic, more consequential. In…