World News
Vatican Observatory director says Curiosity will expand human knowledge
Published: August 6, 2012
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesuit Father Jose Funes is pleased with the successful landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, and he thinks "everybody should be happy with the success." The Argentine Jesuit, director of the Vatican Observatory, said the rover's mission is important: "to see if we can learn a bit more about Mars and the possibility of organic elements on the surface of Mars," which would indicate that some living organism had lived or could live on the planet. The Curiosity landed on Mars Aug. 5 and is set to explore the planet for two years. Father Funes told Vatican Radio Aug. 6 that he thinks the rover is perfectly named because curiosity is "a driving force to do science, to do research. Human beings basically are curious and we want to know how many things in the universe work: what is the logic, what are the laws in the universe." In addition, he said, human beings want to know if life forms exist anywhere else besides Earth. So far, there is no evidence of a living organism elsewhere, "but still the search for life is worthwhile. We can learn many things, even if we cannot find signs of life," he said.
Copyright (c) Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .
