Running With Perseverance

February was a fast and furious month. The weather was all over the place with a bit of snow and a lot of ice. I had to work every weekend to keep from getting too far behind. The monotony of still staying safer at home and the time it’s taking for my fractured hand to heal wore on me. I am ready to turn the page on my wall calendar and say “check, done!” to February 2021.

The last week of February teased us with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60s. I know March weather can be fickle, but at least there’s more daylight to get us through.

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As I enter my 6th week of recovering from my fractured rib and hand, and my 50th week of staying safer at home, I’ve got to say it’s all gotten quite old. Instead of wallowing in my own whininess, I am celebrating the perseverance of the scientists and engineers who have worked for years on NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance mission.

The first high-resolution, color image from the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams)
on the underside of the Perseverance Mars rover
credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

I’m sure they endured set-backs and delays that made them wonder if they ever would see the rover land safely on Mars. It’s impossible to watch the landing video without cheering along with them.

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