Here in the States the news has been particularly heinous as of late.  When this happens it can make things that are interesting or even positive get lost in the tidal wave of woe.  This could be exactly what's happening with the news that the European spacecraft orbiting mars has found more evidence that Mars may have had a substantial ocean some billions of years ago.

 

While I'm not going to jabber on about politics and moon bases I can say that this recent data has caused some scientists to view Mars as having suffered a sustained drought that would only have sustained the most recent expected ocean for around a million years, which is, by their estimation, not enough time for life to have formed.

 

While the search for life on Mars (on a microbial scale) continues the really exciting part is what this will potentially mean for human exploration, colonization, and expansion.  If Mars has previously been able to sustain water it could potentially make Mars an ideal practice site for terra-forming and a stepping stone for further expansion.

 

How many other planets are gifted a neighboring planet that makes such possibilities so readily within our reach?  If Gas Giants or planets that had not fully formed or been destroyed were our only neighbors... any sights we seek to explore would be just that much further away.  We should take the time to realize how lucky we are that our place in the universe is so conveniently assembled to appeal and reward our innate need to explore.

 

/rant