Quote:I think you are reading too much into it. What would you have said about the European explorers of the mid-second millennium [Vasco da Gama, et al]?
I think the missions to outer space are driven more by the possibility of discovering some form of wealth that America can lay claim on than the desire to challenge religious beliefs.
The mission that you've brought up could serve for any purpose, for different nations have different institutions with different missions for different purposes, but in this case, we are dealing with NASA, of which information about them is widely available, and through observation and analysis, the conclusion that part of NASA's mission(s) involves the effort to prove evolution, has very good chances of it (the conclusion), not being wrong, considering the things that will be mentioned below.
- What could be one of the reasons that NASA wants to find life on mars or other places? - NASA believes in naturalism i.e. Evolution & The Big Bang
"In order to understand how the Universe has changed from its initial simple state following the Big Bang..."http://science.nasa.gov/...rograms/cosmic-origins/ - What is the Big Bang?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang
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"The NASA religion is that life is ubiquitous in the universe (meaning can be anywhere at anytime, does not have to be only on earth) – evidence of which is that even our next door neighbor (i.e., Mars) had it. Therefore, let’s go out and find it."http://www.velocitypress.com/Water_On_Mars.html
- Despite mars not being able to support water in liquid form (regarding this, read the long post), why does NASA insist that mars was once a water soaked place? - It is because there is no hope of finding life without first finding water.
- Opportunity rover landed on Eagle Crater, which after analysis, scientists presumptuously considered it once to be a water soaked place.
- NASA's press release regarding Opportunity on Eagle Crater:
http://marsrovers.jpl.na...ortunity/20040323a.html
- Having considered mars to once having water:
"It also meant they had achieved their goal. The primary reason for sending rovers to Mars, the reason why NASA was funding the mission, was to look for signs of past liquid water. *If evidence of water were found, the next questions scientists would seek to answer would be what the environment was like when water was present and whether past environments were favorable for life*." -
http://www.velocitypress.com/Water_On_Mars.html
- Curiosity's mission
"Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability." http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/overview/
- More Evidence for trying to prove life of mars - Out of the total of 14 missions to mars (including curiosity), all 14 of them involved the search for life or an environment conducive for life.
"The Mars Exploration Program is a science-driven program that seeks to understand whether Mars was, is, or can be, a habitable world. To find out, we need to understand how geologic, climatic, and other processes have worked to shape Mars and its environment over time, as well as how they interact today." -
http://science.nasa.gov/...grams/mars-exploration/ This link has the previous 13 missions.
- Out of the four goals for mars exploration, the search for life is their number N.o.1 goal.
- Goal 1: Determine if Life ever arose on Mars.
- Goal 2: Characterize the Climate of Mars.
- Goal 3: Characterize the Geology of Mars.
- Goal 4: Prepare for Human Exploration of Mars.
http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/smd-programs/mars-exploration/
It's within the other goals that they discover things like what murchr mentioned "days in Mars are longer by 40 mins".
- While is it clear that it is not possible for water to exist in liquid form, and while there is an explanation for the landscapes that were shaped without water, and reasons why the landscapes were not shaped ages ago by past waters (read the long post), NASA still really needs for water to exist or have existed. "To discover the possibilities for life on Mars--past, present or our own in the future--the Mars Program has developed an exploration strategy known as "Follow the Water." http://science.nasa.gov/...grams/mars-exploration/
"Following the water begins with an understanding of the current environment on Mars. We want to explore observed features like dry riverbeds, ice in the polar caps and rock types that only form when water is present. We want to look for hot springs, hydrothermal vents or subsurface water reserves. We want to understand if ancient Mars once held a vast ocean in the northern hemisphere as some scientists believe and how Mars may have transitioned from a more watery environment to the dry and dusty climate it has today. Searching for these answers means delving into the planet's geologic and climate history to find out how, when and why Mars underwent dramatic changes to become the forbidding, yet promising, planet we observe today." http://science.nasa.gov/...grams/mars-exploration/
- FYI, there is a serious controversy going on between the two positions - Supernaturalism vs Naturalism
- Scientists in top institutions have lost their jobs, had their credentials revoked and other things for the sin of mentioning of "Intelligent Design".
- Search for a documentary called "Expelled". This documentary brings to surface the war that is going on in academia regarding supernaturalism vs naturalism - a must watch. You can also look for the trailer. Both are in youtube.
- Proving their position requires them proving the existence of ET's.
- In what other context can the issues that were raised in this post make sense?
- If their mission was for mineral extraction or mining, then that would have been what they would be doing - mining or exploration for minerals, but you find that their mission purpose to mars is primarily for the search of life.
- Well, could NASA's missions to space have an agenda to prove their stand regarding origins?
They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds.