Dear Editor:

I got goosebumps when NASA’s Perseverance landed on Mars after a 7-month trip from earth.

My awe continued after watching the video footage of the rover as it descended and landed. Today my mouth is really wide open in wonder after listening to the first audio clips captured on the surface of Mars.

The rover mission is to search for signs of ancient microbial life, to collect samples of rock and soil which will eventually be sent to earth in a future mission, and to test technologies that will help the future human exploration of Mars.

I wish I was in my early twenties so that I could train and volunteer for an exploratory trip to Mars.

Our technical achievements like the Perseverance landing on Mars and the development of the Covid-19 virus vaccine prove to the world that we are the greatest country in the world and that our technical prowess is used for the benefit of mankind.

Jorge Montero
Downey