While every news agency concentrates on Japan and Libya, America is making history

America making history at a time when so much else is going on that media’s efforts to cover it falls on deaf ears and bloodshot eyes.  This day is important because it will now provide our children with a point of reference and a better look at parts of the universe once thought to be completely off limits to the capabilities of man.

An Associated Press article titled NASA spacecraft now circling Mercury — a first tells us that “NASA's spacecraft called Messenger successfully veered into a pinpoint orbit Thursday night after a 6 1/2-year trip and 4.9 billion miles and tricky maneuvering to fend off the gravitational pull of the sun.”  The best part of this entire article is expressed by Messenger’s chief engineer, Eric Finnegan when he said “"It was right on the money." Messenger is in orbit that brings it as close as 120 miles above the planet's surface. "This is as close you can possibly get to being perfect."  "Everybody was whooping and hollering; we are elated," Finnegan said. "There's a lot of work left to be done, but we are there."

Already the pictures are coming in and anticipation of what’s next is boiling over.  For the first time, Earth has a regular orbiting eye-in-the-sky spying on the solar system's smallest and strangest planet, Mercury and according to Robert Strom of the University of Arizona, “he said for a while he thought he wouldn't get a second peek at the eccentric Mercury.  "I am just so thrilled it isn't funny," Strom said by telephone minutes after NASA confirmed that Messenger was in orbit. "Thirty-six years waiting for this day. It's just unbelievable."  It is unbelievable and remarkable all the same.  The ability of America to accomplish feats that seem too daunting to many should make us all feel as if we can touch the stars.

My motto proves true that our only true limitations are those we place upon ourselves.  Mercury now but it is limitless to where we can go from here.  American scientist and engineers have provided us with more to teach those that come after us and make some wonder just what they will be able to teach those that follow them.

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