G’day RedStaters

and Thank God It’s Friday!  Welcome to Friday’s Water Cooler, always an Open Thread.  May you be blessed today, this week, and always through the peace and joy that come from knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It’s the President’s Day weekend with the actual US holiday on Monday the 18th.  Let’s use this time to thank God for the providence that he has provided getting us to this point in time as participants in the American Experiment, and pray for our leaders, especially President Trump who continues to battle headwinds inside the government as he tries to make ground in the protection of our nation.

Biden his Time

Demonstrating one more of his many talents for decisive leadership, Joe Biden has spent months agonizing about whether or not to enter the 2020 race for US President.  On top of his gropiness and gaffiness, this decisiveness is especially appealing.

Lost Opportunity

Earlier this week NASA reported that the Opportunity Rover was finally deemed lost, after eight months of trying to re-establish communication after a raging dust storm on Mars.

Designed to last just 90 Martian days and travel 1,100 yards (1,000 meters), Opportunity vastly surpassed all expectations in its endurance, scientific value and longevity. In addition to exceeding its life expectancy by 60 times, the rover traveled more than 28 miles (45 kilometers) by the time it reached its most appropriate final resting spot on Mars – Perseverance Valley.

“For more than a decade, Opportunity has been an icon in the field of planetary exploration, teaching us about Mars’ ancient past as a wet, potentially habitable planet, and revealing uncharted Martian landscapes,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “Whatever loss we feel now must be tempered with the knowledge that the legacy of Opportunity continues – both on the surface of Mars with the Curiosity rover and InSight lander – and in the clean rooms of JPL, where the upcoming Mars 2020 rover is taking shape.”

The press release also contains this video summary of the mission.

Monster Machines

It’s been a little time since I ferreted out a wacky machine compilation, so probably time for us to get a fix:

Enjoy your (Hopefully Long) Weekend

And God bless you, yours, and our nation.

Mike