The buzz from the Martian rover exploration - which many people consider the biggest breakthrough on the star-spangled final frontier since the Apollo moon landing - has permeated the University.
"(It's) absolutely fabulous. Dynamite," said Astronomy Prof. Pat Seitzer, echoing the elation that many members of the astronomy community feel toward the mission.
"I can't say enough superlatives," Seitzer said.
Seitzer and Tim Killeen, director of the University Space Physics Research Laboratory, agreed that the Pathfinder mission, which is spectacular in its frugality (the tag price for the mission is $300 million, far less than most space endeavors), represents the new trend in space exploration - low-cost and high-tech.
Although the University has not played an active role in the Pathfinder mission, it won't be long before the University sends its own faster and cheaper mission to the red planet.
"Michigan will have its mission, ultimately," Killeen said, referring to the MAUDEE probe, which will analyze the wispy upper atmosphere of Mars.
Killeen said the MAUDEE mission has been accepted by the National Aeronautics Space Administration and may carouse the frigid sky of the Earth's rusted neighbor as early as 2002.
Killeen added that sending the MAUDEE probe to Mars will make it possible for future human exploration of the planet.
"(NASA researchers) need to understand the upper atmosphere first," Killeen said. "We are still 15-20 years away from manned exploration."
Killeen noted that the University has a proud history of space exploration; University researchers took part in the Casini mission to Saturn and the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
Seitzer said the Pathfinder mission has also launched a consumer frenzy: 1500 Mattel Hot Wheels Pathfinder replicas, the gift shop's entire stock, were sold in 5 minutes at the Jet Propulsion Lab gift shop in Pasadena, California.
"They seem to be the equivalent of Martian Beanie Babies," Seitzer said, drawing an analogy to the diminutive plush toy, which the majority of the free world have deemed priceless and "adorable."
Some students, however, are less than impressed with some of the mission's elements.
"Who gave NASA the right to name rocks?" asked LSA senior Tiffany Mason, referring to the cartoon character- inspired names given to rocks by NASA researchers. "What right do we have claiming other planets?"
The Pathfinder mission is piloted by a rover, not much larger than a skateboard, loaded with equipment to analyze and photograph the Martian surface and send data back to earth.
Seitzer said the end goal of the Mars missions is to extract rock samples from the surface of the rusted planet.
"The eventual goal is to bring rocks back to earth for study," Seitzer said. "This is only the first of a number. Stay tuned."
BOHDAN DAMIAN CAP/Daily
University space physicist Tim Killeen sits with a model of the MAUDEE probe, which University scientists will eventually use to study Mars' upper atmosphere.