What’s so great about being down to earth?

The dictionary definition of the phrase is practical, sensible and pragmatic.

The people behind Thursday’s Blast-Off Dinner — to kick off Mars Borough’s launch of its Mars New Year celebration — instead, are aiming high and thinking big.

The 160 attendees used the event to publicize the value of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education. These are all disciplines needed to eventually launch a manned mission to Mars.

The dinner’s keynote speaker, Tara Ruttley, the former chief scientist at NASA for microgravity research, met with students from 11 school districts at an earlier Countdown Breakfast to field their questions.

Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company also was present to announce its Peregrine Mission 1, the first commercial mission to the moon, was slated to launch May 4 with a payload of scientific instruments. If successful, it will be the first American craft landing on the moon since 1972, the last of the Apollo manned missions.

The borough hosts an annual Mars New Year celebration, this year on June 9 and 10, and NASA participates in this two-day event — highlighting announcements and opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math — to inspire young people to pursue innovation and exploration.

The red planet's year lasts nearly twice as long as an Earth year, and it celebrated its new year on Dec. 24, 2022. To commemorate this, Mars' “Blast Off Dinner” begins yearlong countdown to the June event.

Mars began the event in 2015. During its history it has brought scientists, educators and innovators to the borough highlighting the possibilities and careers available in the STEAM fields.

The borough is to be commended for its Mars New Year celebration and its related events. There’s nothing earthbound about the future they are presenting to young minds.

— EKF