Today, the Juno probe began to orbit Jupiter. After traveling 1.8 billion miles over five years, the probe will spend the next two years studying our solar system's largest planet, beaming information back to Earth, some 500 million miles away. Following that mission, Juno will crash into the massive planet, the first product of human ingenuity to reach its surface.
Meanwhile, two days from now, The Ark will open to the public in Williamstown, Kentucky. Built to specifications outlined in the Bible, the Ark will house exhibits which "reveal" specifics regarding the life of Noah, the Great Flood and the management of the menagerie onboard the wooden ship. True believers will no doubt flock to the site, paying good money to reinforce their faith.
This week's events highlight the ongoing juxtaposition of scientific achievement and religious mysticism in modern human society. Long before humans understood the nature of our solar system, the story of Noah and his Ark was ingrained in Judeo-Christian culture. Despite the knowledge that we humans have since attained, the simplistic concept of a Great Flood, documented in Holy Scripture, carries more weight among believers than does the vast amount of scientific evidence that validates the theory of evolution.
