[Ed_GT5000]

Congrats to NASA for a sucessfull landing of the Spirit on the surface of Mars!

arty: arty: arty:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

 

[Live Oak]

It is quite a spectacular achievemtent. PBS had a NOVA special program on the Mars mission last night that was VERY interesting.

 

[tisenberg]

The mathmatics involved are HUGE. I've been reading up on what they had to take into account to make this happen and it is ridiculous. Amazing what people can do what they put their minds to it and people put money to it.

NOW, what the hell kind of value are we going to get out of it???

Let's say they say... "yes, mars did once contain water". While that is fascinating... who cares.

Let's say the say... "we have found skeleton remains". Again, while that is fascinating... who cares.

I guess they could find some special chemical compound that could be of use to us, but other than that. What is it we are hoping to learn, and what value will that bring to us.

Ok, go ahead, bash me, flame me or whatever, I'm just wondering.

Anyone?

 

[leolav]

The thing I can't believe is that the machine is bigger than a majority of the GT's on the market today. Pretty cool that it can survive a trip like that.

What would really be cool is if they could fabricate one of these rovers out of a GT and send that to Mars. Then Andy's avatar would seem normal!

 

[jodyand]

OK tisenberg you ask for it:flamedevi :flyingdev :flamedevi is that good enough im with you spend the money here or give it to me:smiles: Or at least put a man on Mars.
Jody

 

[tisenberg]

LOL... Thats funny, I was thinking that the mission to mars would be somewhat similiar to the movie. Could you imagine being the one and only person on mars and be stuck there for a year or more. OMG, I'd go NUTS. Even if you had 2 or 3 other people there with you. Let's see, now we can hi-jack this thread and put a list together of the things that we/I would miss..

In no particular order, If I went to Mars on an extended mission, the things I would miss most are (in no particular order)....

- family & friends (especially around specific dates)
- driving places for no reason
- family
- playing on my computer across the internet with friends
- family
- screwing around with electronic gear in general
- family
- mowing the yard.. I actually enjoy doing it
- family
- fast food... hell, real food
- Oh, and the family

I would say surfing the web, but I'd probably be able to do low bandwidth type of stuff.

 

[Argee]

Yeah, but if you went to Mars your days would be filled with discovery and anticipation. It would be lke a Christopher Columbus mission. Walking where no other human has ever walked, seeing what no other human has ever seen. Heady stuff.:smiles:

 

[slipshod]

The World's Highest Priced

Video Game !We got a bunch of well paid Tech Monsters,playing with the best of Toys. The problem is they are playing on our quarters.Nice work if you can get it.

 

[Chris]

I think it is just a fanciful way for the astronaut killers to overcome their last mistakes (shall we bring up the billions spent on the wayward X-38 bust) nor the other mission failures (Mars Landers gone bye bye in the past?) --- Why do we not get to vote on the future of this space exploration enterprise? Why do the people of the country not get to direct our funding for such pompous and frivoless excursions? === What better use could we derive from focusing that mental capability and genius on meaningful projects on the Earth? What better ways could we collectively improve the lives of people inside our own country with that level of limitless funding? Why the cuts in the public schools, benefits, military and VA medical care, pay-raises for our police/fire/etc? --- Why all of the cuts and reduced spending when we spend hundreds of millions to send a RC go-kart to Mars to play around on the red clay for a little while looking for new rocks, sand and possibly a drop of water to quench our thirst for glory?

I simply cannot subscribe to the belief that the world will be better off because we retrieve a microscopic sample of Mars dust that proved that a piece of embedded H20 might have been there some 10 million years ago. I think the whole concept, the whole direction and the whole outcome of the project is pointless, pompous and without merit. How many lovely shots of the earth do we need? Are we simply so bored that we have solved all of the problems here on the Earth, that we need to traverse to another planet to scheme its future demise?

Cheers,
Andy