Bye Bye Mars Spirit Rover.

[attgig]

from cnn.com

> BREAKING NEWS NASA loses contact with Mars Spirit rover. Details soon.

[Cantacuzene]

Well that was a nice billion dollars while it lasted.

[ray]

Marvin the Martian found it!

[Grimm]

Originally posted by Cantacuzene
Well that was a nice billion dollars while it lasted.
Look at the bright side. In exchange for our billion dollars we have many, many pictures of a barren plain strewn with rocks. :umm:

[Merlin]

Do you want to know more? (http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=science&cat=mars_exploration)

[raimin]

well, we have another rover dropping in soon

[Cubsfan]

Originally posted by raimin
well, we have another rover dropping in soon
:stupid: That's only half of the mission. On Saturday Opportunity lands.

[Grimm]

Originally posted by raimin
well, we have another rover dropping in soon
Yeah! Another Billion dollars, many more picturs of rock! I'm just so thrilled.:hmm:

Hey, George Bush wants to put a man on Mars soon... can we just send him personaly?

[zenbooty]

Originally posted by Grimm
Hey, George Bush wants to put a man on Mars soon... can we just send him personaly? Only if I can press the button that fires the rocket.

[Nija]

Storm causes loss of communication (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/22/1074732539312.html)

the rest of the google cache'd stories about it (http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&edition=us&q=cluster:timesofindia%2eindiatimes%2ecom%2fcms%2edll%2fhtml%2funcomp%2farticleshow%2f433750%2ecms)

[ray]

Originally posted by Grimm

Yeah! Another Billion dollars, many more picturs of rock! I'm just so thrilled.:hmm:

Hey, George Bush wants to put a man on Mars soon... can we just send him personaly?

You make it sound like Bush was the first president to spend money on space exploration. How about all the trips and failed attempts to send astronauts to the moon and the lives they cost? How about sending people to the space station? If you're going to complain about the waste of money, don't single one person out. You may as well criticize many different administrations.

[raimin]

at least ours landed and got some pictures. not like those loony british :heh:

[Jeffbx]

You guys think this is a waste of money? Everything they get back, even from a failed mission, is valuable data in getting to the point where we can use resources outside of our planet.

Look at the state of things today - the pollution, the deforestation, the ozone depletion. What do you think this place will look like in 200 years? In 500 years?

There's going to be a point in time where we're going to have to look at places other than earth for our natural resources, and maybe even places to live. This is important stuff, whether it seems like it or not.

[kimchicowboy]

Originally posted by Grimm

Yeah! Another Billion dollars, many more picturs of rock! I'm just so thrilled.:hmm:

Hey, George Bush wants to put a man on Mars soon... can we just send him personaly?
actually, but rovers aren't ~a billion each. the total cost for both was ~$850 million.

[Grimm]

Originally posted by ray


You make it sound like Bush was the first president to spend money on space exploration. How about all the trips and failed attempts to send astronauts to the moon and the lives they cost? How about sending people to the space station? If you're going to complain about the waste of money, don't single one person out. You may as well criticize many different administrations.
I know, I just like the mental picture of Bush standing out in the middle of nowhere on mars, campaigning to be the ruller of Mars to a bunch of rocks.


Originally posted by kimchicowboy

actually, but rovers aren't ~a billion each. the total cost for both was ~$850 million. Not my number. I got it from Canta's post. :P


Originally posted by Jeffbx
You guys think this is a waste of money? Everything they get back, even from a failed mission, is valuable data in getting to the point where we can use resources outside of our planet.

Look at the state of things today - the pollution, the deforestation, the ozone depletion. What do you think this place will look like in 200 years? In 500 years?

I think it will look a lot like Mars here in 500 years the way things are going. Maybe with bigger craters.:eek:

Space exploration has it's value. We should proceed along. But rushing to put a man on Mars without a plan on where to go from there is unwise. If we want to use Mars for anything we will need a base there. That means a habitat and facilities. We need to first establish how to build suca a base. Parobes are good for this. Sending a man there will not help this. We need to instead work on the techmologies to put a base there. A moonbase will not help us significantly in this goal. Perhaps we should look at antartica for an example... or a very high mountain. When we can put a self sustaining base at the top of our highest mountain on this planet, then we can look to the next one.

[DaFunkyUnit]

Originally posted by Grimm

Space exploration has it's value. We should proceed along. But rushing to put a man on Mars without a plan on where to go from there is unwise. If we want to use Mars for anything we will need a base there. That means a habitat and facilities. We need to first establish how to build suca a base. Parobes are good for this. Sending a man there will not help this. We need to instead work on the techmologies to put a base there. A moonbase will not help us significantly in this goal. Perhaps we should look at antartica for an example... or a very high mountain. When we can put a self sustaining base at the top of our highest mountain on this planet, then we can look to the next one.

we gotta start somewhere, right?

[Kevster]

Originally posted by kimchicowboy

actually, but rovers aren't ~a billion each. the total cost for both was ~$850 million.

You can probably assume about 1/3 to 1/2 of that is manpower cost too - to pay for the scientists, engineers, managers, support staff, etc.

[Nija]

Originally posted by Kevster


You can probably assume about 1/3 to 1/2 of that is manpower cost too - to pay for the scientists, engineers, managers, support staff, etc.

yeah, I mean, they wrap the thing in tin foil, they can't cost that much to make... :P

[gwilks98]

Originally posted by DarkFury
Heh... well sounds like they need some "AI" on the rover to be able to fix itself if need be.

I'd sure hate to know what would happen should a "violent wind" or something turn it over on its backside... could it "right itself" out there? What if it fell into a sink hole? Yeah.. more or less, kiss it goodbye! :kiss:

How would you like to be the guy at NASA with the remote control when you drove the rover into the sinkhole?

"I am SOOO fired."
:P

[gear02]

Originally posted by gwilks98


How would you like to be the guy at NASA with the remote control when you drove the rover into the sinkhole?

"I am SOOO fired."
:P

haha...good one :)

[Grimm]

For 850 Million I expect my martian probes to be able to correct themselves. If a toy company can make a remote control vehical for $20 that can operate even when flipped over, then NASA should be able to do the same with $850 million.

[welfareloser]

actually, i don't think space exploration is a waste of money, for another reason. it makes kids want to be scientists when they grow up. having american scientists that are worth a damn is invaluable, worth far more than the millions spent on space exploration.

walk through a science building. the post docs, the grad students, teh people coming up with the next big ideas and working on them, are largely chinese, south american, indian. we need more americans in science, because americans approach science in a unique way - not better, but different, and we need the american brand of brainstorming and intutive leaps as much as we need the theoretical thought processes of europeans and the leave-no-stone-unturned experimentation of the chinese.

of course, we also need to change the way science works so that 99% of the people who want to be scientists don't get tired of taking up the butt and quit within 10 years to make more money and have a better lifestyle in some other field.

oh, and... *please* don't anybody blast me for being racist. i'll provide links to the studies showing how different countries approach science if you're interested.

[whitak24]

Originally posted by welfareloser
actually, i don't think space exploration is a waste of money, for another reason. it makes kids want to be scientists when they grow up. having american scientists that are worth a damn is invaluable, worth far more than the millions spent on space exploration.

walk through a science building. the post docs, the grad students, teh people coming up with the next big ideas and working on them, are largely chinese, south american, indian. we need more americans in science, because americans approach science in a unique way - not better, but different, and we need the american brand of brainstorming and intutive leaps as much as we need the theoretical thought processes of europeans and the leave-no-stone-unturned experimentation of the chinese.

of course, we also need to change the way science works so that 99% of the people who want to be scientists don't get tired of taking up the butt and quit within 10 years to make more money and have a better lifestyle in some other field.

oh, and... *please* don't anybody blast me for being racist. i'll provide links to the studies showing how different countries approach science if you're interested.
you're racist!!!!! you quote data only in a way that supports your point instead of quoting all possible data known to mankind! until you have something useful to say, shut the **** up you racist *****!!!!!


:P j/k welfare

seriously, you raise an interesting point (i think that's about the 5th time i've used this phrase here in the past 2 days). i think it is important that we encourage americans to study science -- it not only helps the scientific community, it can also be a strategic advantage. if the space program helps encourage this, then i say great. but (and here's where i want data :P) has it been shown that this is actually the case?

[Jcranmer]

Originally posted by welfareloser
actually, i don't think space exploration is a waste of money, for another reason. it makes kids want to be scientists when they grow up. having american scientists that are worth a damn is invaluable, worth far more than the millions spent on space exploration.

walk through a science building. the post docs, the grad students, teh people coming up with the next big ideas and working on them, are largely chinese, south american, indian. we need more americans in science, because americans approach science in a unique way - not better, but different, and we need the american brand of brainstorming and intutive leaps as much as we need the theoretical thought processes of europeans and the leave-no-stone-unturned experimentation of the chinese.

of course, we also need to change the way science works so that 99% of the people who want to be scientists don't get tired of taking up the butt and quit within 10 years to make more money and have a better lifestyle in some other field.

oh, and... *please* don't anybody blast me for being racist. i'll provide links to the studies showing how different countries approach science if you're interested.


:stupid:

You know I don't think I have ever used that smiley before for one of your posts, wl! :D (j/k!)

[welfareloser]

i don't know that it's ever been shown... i just know that a lot of people i've met in science grew up dreaming of becoming astronauts.

[bachviet]

Without space expedition, "Total Recall" won't happen.

[hapoo]

Originally posted by welfareloser
we need more americans in science, because americans approach science in a unique way - not better, but different, and we need the american brand of brainstorming and intutive leaps as much as we need the theoretical thought processes of europeans and the leave-no-stone-unturned experimentation of the chinese.


Yeah, we're also the ones who came up with the Ford Pinto :hmm:

[welfareloser]

bah, that wasn't science's fault... that was those g-d engineers. you know, the little trolls that ride on scientists' coattails and screw things up...


*ducks*

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by hapoo

Yeah, we're also the ones who came up with the Ford Pinto :hmm:

And the Chevy Nova. :heh:

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by chosenfool
hey now. dont you be knockin my ride, biatch.

that's your ride doing the knockin, not me :P

[Kevster]

Originally posted by Jihforce


And the Chevy Nova. :heh:

Please, the Nova is a fine car. It was American marketing morons that tried to sell it still named "Nova" in Latin America.
(If you know spanish, you will get it immediately.)

Oh, and welfare:

:bonk:

Thats from us engineers ;)

[hapoo]

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp :P

[yippiekiyeh]

I love that website! snopes.com rocks!

[whitak24]

Originally posted by hapoo
http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp :P
beat me to the punch hapoo :thumb:

[molecularfire]

Look at the state of things today - the pollution, the deforestation, the ozone depletion. What do you think this place will look like in 200 years? In 500 years?
And why would we want to subject another planet to that kind of selfish destruction? Best to contain this travesty that we call humanity to destroy itself.

[brainsmile]

Originally posted by Cubsfan

:stupid: That's only half of the mission. On Saturday Opportunity lands. I thought Opportunity always knocks

[hapoo]

Originally posted by brainsmile
I thought Opportunity always knocks


Well if the people at NASA did the mathwork for it, it'll knock about half a mile into the martian soil, thats if it doesn't skip right out into space.

[Kevster]

Originally posted by hapoo
http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp :P

Oh well. I guess the professor I learned that from was wrong too (that was before Snopes ever existed). :shrug:

[Markel]

Well, from today's news (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20040124/D808RGUO2.html) it sounds like all might not be lost yet.