Slashdot Mirror
Asteroid Landing
guardia writes "This is my first submit to Slashdot and the following looked cool enough to me and since I haven't seen it posted yet on Slashdot, here goes! Basically, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, ISAS, is planning to launch the M-V rocket from its Kagoshima Space Center located in Uuchinoura, Kagoshima. The rocket will contain the small craft Muses-C (also available in Japanese) which should land on Asteroid 1998SF36 (the "star prince"), leave a million names or so (you can register yours for free!) on the target marker, and come back with some surface samples."
Yeah great, and now that they have your name, all the ETs have to do is a Google search and you'll start getting collect telemarketing calls from outer space!
I know it's possible to edit whatever is submitted, so why wouldn't a sentence like this be edited out before the article is posted? This isn't a mortal sin or anything, but don't you think the article would be more solid and professional if things like this are edited out?
Frangbe Cnycngvar VF gur Rzcrebe. * Cnqzr naq Nanxva trg zneevrq. * Nanxva'f zbz fbyq gb gur Fnaqcrbcyr. Fur qvrf va uvf nezf. * Pbhag Qbxbb pubcf Nanxva'f nez bss, rfpncrf jvgu Qrngu Fgne Cynaf. * Fgbezgebbcref ner pybarf, nccneragyl. Shyy flabcfvf (cyntvnevmrq sebz n snaobl, fb cyrnfr sbetvir gur fcryyvat): Cnqzr'f yvsr vf va qnatre naq WratnSrgg vf gurer gb xvyy ure, uverq ol fbzrbar ryfr (Pbhag Qbxbb ivn gur Rzcbere/Cnycngvar). Wratn unf nabgure crefba gel gb trg Cnqzr. Nanxva vf natel naq sehfgengrq gur jubyr gvzr. Nanxva jnagf gb frr uvf zbgure naq tbrf gb Gnggbbvar gb svaq gung fur jnf fbyq gb gur fnaqcrbcyr. Gurl gura tb gb gur Ynef ubzr (n lbhat hapyr Bjra naq snzvyl) jurer ur vf gbyq gung fur vf fgvyy jvgu gur fnaqcrbcyr. Nanxva farnxf vagb gur pnzc, svaqf zbz, fur qvrf va uvf nezf, ur trgf znq naq fynhtugref gur jubyr pnzc (gung cneg abg fubja). Yhxr'f ynaqfcrrqre vf fubja nybat jvgu gubfr vpxl oyhr qevaxf sebz NAU. Bov Jna gnxrf n fznyy qneg sebz rneyvre jura Wratn'f svefg nggrzcg ba Cnqzr snvyf. N sel pbbx gryyf Bov Jna gur qneg vf sebz n zvavat cynarg. Bov Jna pnag svaq gur cynarg ng gur yvoenel, ohg sylf gurer vafgrnq. Yngre jr svaq gung gur cynarg jnf erzbirq sebz gur qngnonfr (ohg bayl ol n terng Wrqv nffhz gb or Znfgre Qvfb-Rqla). Gheaf bhg Qvfb-Rqla unq gur sbyxf ng guvf cynarg ohvyq uhzna pybarf bs Wratn arneyl Zrajuvyr oruvaq gur fprarf Frangbe Cnycngvar nxn gur Rzcbere vf cynlvat obgu fvqrf. Naq vg vf zber nccnerag gung ur VF gur rzcbere. Ybgf bs gnyx bs ubj gur gur qnex fvqr naq oebhtug n pybhq gur sbepr znxvat gur wrqv hanoyr gb frr ubj gur fvgu unf orra cynaavat fb zhpu sbe fb ybat. Terng npgvba bs jne orgjrra gur qebvqf sebz RC V naq gur arj Pybarf (fgbezgebbcref). Gur pybarf npghnyyl svtug sbe gur wrqv urer, ohg ner gura gnxra njnl ol gur Erchoyvp yngre. Wratn vf qrpncvgngrq ol Bov va sebag bs obon naq yngre obon vf frra cvpxvat hc uvf snguref uryzrg. Lbqn vf gur jne trareny sbe gur tbbq thlf.... e2 naq p3cb fprarf ner irel shaal. znpr jvaqh trgf n ybg bs svtug fprarf. Ng gur raq Bov Jna naq Nanxva svtug Pbhag Qbxbb (jub V thrff vf Qnegu Glenaahf, gur arj ncceragvpr gb gur Fvgu Ybeq). Bov Jna trgf vawherq naq Nanxva trgf uvf nez phg bss. Lbqn nccrnef naq sylf nebhaq yvxr Xrezvg ba fcrrq jvgu uvf zvav yvtug fnore. Qbxbb jnf Lbqn'f ncceragvpr. Qbxbb qebcf n cvyyne ba gur gjb vawherq wrqv naq Lbqn hfrf gur sbepr gb fgbc vg. Juvyr ur qbrf gung Qbxbb rfpncrf jvgu gur arjyl qrirybcrq cynaf sbe ohvyqvat gur Qrngu Fgne (arng gvr va). Gur zbivr raqf jvgu nyy bs gur pybarf (fgbezgebbcref) ner ybnqrq hc ba frireny fgne qrfgeblref naq urnqrq bhg gb fcnpr - naq cnqzr/nanaxva trg zneevrq jvgu nanxva fcbegvat n zrgnyyvp tbyq nez.
No indication on what they hope to learn or even what technology they are advancing. Just...dropping a list of names on a rock. That's Slashdot Science stories for you.
Personnally I see heaps of alarm bells ringing in this. Ill elaborate on a few :- Im pretty sure this will be really really expensive for very little benefit. :-Why the hell are they putting this on an asteroid :- If I was spending billions on a rocket i would finnish the web page
;) )
1. Return mission
2.Email/Confirm Email
3.Half the sections of the page are "under construction"
Aside from that it is the vibe of it (this is a reference for any australian fans of the castle
The Borg assimilated my race & all I got was this lousy T-shirt
there's no privacy policy, half-finished web site, and it looks like it was translated using babelfish.
well, use a throw-away unless you don't risking the chance of being flooded with bukkake porn spam for a lifetime.
Aliens perform a detailed scan of our solar system in the far distant future and find the asteroid. Unfortunately they won't be able to get any information from it since it has been slashdotted.
-- The morphemes of your disquisition are ascertainable, but they have eschewed an ambit of transpicuous exposition.
in some anime-like situration.
...is to hang out on an asteroid.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
The real site, to me, is : www.isas.ac.jp
The one linked looks like a scam to get a few millions address email of people interested in space/science. Here comes the sci./tech. spam ! Nowhere on the official site ( that I can see ) do they talk about leaving your name on the asteroid.
J.
Apparently the names are being etched onto aluminum foil, but I can't find any more detail than that. I'm wondering, are we talking about reynolds wrap and an impact "etching" device (ie your garden variety typewriter / dot matrix printer) ...?
I'd love to get my hands on better details about the actual engraving. Although it seems like plain ol' aluminum foil is probably the most economical choice, I've gotta wonder how long you'd be able to read the fine print. Never mind just the asteroid's own collection of dust and debris to sand away yer loved one's moniker - there's also those pesky micrometeorite impacts to consider...
I can just see this asteroid slamming into an alien world in a couple hundred years. They discover the names on the asteroid and consider it an attack by us (our names are on it of course...) While we're still paddling around trying to get to Mars, they show up on our doorstep and either blow us all up, or just those who put their names on the rock (or their great-great-great grandchildren).
I agree, people have been leaving their names on Asteroids for quite some time.
"Oh no, you didn't, tell me you didn't send your name to that asteroid" Alice pleaded to Mineka. But Mineka couldn't tell her for she had sent her name to the satellite, and would remain an empty zombie until someone went and dealt with the nameless evil doing this to those who had sent their names to the asteroid and in so doing. unwittingly committed themselves to it.
I know...Lousy and repetitive. Can you do better?
I think its a scam. I doubt that would happen unless there is something more to it. Maybe the asteroid is heading towards earth, and they need to deflect it? BLAST some names in the sand, push it off course.
Justin from Techhead Technology News