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Mars on Earth

Posted by michael on from the red-dead-and-dusty dept.

rmohr02 writes "According to Reuters, scientists at Leicester University have recreated the atmospheric conditions of Mars in order to aid in planning the mission of the Beagle 2, set to leave for Mars in May 2003 and arrive the following December. The Beagle 2 will be searching for life and plans to set down on top of an underground lake."

10 comments

  1. Not as impressive... by Cmdr+Taco+(luser) · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...as what a poster to another article showed us here

    The Leicester people have "...recreated the hostile Martian atmosphere in a box the size of a desktop computer"

    Whereas NASA Ames Research has "...a vacuum chamber more than 6 meters across"

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    1. Re:Not as impressive... by Alsee · · Score: 2

      I could be mistaken, but I think the NASA vacuum chamber has earth atmosphere at martian pressures, so the "desktop computer" sized martian atmosphere would still be unique.

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  2. Leicester University create Mars-in-a-box... by meringuoid · · Score: 1

    ... put Beagle 2 probe inside, save millions on interplanetary transport costs. ... put Damon Albarn inside, save having to hear the fscking Gorillaz ever again. ... put Damien Hirst inside, save innocent cows.

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  3. Uhh... by TweeKinDaBahx · · Score: 0, Troll

    This will be useful in designing a equipment. We really don't know that much about Mars yet, much less what it would take to put a manned mission there, but given time and devices like thi one, will eventually get there. Hopefully they don't send an american team tho, or else it will be polluted with beer cans and broken glass by 2025.

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    1. Re:Uhh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or German or Austrian tourists.. they tend to do quite a bit of littering themselves.

    2. Re:Uhh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hopefully they don't send an american team tho, or else it will be polluted with beer cans and broken glass by 2025.

      Who's "they"? Hmm, let me think, who are the two nations who are "space-faring" by definition? Oh yea, america and russia. Who has the capital to fund said manned mission to mars?.. not the russians, they're recruiting Nsync members, just to keep up their lauch schedule for the space station... who does that leave? America. Hopefully america doesn't send americans to mars? .... perhaps we should send up you and some of your countrymen... oh by the way, cost cuts have forced the removal of some minor systems from the shuttle.. I.E. nav and LS systems... idiot.

    3. Re:Uhh... by herraukuli · · Score: 1

      Perhaps send in chechen and taleban astronauts and allow them to play jihad on the red planet, no?