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NASA Gives Up On Pioneer 10
Soft writes "Another Energizer Bunny has finally given out: Pioneer 10's generators have decayed to the point that DSN can no longer detect the probe's signals. It was the first spacecraft to penetrate the asteroid belt (1972) and fly by Jupiter (1973). So long and thanks for all the pic's..."
It's tired of hearing about Linux kernel releases every ten minutes.
But I won't believe Pioneer 10 is dying until Netcraft confirms it..
Trolling is a art,
Just because we can't hear its signals doesn't mean THEY don't. /me
looks forward to the return of P'neer.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
...the Klingon bird of prey decloak, DUCK!
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
So, it's just dying out there? And what about our other "deep-space" probes? Yep, on the death bed.
So, using rice_web's ingenious stupidity, I've come up with:
(1) Send a new probe to follow our dying probes and act as a relay for the information.
(2) Just completely start over and get new probes up and running, and moving more quickly than our dying probes.
The Political Programmer
Watch, in 5 years, someone will hear from it again.
There is nothing inherently safe about liberty. That's why so many people died protecting it.
Well said.
I wonder if someday we will pick Pioneer up again, or just let it drift forever. Were all probes sent with the "mankind peace" plaque? (the one that depicts a man and women and some other stuff that I can't remember)
find / -name "*.sig" | xargs rm
Did anyone else read that and think of the Verizon Wireless commercials?
"Can you hear me NOW?!?"
So sad, now it is only good for Klingon target practice. :(
They're only coming to serve man.
KFG
2 million years eh?
Just time for another bath! Pass me the sponge, would you?
Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
I wish our legacy had better pornography on it
Netcraft comfirms it.
(you can shoot me now)
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! No, make the pain stop! You are causing me a Battlefield Earth flashback! Not only did I watch that evil movie, I've read the damned book years before.
Don't you know that's exactly how Psychlo's found Earth in the first place?
Can I believe that I actually know that? Please, shoot me now before the Hubbard cultists get me!
"They do not preach that their god will rouse them, a little before the Nuts work loose." Kipling, 'The Sons of Martha'
Moreover, many think it's profoundly unlikely any alien races would be interested in conquering us.
:-)
I'm more worried about them seeing stuff like "American Idol," "Survivor," and "Joe Millionaire," and deciding we should all be exterminated, not subjugated.
We can only hope that their positive perception of our race from the 13 years of Simpsons episodes we've pumped out can withstand the damage the later shows will do to it.
~Philly
the effort and expenditure of resources to get from there to here would probably mean the payoff for attacking us wouldn't be worth the trip.
My friend, you seem to be forgetting our vast amounts of stable Energon!
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
I imagine the first interstellar war will start when an alien civilization "pirates" that copyrighted Chuck Berry recording and the MPAA comes to collect royalties.
Finding God in a Dog
I'm more worried about them seeing stuff like "American Idol," "Survivor," and "Joe Millionaire," and deciding we should all be exterminated, not subjugated.
:)
Especially if they're a race of ultra-violent beings who can't stand to miss a single episode?
"No problem. I have the capacity to do infinite work so long as you don't mind that my quality approaches zero."-Dilbert
Great.. now instead of toshiba notebooks burning my lap, they will also irradiate my genitalia and give me mutated children!
those who control the past, control the future. those who control the present, control the past.
Just jump in the hyperdrive and go grab it and download it.
We do have hyperdrive, right?
I mean, it's 2003.
We were supposed to be mining Jupiter's moons by now.
We can't go get one little probe?
What have we been doing with the last 30 years?
Cause we all know you can't accomplish anything unless you don't listen to that satan worshipping hardcore or that terrorist supporting hiphop. These kids now adays are a bunch of unworthy anti-americans.
Only those people who continue to live in the 50's can possibly bring our great civilization forward. Right?
The thing that hobbles NASA is the politicians and their demand for big results combined with the huge cuts in budget.
I can't stand closed minded people. I'm sure you can work dilligently and continuously, you must be a blast to have as a friend.
-- taking over the world, we are.
...an old geeky guy picks up his Coke, brushes the pizza crumbs off his gut, brushes spider web out of his waist length greasy hair, pushes his chair back and says "OK, who's gonna beat THIS uptime?"
If they can fly at FTL speeds, not missing a single episode is trivial. Just fly to the point to where the broadcast you want has traveled.
So is this going to mean there'll be a big war between V'ger and P'ner?
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome."
Shooting space garbage is no test of a warrior's mettle!
Be who you are...and be it in style!