Window on Mars - Can Orobes Dig Out More Info?

OldTurkeyBuzzard writes " All telescopes are tuned to Mars as it draws nearer Earth than at any time in recorded history. The record-setting date is Aug. 27...... This newspaper article throws more light on the efforts to gather more information about the red planet when it approaches very close to us. "

Comments

Not to be cheesy, but...

[Paddyish]

I think this is a pretty big missed opportunity to actually send a manned mission to Mars. It won't be any closer for a _long_ time...

Actually ..

[ethnocidal]

You'd want to be closest when the astronauts were coming back. It's (relatively) easy to launch them with lots of fuel and supplies to get there, but it's simply not possible to launch similar amounts from the surface of Mars. Ideally, the astronauts would be coming back around August 27th, not launching on their way there with a long journey back.

Re:Actually ..

[little1973]

This is not so simple. You do not travell to Mars from Earth and vice versa in a straight line. It's more like a spiral which means you will circle the sun at least once to reach Mars. I think the most important thing is the turn around time of the communication. So, you want Mars to be closest when the astronaunts on Mars, because communication turn around is less than 7 minutes in such a case.

Good to see

[nich37ways]

It is nice to see that we are still going out into space and even more importantly undertaking useful missions, instead of just sticking a couple of Astronauts into space because we can.