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 mars!

[sweeney37]

How can people not see that Microsoft is a Monopoly?! Now Bill is going after the Martians!

What?

Oh wait... shit.

Mike

Let's hope

[Anti Frozt]

"If everything goes as planned, by January 2004 there will be a total of seven spacecraft sniffing around Mars."

Let's hope those little green men have a concept of deoderant or NASA is going to be in for a real surprise.

Re:Let's hope

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the late, great Douglas Adams put it best in the introduction to "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe." There's this little blurb about an alien race:

"Many races believe that [the Universe] was created by some sort of God, though the Jatravartid people of Viltvodle VI believe that the entire Universe was in fact sneezed out of the nose of a being called the Great Green Arkleseizure. The Jatravartids, who live in perpetual fear of the time they call The Coming of The Great White Handkerchief, are small blue creatures with more than fifty arms each, who are therefore unique in being the only race in history to have invented the aerosol deodorant before the wheel."

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...

Re:Not to be cheesy, but...

[earthforce_1]

I have seen what the trajectory for a mission to mars would be like - It makes no difference that mars is closer to earth, because the spacecraft cannot fly in a straight line between the two worlds unless we managed to develop a far more powerful propulsion system. You have to fly in a spiral trajectory around the sun that would only intercept mars after a year, and spend a year or so on the planet to wait for earth to be in the right position for the return flight. You would then leave mars to orbit around the sun, firing thrusters in reverse to spiral in an intercept the earth after another year or so. The total mission time would run from 3 to 5 years.

That is why going to mars is so much harder than going to the moon. The astronauts have to be kept alive and sane for years, not weeks as was the case with Apollo.

Re:Not to be cheesy, but...

[Beryllium Sphere(tm)]

If you want to minimize fuel use, a straight line is not the best way to change orbits. You want to time your launch so that a minimum-energy trajectory (http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/HohmannTr ansferOrbit.html) intercepts Mars.

I propose....

[dukerobillard]

...a party at Grover's Mill!

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.

Picture of Earth and Moon from Mars

[rodney dill]

The picture has already been referenced by /. and a bunch of other resources, but the Astronomy Picture of the Day has a nice blow up of the picture today.


Beware this is just a distraction, with all eyes towards Mars, Venus is planning a sneak attack!

Orobes, huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

At least they're not sending probes. That would be offensive.

How close?

[inaeldi]

I couldn't find anything in the article, but does anyone know just how close it's going to be compared to usual? Just because it's the closest in 60,000 years or whatever it is doesn't mean that the majority of people could even notice a difference.

Re:How close?

[pcrook345]

...does anyone know just how close it's going to be compared to usual?

Loads of info (sky maps, viewing charts, other graphics) in Where is Mars Now? at space.com.

A couple of choice quotes:

"As of May 15, the Red Planet is about 82 million miles (133 million kilometers) from Earth."

"On Aug. 27, 2003, Mars will be less than 34.65 million miles (55.76 million kilometers) away -- closer to our planet than it's been in nearly 60,000 years."

Windows on Mars?

[H3lm3t]

Windows on Mars? Will that result in a Red Screen of Death (RSOD) or do we have to refer to it as the Blue Planet in the future?

Re:Windows on Mars?

[IO ERROR]

Windows on Mars? Will that result in a Red Screen of Death (RSOD) or do we have to refer to it as the Blue Planet in the future?

Only if you're using the Martian-language regional settings.

George Bush Trying to Get Home

[hillct]

There has been much political debate of this issue however, may I be the first to say that NASA should spend any amount of money needed to help George W. Bush get home. Now is the time, as mars grows closer to earth than it has in recorded history, we must act quickly to help the gramatically challenged one. If you don't believe me, here's the proof:

Top 41 signs George W. Bush Must Be From Mars

With all the partisan politics around these days, let us all agree on one thing. We should help this pittifull little martian get home.

--CTH

Re:Recorded History?

[s20451]

Read the article, it says that this is the closest approach in 60,000 years. Unless you count cave art as recorded history, the article is accurate.

Re:Mars Attracts!!

[richie2000]

Hollywood is going all sequel on us this year.

Yeah, Mars Attacks Again, Mission to Mars Revisited, National Lampoon's Vacation to Mars, Lord of the O-Rings - The Two Launches, Star Wars XVI - Attack of the Green Clowns, 2003 - A Space Affair, Star Trek 12 - In Search Of A Borg Franchise, Die Hard IX - Yeehaa, Martians! and, finally, the new version of that old TV show My Friend Martian starring Wil Wheaton.

Windows on Mars?

[colonelteddy]

PLEASE: Can't we get it working on Earth first?

I can only assume Orobes is the latest codename for the 128bit windows AE (AlienEdition).

Or do you mean that we are going to send all the copies of windows to Mars? I've never been a fan of using space as a giant garbage dump, but in this case....

Beagle 2

[Aardpig]

I think that, out of all the missions the article mentions, Mars Express is the most exciting. This mission, which is backed by the European Space Agency (rather than NASA, as the article implies), carries the British-built Beagle 2 lander, targeted at looking for evidence for Martian life, past and present. Beagle 2 (named after Charles Darwin's ship) is far more sensitive than the old Viking Missions, which were the first (and so far, the only) missions to look for life. It's worth noting that the more-recent Pathfinder mission was a proof-of-concept for the two upcoming Mars Exploration Rovers, which are for geological surveys rather than life searches.

One partcularly cool feature of Beagle 2 is its "Mole", which can crawl across the surface (at 1cm/s) and burrow imto the ground or under boulders. The Mole will be able to take samples from locations which the Viking landers couldn't reach; these samples may provide conclusive evidence that life once existed on Mars.

Mars Express, carrying Beagle 2, is due to blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 2. Fingers crossed!

Re:Beagle 2

[VanillaCoke420]

One thing that I love about this whole thing is that the missions seem to complement each other. Interesting is also that they will be able to use each others orbiting crafts as relay stations.

Misdirected Efforts

[Ignorant Aardvark]

Mars is all well and good, but I really think we should be focusing on the Moon! Mars is so much farther away it takes half a year to get there. The Moon, on the other hand, only takes two days. And if anything goes wrong, the Moon is actually close enough we might be able to get there in time to do something about it.

I don't see a problem with sending "orobes" to Mars, because it's always good to know something just for the sake of knowing, but knowledge of the Moon is much more practical. We've had the technology for decades to establish a Lunar colony . Why didn't we? There's water, and therefore oxygen, and most of the metals you could possibly desire all on the Moon. We should establish a Lunar colony first, and then worry about manned missions to Mars.

A space elevator wouldn't hurt either.

Doh! Where are the dragons!

[genomancer]

We haven't managed to genetically engineer flying, firebreathing lizards yet.. let alone ones that can teleport.. if the red planet is on it's aproach, we're screwed!

Oh.. sorry.. red planet, not moon.

G

Mars slashdotted?

[tomrud]

With all theese telescopes pointing at Mars, wouldn't Mars be slashdotted?

Quick!

[Faust7]

Linux to Mars before it's too late!

Red Hat for the Red Planet!

Martians possess WMD

[Alien Being]

A source close to the Pentagon claims to have seen evidence of a Martian plot to destroy vital U.S. interests around the globe. He spoke to us on the condition that we refer to him only as "Bugs".

"They have an Illudium Q36 explosive space modulator, and we're the ones who sold it to them" explained Bugs. "Back in the fifties, there was an American company called Acme who would sell anything to anyone. The Martian leader, a looney little guy named Marvin was a regular customer. He's hell bent on destroying the Earth. It's all he ever talks about. Something to do with his view of Venus." Some research into the Acme company seems to confirm Bugs' allegations.

But Martian Information Minister, Wyle. E. Coyote, told us a different story. "There is no Illudium Q36 explosive space modulator. This is a myth being spread by the evil ones. "Sure, they sold us some rocket powered roller skates, and giant magnets, but we only use those to control the roadrunner population." He went on to deny the existence of tens of thousands of freeze-dried Martian warriors.

So get out your telescope on Aug. 27, but wear some earplugs. There just might be an earth-shattering kaboom.

Orobes?

[Semi-Psychic Nathan]

Someone wasn't oroofreading oroperly...