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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.
"
At least they're not sending probes. That would be offensive.
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?
--CTH
--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
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.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
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.
Money for nothing, pix for free
...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."
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....
c - a blessed +5 grain of salt
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!
Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
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.
Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
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
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.
My rights don't need management.
Linux to Mars before it's too late!
Red Hat for the Red Planet!
The coolest voice ever.
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.