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NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Lifts Off
Joost Schuur writes "At 11:18 PM EDT on Monday, Opportunity, the second of 2 NASA Mars Exploration Rovers took off aboard a Boeing Delta 2 Heavy rocket after several delays and begun its 305 million mile trip to the Red Planet, where it will join its sister vehicle Spirit, which launched June 10th. Spirit and Opportunity will land on opposite sides of Mars, travelling up to 40 meters a day, and use a series of instruments to search for water, including the Rock Abrasion Tool, which will grind into rocks to give scientists a peak inside. Things are going to get crowded next January in orbit, as both NASA missions join the European Mars Express mission also launched this month and the Japanese Nozomi probe, which would finally complete its troublesome 5 year journey. Those stuck on Earth can take advantage of the closest Mars opposition in 60,000 years and watch with a telescope, or follow the images provided by the International MarsWatch 2003 group."
With all these alien robots landing and wandering around probing things, they'll think it's an invasion.
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
Hehehe.
So, we've got Red Rover, I suppose we'll be sending Goofy to Pluto, and Lincoln to Mercury, Chevy to Saturn, and I'm afraid to ask what kind of probe well be using on Uranus.
Just another day in Paradise
... if one of those rocks they drill in turns around, screems "OOUUCH!!" and hits back...
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
Sounds like these rovers are going to do some "damage" to the habitat of those Martians. Is that such a good idea? Grinding into so-called "rocks". Trampling around on big wheels. All going, "Show me the water!" and "Take that, dust-particle sized life-form!" I think we're in for some heavy retaliation. Me, under the bed sounds like a good place right now.
Igor Presnyakov stole my hat
....they have picked between metric and/or imperial to give measurements in so they don't park the thing at high velocity into Mars.
Remeber...... Faster, Better, Cheaper
Please delete as applicable.
"The chances of anything coming to Mars, are a million to one they said, but still they come."
With the luck Nasa has had recently exploring Mars, I don't think we're going to disturb anyone there.
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
...maybe that you were just suggesting that this was an opportunity to get another rover on mars.
because after the last couple attempts, just because they launch doesn't seem to mean a guaranteed placement.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
Could that Boeing Delta 2 Heavy rocket link *have* more popups? Who do they think they are, a porn site?
wheeeeeeee!
The World's Worst Webcomic!
I don't think we've really seen enough evidence to suggest that Water might exist in a Measurable and Detectible (WMD) manner.
Without such hard evidence, I don't see justification for going in there and invading like that.
Since it's a Delta rocket, they're going to have to stopover at the hub in Atlanta before continuing on to Mars...
The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. --