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Fingers Crossed for Beagle

Adam_Trask writes "Never has a spacecraft been built so quickly, on so little money, and been sent on such a long journey fraught with so many dangers. Beagle 2 has been carried to the vicinity of Mars by the Mars Express mothership, and released successfully to go its own way for the final leg of the journey."

36 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Three Cheers for British Space Efforts by matthew.thompson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hip hip - Horray!

    --
    Matt Thompson - Actuality - Insert product here.
  2. I knew Snoopy would made it... by Hanul · · Score: 5, Funny

    .. as a WWI veteran flying on his doghouse to Mars.

  3. First images back from the Martian surface by xenoweeno · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. Re:First images back from the Martian surface by TopShelf · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're making me VERY angry...

      --
      Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
    2. Re:First images back from the Martian surface by gr8_phk · · Score: 2, Funny

      I did something similar with the pathfinder images. Big purple alien. Afterward, I realized it could be even more fun to place a small beer can in the distance and claim they never went to mars. Look, they left something on the set! Stir that pot.

  4. The Beagle by Alioth · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is Tranquility Base...the Beagle has landed!

  5. Weird design, hope it works by Stalke · · Score: 4, Funny

    "When Beagle gets to the surface its power is almost spent and it must immediately open up and expose its solar panels to the sunlight to charge its batteries and run its systems. Too much of a delay and it will die."

    Sounds sortoff like the ipod. After a year in space the battery doesn't hold much of a charge.

    "Beagle survives on the energy from its solar panels and has no way to clean them if they get dirty because of, say, a dust storm."

    Havn't they considering using windshield wipers. They come as standard equipment on all cars but I guess on space probes they are an optional extra that wasn't purchased :)

    --
    -?-
  6. airbags by kjba · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...and they must protect Beagle for up to 12 bounces

    How long before we can expect such technology in our cars? Such cars would just bounce back in a collision. Not to mention the potentials for bouncing airplanes!

    1. Re:airbags by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      With all those bounces, why didn't they call it Britney?

    2. Re:airbags by Araneas · · Score: 4, Funny
      Well judging from the pictures it has three floppy bags hanging off its body and Britney only has two.

      Nope, I'm wrong, forgot to count Madonna

  7. manufacturer by theMerovingian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Never has a spacecraft been built so quickly, on so little money, and been sent on such a long journey fraught with so many dangers.

    I didn't know Ford made spacecraft!

    --
    "If you think you have things under control, you're not going fast enough." --Mario Andretti
    1. Re:manufacturer by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's an unmanned mission and they still included a dozen cupholders?

    2. Re:manufacturer by KillerHamster · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, it's called the Ford Probe.

  8. I'm going to have to disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Think of the environmental impact to outer space with all of that oil leaking from the British spacecraft.

    1. Re:I'm going to have to disagree by paranode · · Score: 5, Funny

      Think of the environmental impact to outer space with all of that oil leaking from the British spacecraft.

      Good thing it isn't manned, too. Can you imagine what those poor Brits would have to eat? Dehydrated British food! Ack!

    2. Re:I'm going to have to disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
      Dehydrated British food

      How different could it be?

    3. Re:I'm going to have to disagree by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Dehydrated British food! Ack!"

      The worst part is that the vehicle isn't well insulated. Their lager was cold!

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  9. Huh? by 955301 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone else getting tripped up by the author's choice of referring to the nose cone as one word?

    nose cone
    nosecone.
    nosecone?
    WTF?
    no secone? No Habla!
    nosec one?
    Oh! Nose cone! Sheesh!

    --
    You are checking your backups, aren't you?
    1. Re:Huh? by dotwaffle · · Score: 2, Funny

      Is there an American English (British?) dictionary? I'm inclined to start one...

      Bonnet = Hood
      Boot = Trunk
      Fag = Cigarette
      Big Gay [insert name] = Fag
      Chippy = Fish and Chip Emporium (Nobody says Emporium, I just like the word...)

      Great Britain is England, Wales, Scotland

      United Kingdom != England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland (not Eire!)

      Oh, and we don't like the French, if you hadn't noticed. France is nice. The French aren't.

  10. Beagle 2? by SeXy_Red · · Score: 4, Funny
    Can we call him snoopy?

    It gets energized by laying in the sun, just like the dog in the comic, so I think its a good match.

    --

    This sig was generated by a barrel of trained kittens for SeXy_Red (550409).

  11. Curse you, Red Planet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh wait, that was another flying beagle.

  12. Beagle? by CompWerks · · Score: 3, Funny

    The name beagle doesn't exactly inspire much confidence.
    Pit Bull, Bull Dog or Rodesian Ridgeback would have had a better chance of surviving.

    --
    If you can read this sig - the bitch fell off.
  13. Re:Nitpicking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been saving up a couple of excellent recent slashdot mis-spellings for just such an occassion:

    1) "Analiser"

    Something which makes one anal, I guess.

    2) "Celibration"

    To mark an important event by giving up sex?

  14. Let's see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Let me see if I have this straight.

    It carries no passengers.
    It has no propulsion system
    It's not even airtight.

    Instead of "spacecraft", wouldn't it be more accurate to call it a "box"?

  15. Did anyone else think of Enterprise ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ... when reading the title? I thought that maybe Portos was in some real trouble on the next episode or something...

    had me worried ;)

  16. Yes. by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2, Funny

    I needed the picture to figure it out. Getting old I guess. Damn kid journalists making up new words. Why when I was there age we had only 1 word and we liked it.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  17. Re:Nitpicking by missing000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm glad I still support copyrights.

    I'm actually quite disappointed that I support copyrights.

  18. Look Out For The New York Version by The+Grassy+Knoll · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Bagel 2"

    Ouch!

    .

    --
    They will never know the simple pleasure of a monkey knife fight
  19. Re:If you want to know more about Mars by FroMan · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you do not want to limit yourself to just a measely little red planet hoever, you might want to pick up this book, often considered the definitive work on the universe.

    Dr. Adams may well be most remembered for this work detailing not only travel through the universe in the heart of gold, but also covers travel through time also. There are lessons within this excellent tome that could even help you fly without the assistance of any mechanical devices. This is a must have book especially if you have ever pondered the secret of life, the universe, and everything.

    --
    Norris/Palin 2012
    Fact: We deserve leaders who can kick your ass and field dress your carcass.
  20. Re:No offense by Bill_Mische · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think you'll find the missing ingredient is money...

    Quote of the week:

    Interviewer: "What happens if you find life on Mars?"

    Prof.Colin Pillinger: "I'll find it a lot easier to get funding for the next mission"

    --
    Boring Old Fart (40, married, 3 kids...er no...make that 49, married, 3 grown up kids...it's been a long time)
  21. Re:No offense by mormop · · Score: 3, Funny

    That said, most everything they build is always missing one key ingredient. Maybe poor interface, maybe a critical technical componenet is under-engineered.

    No offense taken. The problem is that since the 1980s, every engineering decision in the UK comes under a potential veto from accountants who it seems (according to management consultants) have such a powerful understanding of every subject under the sun that they are capable of making decisions based on instinct alone.

    The end result is that you get things like a parchute regiment that carries 400lb of kit per man yet has parachute's made of toilet paper because the specified grade of nylon was 1p(1.5c) a sq. yard more expensive.

    Hence the expression "To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer and to make a right fucking mess that sinks a project completely requires an accountant".

    --
    Hmmmmmm..... Deep fried and look like Squirrel.
  22. Re:Let's hope it's the green antennae... by Guipo · · Score: 2, Funny
    mars has oil?

    --
    Theonlyuse of monkeys is to testthings onthem.Some peoplemay say"Hey That'scruel!"and myresponse is"I don't like monkeys
  23. Re:Atmosphere issues by BasilBrush · · Score: 2, Funny

    No. It's because CO2 is more fizzy than nitrogen.

  24. Christmas press conference from 10 Downing by deathofcats · · Score: 3, Funny

    Tony Blair: "I have extremely good news to report from Mars this afternoon. Our probe to Mars has found Saddam's missing weapons of mass destruction."

  25. Space: the final property rights frontier by howlatthemoon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't they know some Yemeni men own Mars? This is old news, but three men from Yemen sued NASA for tresspassing as documented in this 1997 CNN story. According to the article these individuals have a 3000 year old claim on the red planet. What they do not realize is that my past life regressionist told me in a past life more than 5000 thousand years ago aliens gave Mars to me. Therefore, their claims are null and void.

  26. *eye roll* by Guppy06 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Never has a spacecraft been built so quickly, on so little money, and been sent on such a long journey fraught with so many dangers."

    Never has Churchill been so abused by such poor parodies.