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Fly Over Mars... in a Robotic Balloon

Posted by michael on from the rather-large-balloon-needed dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "A Californian company, Global Aerospace Corporation (GAR), is developing remote-controlled balloons for the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). BBC News Online reports that their goal is to send these balloons carrying robots and cameras to explore Mars skies. But it's not for a near term future. The robotic StratoSail will have a stabilizing wing suspended several miles below it. It will be able to stay above Mars for months. It will send robotic probes to monitor the surface and minilabs to carry out experiments. This overview contains more details, references and images about the StratoSail."

6 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. I flew over Slashdot in a robotic ballon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    For hours tonight... I couldn't read... I couldn't post. It was horrible! I cried.

  2. who broke slashdot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Anybody ever test this crap before rolling changes into production?

  3. Groklaw on mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Is it me, or are more websites beginning to look like Groklaw. I just come back from reading on Groklaw and thought I was in some kind of weird SCO dream.

  4. Re:YEA- *cough cough choke* by Ieshan · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Violets are Bluish
    and Roses are Red-
    On Soviet Slashdot
    This Joke Kills YOU dead.

  5. Re:New Mars Innovations by woohoodonuts · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    we have all manner of companies and countries going for it.

    I don't even know what you're talking about. Who needs different countries when we've got this guy!

    Just put this innovative mind on the cause... problem solved!

  6. Re:Let me be the first to say... by jsebrech · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Holy early-nineties webdesign, Batman!

    Early 90's? Frames didn't get introduced until netscape 2.0 in 1996.

    I feel so old for remembering the web from before frames even existed, and I'm not even 25 yet.