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Mercury Probe Delayed by Ten Weeks, and Two Years

Posted by michael on from the testing-1-2-3 dept.

Gogo Dodo writes "Spaceflight Now reports that NASA's MESSENGER probe launch has been delayed by 10 weeks. Unfortunately, this means MESSENGER will not arrive at Mercury until 2011, a two year delay."

9 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Taking bets... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 4, Funny
    How long before "Ten weeks != Two Years" is posted by some moron?

    Remember, kiddies: Earth isn't the only planet that orbits the Sun!

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
    1. Re:Taking bets... by Neil+Blender · · Score: 4, Funny

      How long before "Ten weeks != Two Years" is posted by some moron?

      But don't 10 metric weeks equal 2 Imperial years?

    2. Re:Taking bets... by Tango42 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That would all depend on what the hell you're talking about.

    3. Re:Taking bets... by freuddot · · Score: 2, Funny

      Maybe "Ten weeks != Two Years", but according to the article :

      Unable to meet that schedule, the mission will use its backup window that begins July 30 and extends 15 days.

      [...]

      Launch on July 30 will occur during a 12-second window opening at 2:17:44 a.m. EDT (0617:44 GMT) from pad 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

      So, it still looks like a 12 second == 15 days. ;-)

      Does I then qualify as "some moron" ?

  2. Ironic: Slow Boat to the Fleet-Footed by G4from128k · · Score: 4, Funny

    Its ironic that a mission to the fleet-footed god of messages should take so long. I guess its revenge by those ancient Roman gods.

    I'm just glad that the mission was not scrubbed.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  3. Re:An Understandable Shame by xoran99 · · Score: 0, Funny

    Wow. That's really insightful. I'm glad someone around here knows enough about these things to post insightful comments.

    *can't think of anything insightful to say, so plays UT2004 instead.*

    At least the n00bs respect me...

    --

    Karma: Bad (mostly due to all those "In Soviet Russia" jokes)

  4. Re:Why 2 years? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What am I missing here?


    a degree in astrophysics.


  5. Re:Who comes up with these? by irokitt · · Score: 4, Funny

    MeSSEnGeR or NOAA or ECHO or SOHO

    So how long until we see names like M3553n93R or N044 or 3(H0 or 50|-|0?

    --
    If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
  6. Re:Why 2 years? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Loose" needs to lose about 50% of its "o"s, which is a pretty significant amount of "o"s.