GPS on Mars?

Roland Piquepaille writes "SPACE.com published two days ago an article named "Red Planet Wayfinder: A GPS System for Mars." You'll read that NASA researchers are studying a 'global positioning satellite (GPS) system around Mars that could also function as a communications network.' This would imply 'a constellation of microsatellites, or Microsats, and one or more relatively large Mars Aerostationary Relay Satellites, or MARSats,' according to the Mars Network website at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This sounds like a neat idea, but there are several issues here. First, the JPL site mentioned above has not been updated since 1999. Then, there is no mention of such a mission at NASA's Mars exploration program website. So, here is my question: is this a recycled 4-year old article? In this overview, you'll find some spectacular images and more indications leading to think that the article was written in 2000. And please note that a Slashdot reader asked last December 'Whatever Happened To The Mars Network?' without receiving an adequate answer."

Comments

Re:Who cares what a reader asked?

[Anonymous Coward]

[rant] Suprisingly his question isn't on the "ask slashdot" page where you get all sorts of "Hey /., my boss wants me to do $FOO. How do I do it?" Really, some people have to relearn wiping their own asses. [/rant]

do you wipe fron to back or back to front??

Re:Condolences

[Madcapjack]

Advocates of the horseless carriage, the personal computer, and the personal mobile phone send their condolences to anyone holding out for hopes of an interplanetary network anytime soon.