GPS on Mars?

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Posted by michael on Friday July 9, 2004 @05:00AM from the less-talk-more-satellites dept.

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."

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My Only Hope by mfh · 2004-07-09 05:02 · Score: -1, Offtopic

... is that we don't find a giant face that looks like the comedy mask. I bet we find out that humans once lived there. Who will take my bet?

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Oh No, an old article by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 05:02 · Score: -1, Offtopic

God knows slashdot has never published an old article as "news". But this is a first, publishing someone else's article about an old article as news.
Re:Who cares what a reader asked? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 05:04 · Score: 0, Offtopic

[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??
UN reveals its diabolical nature again by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 05:11 · Score: -1, Offtopic

With this decision the UN has again demonstrated that it is simply a hot-bed for arab nationalism, terrorism, seething anti-semitism and is in open war against God's hosts.
UN will be the Beast's throne.
Re:Well.. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 05:39 · Score: -1, Offtopic

You're going to kill a clown!?
Setup. Retort. Punchline. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 05:42 · Score: -1, Offtopic

See? Nobody cares about the Jews.
Re:Condolences by Madcapjack · 2004-07-09 06:35 · Score: 0, Offtopic

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.

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