Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mars Odyssey Begins Overtime

Posted by timothy on from the time-and-a-half dept.

thhamm writes "NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter begins working overtime today after completing a prime mission that discovered vast supplies of frozen water, ran a safety check for future astronauts, and mapped surface textures and minerals all over Mars, among other feats. An extended Mission until 2006 has been approved, and I hope it will last that long, maybe doing more safety checks for astronauts :)"

12 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Doom??? by elasticwings · · Score: 5, Funny

    Umm, isn't this the first step towards the Doom 3 premise? I mean do we really want to start exploring Mars? It'll just eventually lead up to colonization via the Union Aerospace Corporation. Please somebody think of the poor Doom space marine that will have to go through this.

    1. Re:Doom??? by thhamm · · Score: 5, Funny

      "monsters? demons? what the hell are you talking about? we did the safety checks years ago with mars odyssey. its perfectly safe there!"

  2. outsourcing! by rozz · · Score: 5, Funny
    NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter begins working overtime today

    sending overtime-work to Mars is the kind of outsourcing we all love

    --
    "There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  3. Re:Next stop, South Polar region? by thhamm · · Score: 5, Informative

    they tried this already, with the Mars Polar Lander. but they lost it.

    dont know if they will try again though.

  4. Odyssey Does Not Qualify For Overtime by bstarrfield · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to the newly revised FLSA, the Mars Odyssey would be considered a professional exempt robot, as it's carrying out highly technical, professional tasks. Don't be mean and get the little robot's hopes up!

    --
    /* Dang, I can't type that well. */
  5. Re:Astronauts on Mars with this evidence? by dragonp12 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Surely, though, the radiation that hits Mars, even at 2 or 3 times what Earth's surface gets, would be far less than what hits the moon...

    --
    This is me. Don't like it? That's unlucky.
  6. yay for Odyssey! by Guano_Jim · · Score: 5, Informative

    Odyssey was launched in 2001... here's the mission timeline for more details.

    The cute little bugger looks like this.

    --
    3D Printing Tips and Tricks at Zheng3.com
  7. Re:Wow must have been gone for a long time by TheCyko1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You really missed out on some big news then. I guess i should also inform you about the alien machine discovered on mars near one of these vast supplies of frozen water and a life form that appears to be a woman with three tits.

    --
    This message was brought to you by the death of 30 brain cells.
  8. Water on Mars by vivia · · Score: 5, Funny

    http://libo.ru/ind/graf1/3086.jpg

    1. Re:Water on Mars by thhamm · · Score: 5, Funny

      In other news, NASA, in cooperation with the IBBA (International Beer Brewing Association [no link]), has announced an extensive mission, as early as 2010, to determine the usability of recently discovered martian water for on-site brewing. "this will greatly influence our decision to go there in the first place", spokesman says.

  9. Re:Wow must have been gone for a long time by thhamm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The scientist, that claimed the Viking Probes showed signs of microbial life, now has a new theory.
    He seems to see signs of water on recent Rover images, squished out by the wheels and the RAT tool.

    Even if there is/ever was no life, interesting find though, that liquid water exists on such a world. I think this raises the odds of finding life somewhere else quit a bit. Maybe Europa?

  10. Surface textures by mr+breakfast · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... and mapped surface textures and minerals all over Mars...

    About time! for too long Mars has been a flat-shaded sphere.