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Russia Planning Double Mission to Mars

dylanduck writes "Apparently Russia has revived a previous plan to send a spacecraft to Phobos, a tiny Martian moon. Turns out it's a cool place to land - much easier than the surface as far less deceleration is needed, it should have plenty of Mars rocks spattered on the surface and it's just 9000km above the surface. Some think it the perfect place for a Mars moonbase." From the article: "A mission devoted to the moons could explain how the satellites are held together - whether they are piles of rubble loosely held together by gravity or solid chunks. Most scientists assume the heavily cratered moons are captured asteroids, Christensen told New Scientist. But it is actually quite hard for a planet to capture an object into its orbit - most things just skim by. 'So how it got there is a bit of an enigma,' Christensen says."

23 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Late Breaking News: by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Once more, panic swept across our fair world when it was revealed by the Council that the invaders from the evil blue planet intend to assault our innermost fortress satellite.
    The fortress satellites, which have stood guard over our world since the Council placed them into orbit over ninety Great Cycles ago, have easily fought off all invaders in the past. Against the cunning machines manufactured by the disgusting water bags inhabiting the evil blue planet, however, the fortress satellites may be more vulnerable than previously thought.

    K'Breel, Speaker for the Council, stressed that there was no cause for alarm:

    "Once again, the evil blue planet seeks to make filthy war against us. They think that by invading and neutralizing one of our fortress satellites, they will secure some measure of victory. Let me assure you, that is far from the truth. The Great Council placed the two fortress satellites in orbit over ninety Great Cycles ago, and have we not advanced since then? Today, at our present level of development, we could easily field two eights-of-eights that number. I know I speak for the Council when I laugh at the pathetic scrabblings of the evil blue planet!"

    When asked if rumours were true that the faction of blue-planet-inhabitants responsible for the threatened invasion was the same as the one who had just recently failed utterly to launch a primitive solar sail device into space, K'Breel laughed maniacally.
    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Late Breaking News: by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
      In other news
      APM (Agency Press Mars) - K'Breel reveals his control over the blue planet water bag 'Tom Cruise' and prospective temporary procreation mate 'Katie Holms' is almost as good as he had hoped, through the 'Relgion' 'Tom Cruise' subscribes to (placed in the mind of it's founder while under considerable chemical influence on the mind, which enabled K'Breel and his caste to plant the seed.) True, the current propaganda vehicle portrays us as a race capable of utterly crushing the ineffectual creatures, the expirement has gone somewhat awry in suggesting we can be defeated by microscopic fauna in their atmosphere. K'Breel assures APM that this could play to our favor, but luring them into a false sense of security, placing faith in non-existent vulnerabilities. K'Breel's caste continue to make headsway in promoting the 'religion' of the actors.
      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Late Breaking News: by zephc · · Score: 2, Funny
      --
      "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  2. I hope they pack well by aldeng · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they forget the shotgun they'll be screwed on like the fourth lebvel.

    1. Re:I hope they pack well by Valacosa · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Why would we need chainsaws on Mars?!"

      --
      "Live as if you'll die tomorrow." Ridiculous. You could die later today.
    2. Re:I hope they pack well by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Why would we need chainsaws on Mars?!"

      To finish off Spirit and Opportunity: they just won't die and G.W. can't wait to disband the rovers' team and divert the money to his grand plans for man walking on Mars, or the moon base, or whatever.

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  3. Phobos? Leather Goddesses? by ArielMT · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let me know if the lander encounters any Leather Goddesses of Phobos. (Great '80s game, btw.)

    --
    It must be Windows. It needs half a gig of RAM and a hardware-accelerated graphics card just to run Solitaire.
  4. Hope/Plan by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think we have to hope for leather godesses, but plan for daemons.

    -Peter

  5. I'm amazed... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 2, Funny

    That no one in here has made a DOOM reference yet.

  6. Speaking for all Martians by RevengeOfPoopJuggler · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new pink overlords

  7. Re:Double Mission -- One for Each Moon by Vinnie_333 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't worry. If things get out of hand, just type in IDKFA.

    --

    "We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
  8. Mystery by ndansmith · · Score: 4, Funny
    Most scientists assume the heavily cratered moons are captured asteroids, Christensen told New Scientist. But it is actually quite hard for a planet to capture an object into its orbit - most things just skim by. 'So how it got there is a bit of an enigma.

    Maybe God put it there.

    1. Re:Mystery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Or, for a Goonies quote:
      "God put that rock there for a reason."

  9. Actually... by gkwok · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, all of us are belong to base.

  10. Link properly! by CrazyWingman · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dammit, why doesn't anyone have a proper sense of humor anymore? Clearly the link should have looked like this: Mars moonbase.

  11. Re:With all this talk of going to Mars... by Verteiron · · Score: 5, Funny
    a decent internet connection will keep the travelers from feeling too cut off

    Except for that pesky lightspeed delay.

    PING earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1) 56(84) bytes of data.
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=1 ttl=52 time=14412874.9 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=2 ttl=52 time=14412872.3 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=3 ttl=52 time=14412876.2 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=4 ttl=52 time=14412874.3 ms
    --
    End of lesson. You may press the button.
  12. Better hurry up... by amstrad · · Score: 4, Funny

    Phobos' orbit is decaying and will likely crash into Mars or split into a ring within 50 million years

  13. Re:With all this talk of going to Mars... by tbjw · · Score: 5, Funny

    PING earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1) 56(84) bytes of data.
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=1 ttl=52 time=14412874.9 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=2 ttl=52 time=14412872.3 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=3 ttl=52 time=14412876.2 ms
    64 bytes from earth.ssnet (3ffe:ffff:100:f101::1): icmp_seq=4 ttl=52 time=14412874.3 ms


    I call shenanigans. Nobody uses IPv6

  14. No Scientist Left Behind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sheesh, those Russians must have a terrible education system. Isn't it obvious that the Martian moons are there because God put them there in His Ultimate Wisdom?

  15. Re:With all this talk of going to Mars... by Anonymous+Luddite · · Score: 4, Funny

    >> time=14412874.3 ms

    So it'll be just like Battlenet?

  16. Re:I am reminded of the moon back in the 60's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And all the naysayers were positive that we would be landing on dust several hundred feet thick and the landers would just sink in.

    They would have sunk in, had they landed on the REAL moon. Duh.

  17. Re:Right idea, wrong target by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps the Russians, having lost all of their native brides due to their effective mail order industry, have decided to investigate the rumors of leather goddesses.

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  18. Re:Ok, ok, I know. Enough already, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    No, no, no, it's...

    In Soviet Russia, Earthlings invade Mars!