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Russia Planning Double Mission to Mars

Posted by Zonk on from the anywhere-is-better-than-here dept.

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."

10 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

  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.
  3. Hope/Plan by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    -Peter

  4. 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.

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

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

  6. 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.
  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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?

    --
    http://request-header.info