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Plan To Bomb Mars For Signs of Climate Change

Posted by Zonk on from the brute-forces-science dept.

Oliver Harris writes "Scientists are planning on launching huge copper slugs at Mars in the hope that they will reveal signs of climate change. Problem: What happens when the Martians launch their own copper slugs back?" From the article: "'It's neat because it's a brute force way to gain access to the subsurface of Mars,' says David Spencer, a team member at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US. 'The impactor will be very simple and we'll get our first look at material from that depth.' Christensen says that will provide a crucial test for models of Mars's past climate."

102 comments

  1. Copper Shortage by Innova · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Scientists are planning on launching huge copper slugs at Mars...

    But where will they find all of that copper?

    --
    See my Home Theater
    1. Re:Copper Shortage by SilverspurG · · Score: 1

      That was the first thing I thought about, too, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it. Thanks for posting the link. :)

      I smell a conspiracy to drive up the prices of computer hardware.

      --
      fast as fast can be. you'll never catch me.
    2. Re:Copper Shortage by God'sDuck · · Score: 2, Funny

      forget copper: real geeks find water with Potassium!

    3. Re:Copper Shortage by lilmouse · · Score: 1

      Dude, it's the equivalent of an extra 3 US citizens.

      --LWM

    4. Re:Copper Shortage by dheltzel · · Score: 4, Funny

      See, the secret plan is to provoke a copper war with the Martians. When they launch their copper projectiles back to Earth, we just catch them and use them. Brilliant, I say, simply brilliant!

    5. Re:Copper Shortage by fbg111 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unfortunately, due to a terrible miscalculation of scale, the entire Martian copper salvo will probably be accidentally swallowed by a small dog.

      --
      Flying is easy, just throw yourself at the ground and miss. -Douglas Adams
    6. Re:Copper Shortage by ValentineMSmith · · Score: 1

      You see, this is just a sneaky plan by NASA to ensure that they get their manned mission to Mars. We send all the copper to Mars. Then, when we run out, we HAVE to send a manned mission to bring it all home.

      --
      Karma: Chameleon - mostly influenced by bad '80s New Wave music
    7. Re:Copper Shortage by o'reor · · Score: 1
      > But where will they find all of that copper?

      Chile. Just do the same as 30 years ago :

      1. call the democratically elected president a communist
      2. have the CIA bribe some fascist general into overthrowing/murdering her
      3. ???
      4. Profit !!!
      --
      In Soviet Russia, our new overlords are belong to all your base.
  2. The results by Syberghost · · Score: 5, Funny

    AP, 2106: NASA scientists have determined that the Martian atmosphere contains a metric farkload of copper.

    1. Re:The results by HTL2001 · · Score: 1

      sweet, another strange unit to use :p

      --
      By reading this, you have given me brief control of your mind.
  3. boom by God'sDuck · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait - when did we add Spirit and Opportunity to the Axis of Evil?

    1. Re:boom by StikyPad · · Score: 0

      It's all due to a typo. Bush got confused because "spirit" and "opportunity" weren't capitalized in his Mars update. One aide reportedly overheard the President say, "We must.. will crush.. spirit and opportunity wherever it.. won't get fooled again!"

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
    2. Re:boom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sorry. Did you just credit Bush with correctly using a four syllable word?

      I think the actual quote was "We must...we...we will crush...spirit and opport..op...oppor...heh...um...what I mean to say is that we're gonna get these bad guys - that's what we're gonna do."

      Ironically, we'll be using weapons of mass to accomplish the goal.

  4. I saw this on Sesame Street! by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 3, Funny
    1. "Scientists are planning on launching huge copper slugs at Mars in the hope that they will reveal signs of climate change."

    2. "Problem: What happens when the Martians launch their own copper slugs back?"

    3. "From the article: "'It's neat because it's a brute force way to gain access to the subsurface of Mars,' says David Spencer, a team member at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US."

    4."The impactor will be very simple and we'll get our first look at material from that depth.'


    One of these things is not like the others,
    One of these things just doesn't belong,
    Can you tell which thing is not like the others
    By the time I finish my song?

    Three of these things belong together
    Three of these things are kind of the same
    Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong here?
    Now it's time to play our game... ... It's time to play our game!!

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    1. Re:I saw this on Sesame Street! by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      Erm. I think somebody failed to notice the humor in that post.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    2. Re:I saw this on Sesame Street! by dohzer · · Score: 1

      Well I missed it as well.

  5. Slick! by lilmouse · · Score: 1

    It's like playing with nuclear weapons....but bigger. What they should do is send the observer spacecraft seperate from the mass. If the mass comes in on a trajectory that's head-on to mars, you could get a *much* bigger explosion!

    Of course, then you'd have to make sure your observer was in the right spot at the right time, and it's probably too complicated... but a bigger explosion, so it's worth it anyway!

    --LWM

    ps - I was hoping we'd build a giant rail-gun to shoot at Mars, but no such luck...

    pps - you can be sure the US Gov will be interested in data for its program to put weapons in space...that do the same thing (with smaller rods) to earth.

    1. Re:Slick! by orgelspieler · · Score: 1
      you can be sure the US Gov will be interested in data for its program to put weapons in space...that do the same thing (with smaller rods) to earth.
      Just in case people think you are kidding, both IEEE Spectrum and Popular Science have stories on how the US is already looking into using tungsten rods to hurtle at objects on Earth. They are known as Hypervelocity Rod Bundles, or Rods from God. However, there is serious doubt if this is a very good use of taxpayer money. Compared to conventional alternatives, they wouldn't do enough damage, and they wouldn't reach their targets very fast.
    2. Re:Slick! by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      What's to stop someone from attaching retro-rockets to an asteroid, turn it around, and aim it a country you need to "do away with".

      If anyone questions it, you just shrug it off as an act of nature.

      Of course, such planning would have to be done years in advance so as to not raise suspicions on who launched the attack.

      FYI: I am an evil genius.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    3. Re:Slick! by slushbat · · Score: 1

      Ready when you are mr DeMille

      --

      Don't put off until tomorrow what you can leave until the day after.

  6. Overkill? by redheaded_stepchild · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Couldn't we get more data by drilling cores like we do at the poles and other places around the world? Seems to me that all we would really succeed in doing is throwing the evidence in a million different directions. And have we built a rover that is capable of not getting stuck in a crater?

    --
    Don't use the Troll mod just because you disagree with me.
    1. Re:Overkill? by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      But Usama bin-Laden may be hiding up them , along with the Iraqi Weapons of Mass destruction.
      So obviously they need to bomb it

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
    2. Re:Overkill? by Kelson · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sure, but drilling cores is something that needs a lot of equipment and hands-on control. It'd be great for a manned mission, but it's tricky to fit a hundred-foot-plus telescoping drill onto a rover and expect it to work.

      This way you can blast a crater and then analyze the dust spectroscopically.

    3. Re:Overkill? by redheaded_stepchild · · Score: 1

      Wow, thank you. That's the best reply I've ever recieved: concise, on topic, and both great points.

      --
      Don't use the Troll mod just because you disagree with me.
    4. Re:Overkill? by mikiN · · Score: 1

      ...and so they lob Weapons of Mars Destruction at him in retaliation?
      Same pot, same kettle, still black.

      (well, actually, the pot could be of a different variety.)

      --
      The Hacker's Guide To The Kernel: Don't panic()!
    5. Re:Overkill? by FFFish · · Score: 1

      it's tricky to fit a hundred-foot-plus telescoping drill onto a rover and expect it to work.

      Is not! I do it all the time myself.

      Kids these days. No gumption in 'em at all.

      --

      --
      Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
    6. Re:Overkill? by BlueTooth · · Score: 1

      In goes to show you how crudely we are forced to learn about other planets, in a technique that amounts to bludgeoning you subject with a stick to see what's inside. I'm sure there was a point in history when this was also the most effective means of studying wasp's (the flying kind) nests.

      --
      SPAM
    7. Re:Overkill? by Syberghost · · Score: 1

      But Usama bin-Laden may be hiding up them , along with the Iraqi Weapons of Mass destruction. So obviously they need to bomb it

      Nope, we know where those are:

      http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_21 24562.shtml

      Maybe we should test this giant-copper-slug idea on Syria first, though.

    8. Re:Overkill? by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1

      Unfortunatly , they had "Property of the US milatry written on the side" .. There have been numerous claims refuting that that happened and it is strongly suspected the General had been put up .Syria of-course denies all knowledge.
      Not that I am a great fan of Syria, but it all seems a little ominous

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
    9. Re:Overkill? by Syberghost · · Score: 1

      There have been numerous claims refuting that that happened and it is strongly suspected the General had been put up .

      A thousand liberals screaming something probably isn't true doesn't make it false.

  7. Um... by infojunkie · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Weren't they warning us just the other day that we don't have enough copper? http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/ 18/1623244

    And now they want to go shooting a bunch of it into space?

  8. Why Copper? by Zaniwoop · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Didn't recent news articles about a Yale study say that we're going to be short on copper soon? Then why are we shooting "huge copper slugs" at mars? Why not huge slugs made of some slightly more abundant metal? Or is the study just bunk?

    1. Re:Why Copper? by Carnildo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Presumably copper vapor is less visible on whatever instruments they're using than something like iron.

      --
      "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
    2. Re:Why Copper? by PantsWearer · · Score: 1

      Actually, according to the article, it's because copper is basically not found on Mars. So if they do see copper in what gets tossed into the atmosphere with the impact, they can assume it's from the "slug", not Mars itself. They even mention that Martian iron is plentiful and using iron would just confuse the issue.

      --
      Be glad life is unfair, otherwise we'd deserve all this.
  9. hmm... by brother+bloat · · Score: 1

    not to be overly cynical...but this seems to be the typical "human" method of studying new things. first, we take a cursory glance from a distance. next, we think about how we can study it. in the process, we destroy or cause harm to it.

    i wonder if we'll ever stop to think that what we do may have some sort of greater impact. doesn't an intelligent species have some sort of responsibility for its actions?

    --
    (( (CRAYON) )) >
    1. Re:hmm... by vmcto · · Score: 1

      doesn't an intelligent species have some sort of responsibility for its actions?

      You are making some big assumptions there...

    2. Re:hmm... by soapthgr8 · · Score: 1

      There is responsibility for actions (it's up in the air about the intelligence part). It will come, but the result may not be reaped in our lifetimes. Nevertheless, why does personal responsibility matter in this case? It's not harming anyone.

    3. Re:hmm... by azaris · · Score: 1

      not to be overly cynical...but this seems to be the typical "human" method of studying new things. first, we take a cursory glance from a distance. next, we think about how we can study it. in the process, we destroy or cause harm to it.

      Rubbish. Mars is not some delicate ecosystem that withers and dies when you look at it funny. It's basically a dead rock. When your methods of observation are not precise enough to get the results with small-scale measurements, you sometimes have to blow the system up to see what it contains. Consider the analogy between particle physics and smashing a watch to pieces to figure out how it works.

    4. Re:hmm... by PieSquared · · Score: 1

      Hmm... This does almost remind me of the most pointless chemistry lab I've ever done. We stuck a piece of magnesium in an eudiometer tube and destroyed it with hydrochloric acid. The point? Find the mass of the piece of magnesium. It's not just that we could have used a balance, but that we destroyed the piece of magnesium. What is the point of knowing the mass now that it is magnesium chloride? This rover seems much the same. Lets break it and see what it USED to be made of. I guess I can kind of see how it's different, as we aren't removing the top ten feet from all of mars, i.e. there is still some there that we will now know the composition of, but I'd still prefer to just drill a little hole like we do here on earth... I guess NASA is nervous about finding "up" on this alien world...

      --
      Does a line appended to your comment give your post meaning in and of itself, or only in relation to those without?
    5. Re:hmm... by Kelson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I guess I can kind of see how it's different, as we aren't removing the top ten feet from all of mars

      Not to mention the fact that meteorites do strike the planet from time to time...

    6. Re:hmm... by brother+bloat · · Score: 1

      Do you know this from personal experience, or are you, like the people I mentioned in my post, making the assumption that by messing with something you don't really know about, you won't break it? If something bad were to happen to disrupt the Mars environment, these scientists will claim ignorance. I believe that there is a big difference between bombing the surface of a planet and "looking at it funny." The fact is, we don't know much about Mars, except what we see through telescopes and the very limited capabilities of the Mars rover. Before we start bombing things, we might want to stop to think about what we may be destroying in the process. Even if there isn't anything but rock on Mars, we might be destroying some neat-looking land formation which might have given us insights into understanding something we can't think of today.

      You alluded to particle smashing in your response. I never argued that breaking something won't tell you about it. However, like with particle smashing, we're destroying something here without truly understanding it.

      --
      (( (CRAYON) )) >
    7. Re:hmm... by brother+bloat · · Score: 1

      You make a good point. Since Mars has no Earth-like atmosphere, even small meteorites can make it though the atmosphere and have significant reprocussions -- possibly no more or less so than these bombs. Nevertheless, I'd argue that meteorites are natural for Mars, whereas humans bombing its surface are probably not. On Earth, although meteorites sometimes do make it through the atmosphere, I wouldn't want someone to simulate such a natural occurance near where I was located at the time.

      An argument allowing us to behave as we choose by comparing our actions to various natural disasters frees us from responsibility of those actions. I think this is dangerous.

      --
      (( (CRAYON) )) >
  10. Communications between SMART people by Jakuta · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Perhaps some people should read slashdot more... Didn't I just read a story... oh yeah here it is. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/ 18/1623244&from=rss

  11. Didn't we do this already? by EvilMagnus · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...with the Beagle II?

    ( tongue firmly in cheek )

    --
    -EvilMagnus
    1. Re:Didn't we do this already? by Tackhead · · Score: 2, Funny
      > ..with the Beagle II [beagle2.com]?

      In the past 15 years, the Martians have shot down Deep Space 2, Mars Polar Lander, Mars Climate Observer, Mars Observer, Phobos 1 and 2, and half a dozen earlier probes.

      (OK, so Mars Climate Observer wasn't shot down - it was Martian spies who infiltrated NASA and switched things between Metric/Imperial units - but you get my drift.)

      Anyways, it's payback time!

  12. copper by mr_burns · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Um, I wish they'd use some other metal. We can use all the copper we can get here on earth. How about depleted uranium? I could do with less of that in my life and it works well as a projectile.

    --
    "Let him go, Ralph. He knows what he's doing." --Otto Mann (simpsons)
    1. Re:copper by dwayner79 · · Score: 1

      Man, I wish I had MOD points... +1 Funny to you good sir

      --
      Religion and politics, without the flame. godgab.org
    2. Re:copper by Vellmont · · Score: 3, Insightful


      We can use all the copper we can get here on earth.


      Replies like this, and the moderations of them really makes me realize that there's a lot of people that really have no sense of scale. The world copper reserves are somewhere around 340 million tonnes (http://www.icsg.org/Factbook/copper_world/sd.htm) . That's about 340,000,000,000 kilograms (340 billion kilograms). The projectile they're talking about sending is 230 kilograms. Expressed as a percentage of our reserves, that's .000000068% of our copper reserves. I wouldn't really worry about losing that much copper.

      --
      AccountKiller
    3. Re:copper by PieSquared · · Score: 0, Redundant

      You're completely right. There literally is not enough available copper on earth to provide wiring and piping for the parts of the world that don't yet have it, at the currently used densities(i.e. taking into account PVC piping and such). We should certainly not be sending huge slugs of it hurling into space. I guess they choose Copper for it's lack of reactivity, but seriously... it doesn't even need to be depleted uranium, why not send a chunk of nuclear waste? I'm sure there is plenty of at least the density and stability of copper, which could be loaded at the last second before launch and shielded with lead or depleted uranium. I mean, it's just going to slam into rock and dirt anyway...

      --
      Does a line appended to your comment give your post meaning in and of itself, or only in relation to those without?
    4. Re:copper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some people would think sending 230 kilograms is insignificant, but you and grandparent are right - since we don't have enough copper, we should never ever use it. (By that same token, we shouldn't be exploring space until we erradicate world hunger anyway, but nevertheless...) I suggest sending the charred remains of your bodies instead - surely the world can stand to lose that, and it's about the same mass. Assuming all the *BULLSHIT* in the ejecta doesn't screw up the spectroscopy.

    5. Re:copper by Vellmont · · Score: 3, Insightful

      In addition to my other reply which lists 230 kilograms as a percentage of the world copper reserves, I'd like to point out that 230 kilograms of copper is almost exactly a cubic foot. That is a 1x1x1 foot cube of copper. Not exactly a "huge copper slug" that the article summary suggests.

      --
      AccountKiller
    6. Re:copper by mikiN · · Score: 2, Funny

      ... why not send a chunk of nuclear waste?

      And in a couple of millennia be attacked by venomous six-armed three-legged snakefrogsparrows instead of the warm welcome we'd get from the peaceful meerkatbutterflies that would have evolved instead?

      --
      The Hacker's Guide To The Kernel: Don't panic()!
    7. Re:copper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hey, thank god for armchair rocket scientists such as yourself.

      guess what? using a depleted uranium slug with the same mass as the copper slug mentioned in the article would be the largest radioactive mass ever put into space. an explosion on liftoff would devastate an untold area. not to mention the fact that a depleted uranium slug would most like burn up completely as the flash point is a hell of a lot lower than copper.

      but seriously, keep it up. hopefully some guy at NASA is completely stumped and comes to slashdot to find out how to do his job.

    8. Re:copper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Replies like this, and the moderations of them really makes me realize that there's a lot of people that really have no sense of scale.

      Comments like yours really make me realize that there are a lot of people who really have no sense of humor.

    9. Re:copper by Vellmont · · Score: 1


      Comments like yours really make me realize that there are a lot of people who really have no sense of humor.


      And comments like yours really make me realize that people don't read the replies or the moderation. There are several replies with the "what about the copper shortage!!!" that are obviously quite serious, and not labeled funny.

      --
      AccountKiller
    10. Re:copper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dunno about wiring, but you can stop worrying about copper piping. The developing world can use PEX tubing. Much easier to work with.

    11. Re:copper by uncoveror · · Score: 1

      Using nuculer shit will definately provoke the Zhti Ti Kofft. They might even turn the dark side of the moon around to face us and use their death ray!

      --
      The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
    12. Re:copper by TheCreeep · · Score: 1

      Depleted uranium slugs? Jeez man, why don't we just rail them out of the sky??

    13. Re:copper by Arimus · · Score: 1

      I dunno know, a cubic foot of any metal is going to seem pretty huge when it lands on your head.

      --
      --- Users are like bacteria -> Each one causing a thousand tiny crises until the host finally gives up and dies.
  13. perfect! by moosesocks · · Score: 2, Funny

    this mission is perfect for our expertise! we've gotten quite good at sending huge chunks of metal hurtling twoard the surface of mars...

    (with our luck, we'll miss completely and end up blowing up titan or europa and killing whatever life may reside there)

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  14. Marvin the Martian's revenge by SKPhoton · · Score: 3, Funny

    Problem: What happens when the Martians launch their own copper slugs back?

    Marvin the Martian will take us on. "Where's the kaboom? There's supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!"

  15. K'breel? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

    I wonder what K'breel, speaker for the Council of Elders, thinks about this. It'd be interesting to know :)

    1. Re:K'breel? by whitehatlurker · · Score: 1
      I wonder what K'breel, speaker for the Council of Elders, thinks about this.

      Given his past speeches, he will probably stress that there is no cause for alarm. Hah, politicians! IF there ever was a time to panic, it would be now!

      --
      .. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
  16. Alternatively, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we could launch a smaller object at higher impact speeds and achieve the same impact energy.

    Or, we could be observant and wait for a meteor impact.

    1. Re:Alternatively, by VendettaMF · · Score: 3, Informative

      Or, we could be observant and wait for a meteor impact.

      Which leaves the techs of NASA looking at two ionised molecules of random gas and wonderring which was a bit of Mars and which was a bit of random meteor...

      A nice homogenous impactor is essential for this form of research.

      --
      kartune85 : Incapable of reason, observation or learning. A kind of dim, drab, flightless parrot.
  17. Errmmm ... Nobody watched War of the worlds? by cylcyl · · Score: 1

    they might bomb back!!

  18. Crashing into Mars by Spudley · · Score: 2, Funny

    Given the past history of Mars exporation, I'd say it's probably the best thing they could do -- as least if you're planning to crash into the planet, you won't be too upset when it happens.

    --
    (Spudley Strikes Again!)
    1. Re:Crashing into Mars by el_gordo101 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, this time the team's confusion of imperial/metric units causes the slug to make a gentle, safe landing on the planet's surface rather than impacting explosively. Oops.

      --
      TODO: Insert witty sig
  19. Bombing Mars by Xymor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Frist the Bombing, then by 2015 US will be sending troops to secure democracy in Mars. This is just part of the plan to bring freedom to mars people.

    1. Re:Bombing Mars by zakkie · · Score: 1

      Beautiful. If I had mod points you'd get them all. Or as many as SlackDot would let me give you. You'll have to settle for my undying respect for that piece of comedic genius :)

    2. Re:Bombing Mars by Ray+Radlein · · Score: 1

      The big advantage here is that given the obviously moribund state of Martian culture, "Bombing them to the Stone Age" would actually advance their evolutionary timetable by millions of years!

      Shortly after the first giant mysterious projectile embeds itself in the surface of Mars, one or more nearby primitive bacteria, inspired by our example, will inevitably cluster around it, find a rock or something and then pound the shit out of their neighbors. A quick flip of the bones up into the air, a jump cut, and voila! they'll have an advanced civilization.

    3. Re:Bombing Mars by Karem+Lore · · Score: 1

      Bollocks to a democracy, they need a replacement for Guantanamo Bay!

      --
      When all is said and done, nothing changes...
    4. Re:Bombing Mars by javaDragon · · Score: 1

      ... and to bring back all that martian oil bonanza to sustain Our Way of Life, one generation more.

      --
      -- javaDragon is an instance of JavaDragon.
  20. They should aim at the rovers (not a joke) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    OK, call me crazy...

    If they aimed at them, they are pretty unlikely to actually hit one, but if they got close enough that one of the rovers could examine the ejecta and go into the crater they'd learn a hell of a lot more than by just studying the spectrum of the ejecta from space.

  21. obvious by clsmyth · · Score: 2, Funny

    Take off. Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

  22. Obtuse and Oblique by Carpe+PM · · Score: 1

    I could make some sort of Tars Tarkas reference here, but you youngsters would not understand until the movie comes out.

    1. Re:Obtuse and Oblique by rts008 · · Score: 1

      We will know how big of a mistake this is when the Warlord of Bassom visits us again, this time with a banth stampede!

      --
      Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
  23. I thought copper killed slugs? by njh · · Score: 1

    I used to use copper foil to stop slugs getting into my veggie patch.

  24. unlikely... by whathappenedtomonday · · Score: 0, Redundant

    at least with copper.

    --
    I hope I didn't brain my damage.
  25. better link Re:unlikely... by whathappenedtomonday · · Score: 1

    Thanks, Cynthia

    --
    I hope I didn't brain my damage.
  26. Hey, wait a sec. by Garnaralf · · Score: 1

    I know why they want to do this... They must have intercepted the cell phone conversations of John Carter. This means the Warlord of Mars is a terrorist! The probably want to get his son, Carthoris of Helium, as well.

  27. I wouldn't get worried about retaliation by EvilBastard · · Score: 1

    What are the odds on them firing big shells at us ?

    I mean the chances of anything coming from Mars are a Million to One !

    1. Re:I wouldn't get worried about retaliation by Xtifr · · Score: 1

      > a Million to One !

      I think you're seriously, massively, overestimating the chances! Discworld author Terry Pratchett says that million-to-one chances come up nine times out of ten. While that's an entertainingly flawed equation in a humorous fantasy series, in this case, I think the difference between one-out-of-a-million and nine-out-of-ten is so small compared to the real odds that they might as well be considered equivalent. :)

    2. Re:I wouldn't get worried about retaliation by Bob3141592 · · Score: 1

      I mean the chances of anything coming from Mars are a Million to One !

      Sure, but you can count on a million to one shot happening half of the time.

      --
      In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
  28. WIth out luck by Efialtis · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    We would end up hitting both of the little robot rovers we sent up there, ending any future hopes of getting more data from them...
    Leave it to NASA to come up with this "great idea"...
    What a bunch of Rocket Scientists...

    --
    --E--
  29. why not gold? by Quadraginta · · Score: 1

    Well, the total price of getting the 200 kg copper slug to Mars is about $450 million, according to TFA, which works out to just over $2 million per kilogram. The value of the copper itself is trivial by comparison. (That is, it costs far less to dig up and refine 200 kg of copper than it does to shoot it to Mars.)

    Heck, they could make the slug out of pure gold ($20,000 per kilogram) without changing the price of the mission noticeably.

  30. In related news... by antek9 · · Score: 1

    MALICIOUS HACKER ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO BOMB NASA SERVER ROOM

    'I thought it was neat because it's a brute force way to gain access to the NASA servers,' says F. Ilthy Hair, after the bombing plans were revealed on his PC, 'but then I just got lucky by wildly trying out username/password combos. The combo copper/copper proved to be usefull in the end, God knows why...'

    --
    A World in a Grain of Sand / Heaven in a Wild Flower,
    Infinity in the Palm of your Hand / And Eternity in an Hour.
  31. On July 4th of this year... by Lendrick · · Score: 1

    ...America will blow up the moon!

    (obligatory Mr. Show reference)

    1. Re:On July 4th of this year... by superyooser · · Score: 2, Funny

      They should wait two days later so it would be on Thor's Day (Thursday).

      For those who didn't read the article, the mission is called THOR (Tracing Habitability, Organics, and Resources).

  32. There wouldn't be any retaliatation... by gd23ka · · Score: 1

    Given Nasa's poor track record of failed probes hypothetical martians would most likely chalk it up as another earth probe that failed ;-)

  33. Are you wearing your tinfoil hat? by tqft · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If they can launch a huge copper slug to Mars - where else can they land it?

    Hmmm - any guesses people? Go on - you know the answer.

    Large accurate placed explosive without nuclear fallout.

    Think of Mars as target practice.

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
    1. Re:Are you wearing your tinfoil hat? by ILKO_deresolution · · Score: 0

      Yeah the first thing I thought of was a rail gun... why not just make a killer rail gun?
      It would probably take a lot of fuel to counter the accelerations. better to send it at orbital mechanics speeds.
      But seriouly build a cool space weapon, I mean really, just don't aim it at me!

      --
      I tip toe like rats on vouge runnways.
  34. cool and ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    while they're at it, couldn't they also
    launch a mini zeppelin, lighter-then-air-kindda craft that
    can hover around mars and maybe even enter some ...
    you guessed it ... marsian CANYONS? /me really
    wonders what might have accumulated in thosey canyons?
    CANYONS! MAN!

  35. Earth First! by Sir+Codelot · · Score: 2, Funny

    We'll ruin the other planets later.

    --
    I have a truly marvelous proof of the Riemann hypothesis which this sig is too short to contain...
  36. Archimedes (A project of the german Marssociety) by RealNecator · · Score: 1

    Well ... you are thinking of something like this?
    http://www.marssociety.de/html/html/Archimedes/ind ex.html
    Sadly ... you most probably will need babelfish for reading this. :-(

  37. Re:why not gold? Why not Depleted uranium by spammyd · · Score: 0

    its denser and the government says its harmless

  38. Re:Archimedes (A project of the german Marssociety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    thanks for the link and ... no problem
    i can read german :)

    link for you:
    http://www.google.co.th/search?hl=en&q=repulsine&m eta=

  39. Equal Opportunity by Zcar · · Score: 1

    This is what happens when you let rednecks become rocket scientists. They've graduated from shooting up road signs, water heaters, etc. to shooting up whole planets!

  40. Boom by Ticklemonster · · Score: 1
    BOOOOM!!!

    Any body alive down there?

    --
    Karma: Bad is the liberal way of saying this guy won't drink the kool aid here on slash dot. I wear my Karma with pride
  41. Re:why not gold? Why not Depleted uranium by coopex · · Score: 1

    Gold 19.c g/cc, Uranium 19.05 g/cc

    --
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
  42. Atmospheric conditions. by IshmaelSquared · · Score: 0

    What if Mar's is more fragile than we thought? What if this slug actually does some damage`and turns Mars into a new Jupiter? It seems unlikely but "blasting a crater 10 metres deep" sounds shaky and it could drastically change the atmospheric conditions.