Mars Probe Probably Lost Forever
David Shiga writes, "NASA's silent Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft is likely lost forever. The space agency attempted to take a picture of the 10-year-old spacecraft using the newer Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, but did not detect it, either because its orbit has shifted since last contact, or because it isn't reflecting enough sunlight to be visible. NASA has now ordered its Opportunity rover to listen from the planet's surface for MGS's radio beacon. If that fails, the agency may call on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft to join the search. But MGS may already have run out of power and NASA officials are not optimistic about recovering it."
I won't. Up until a minute ago I didn't even know it existed. I suppose there are uncountably many government programs which I am rationally ignorant of... I hope most of them provide some benefit to someone, somewhere, which would put them in marked contrast to space probes. We could just give Lockheed Martin or whoever the R&D slush fund directly and not lose billions of paying the NASA middleman.
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
I can see Bush now....
Gentlemen, the Martians have attacked our spy sattelite. Attack now... We will impress them with our Shock and Awe strategy!
Behold, Our Superior airpower... What do you mean, we only have a couple light armament sattelites? Wasn't that what daddy's president made Star Wars for, and Empire Strikes back? Send out the X-Wings!
Guess we'll have to resort to the secondary Shock and Awe strategy... Moon them, then shower them with cute teddy bears.
Why is the world spending billions upon billions on a planet scientists knew there wasn't any life on before we even went up. Now they continue to send probe after probe to this one planet like it is NASA's lovechild. There truly is nothing more to see on that rock, for we have all seen the countless images from mars. I am not even going to get into the absolute stupidity and madness of sending a portion of the population to live there either.
Mods, mod parent reatard. (or if missing that option, a troll)
Shouts To the 7heorists - obtain a copy of