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ESA Lander's Signal Cut Out Just Before It Was Supposed To Land on Mars (arstechnica.com)

Posted by msmash on from the revenge-of-the-mars dept.

An anonymous reader shares an ArsTechnica report: On Wednesday, the European Space Agency sought to become the second entity to successfully land a spacecraft on Mars with its Schiaparelli lander. And everything seemed to be going swimmingly right up until the point that Schiaparelli was to touch down. The European scientists had been tracking the descent of Schiaparelli through an array of radio telescopes near Pune, India and were able to record the moment when the vehicle exited a plasma blackout. The scientists also received a signal that indicated parachute deployment. But during the critical final moments, when nine hydrazine-powered thrusters were supposed to fire to arrest Schiaparelli's descent, the signal disappeared. At that point, the European Space Agency's webcast went silent for several minutes before one of the flight directors could be heard to say, "We expected the signal to continue, but clearly it did not. We don't want to jump to conclusions."

7 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by PCM2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Seriously? This is a joke... I mean, who thought sending a mission to Mars would be this hard?

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    Breakfast served all day!
    1. Re:Really? by DarthVain · · Score: 3, Funny

      I know the only personal item I would take with me on the Mars journey would be an axe. You just can't trust everybody. I mean I know I wouldn't go insane. Someone else might go insane however. Then I'd have an axe. I'd name him Axey, and he'd be my best friend... Sometimes he tells me to... no I shouldn't talk about that, he doesn't like it.

  2. Martians by bored_lurker · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the little green men on Mars heard that the the Europeans have a long storied history of bringing diseases to the New Worlds and they blew it our of the sky with their ray guns.

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    --- Tolerance is the axiomatic "virtue" of those without convictions ---
  3. No need to worry! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Funny

    After a lengthy discussion with the ESA, I've been assured that the lander has definitely landed! On a side note, no word as to if it was a soft type landing or the usual hypersonic-impact-crater-forming type. ;)

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    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  4. Re:Usual suspect list by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 3, Funny

    You're missing Space Nazis from the list. Space Nazis are the most likely answer.

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    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  5. Re:F*cking aliens by lgw · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can't the aliens leave our spacecraft alone?

    Another bold victory for the Mars defense force! Despite recent setbacks, we were able to repel the invaders. Let this be a message to the Terran aggressors: you just got luck last time.

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    Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  6. Communications probably cut by Ecuador by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's just temporarily restricted.