One amazing reason why NASA boffins are celebrating Curiosity's 687th day on Mars As Curiosity trundles across the plains of Mars, its controllers at NASA are preparing to hold a bit of a party – as on June 24 the rover celebrates its first full Martian year (687 Earth days) on the Red Planet. Curiosity looking good on first Martian birthday Curiosity is looking good on its first Martian birthday The …
In one year Curiosity has provided conclusive proof that the conditions for life existed on Mars (a long time ago), and given some evidence that even if life got started there it didn't flourish. Right - what do we do next? The prize for the space race doesn't seem to exist. The science is there but the glory is not - cue in-fighting for budgets and slow progress for anyone who tries it.
All the more reason to praise Nasa and the USA for doing as much as they have.
quote: "What's more plausible? That NASA spent all this money for this crap or they did it on the cheap in a studio like Capricorn One?"
What is more plausible, that fire turning wood to ash is due to some invisible gas combining with the wood after somehow flowing through the flame, or simply that wood contains the element of fire and that burning is the release of this element, leaving the earth element (ash) behind?
Occam's razor is a fine tool, but there are some truths that it has difficulty cutting :)
I don't believe the word selfie was in common usage when it landed. But it did take a picture of itself with the robotic arm when it landed, pieced together from several individual photos. You must be named Thomas.
Doubting Thomas. And obviously not a 'boffin.'
The 'other country' that may make it to Mars should first do as we in the U.S. did, put a man on the moon. Once the future generation of boffins understands the extreme challenges of space travel only 240k miles away, then they can proceed to a much more distant planet.
Was it Saturday last BBC R4 had an interesting version of the Martian Chronicles?
Mars also features (briefly) in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I think the R4 2 part version last two weeks better than Blade Runner. Though of course without the famous speech (not in book anyway).
Then there is Ben Bova "Mars" and "Return to Mars". Even the author of Biggles has a couple of Mars novels. I think also John Wyndham. Though a Barren Sterile place (apparently) it still somehow captures the imagination. Even if we don't send people (which seems possible but problematic, a one way trip for some Scientists in their 60s?) we should keep sending rovers.
There's also Kim Stanley Robinson's excellent trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars. While being an entertaining sci-fi read, it's also almost a study on the scientific, political and sociological implications of the colonisation of another planet.
Highly recommended for Marsophiles (shut up, it's a perfectly cromulent word...)
"Even the author of Biggles has a couple of Mars novels."
Capt. W. E. Johns. That's what got me into SF as a kid! I found them in the school library.
Those, and the ones starring a team of British astronauts who over a series of books explored pretty much the whole solar system, launching out of Woomera :-)
So long ago I can't remember any of the titles now, nor even the author of the latter series.
The yanks need to rename their letter agencies post-haste. Or I better start to read more properly. I think we can all agree to blame the yanks.
I zoomed into this post wondering what on Earth NSA had to do with Curiosity. Then I thought about the poor martians.
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