Mars landing: Nasa's Perseverance rover in 'great shape'
19/02/2021
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Perseverance will now spend at least two years looking for evidence of past life on the Red Planet.
Did you just assume the Monolith's colour and shape?
RACIST! (tongue firmly implanted in cheek)*
Black Monolith's Lives Matter
RACIST! (tongue firmly implanted in cheek)*
Black Monolith's Lives Matter
No, mysterious black monoliths are only to be found buried in craters on the Moon or at Lagrange points around Jupiter (although this was originally Saturn).
Step away from that mirror.
Stanley also believes that the Earth is flat, Bill Gates in putting a tiny tracker in every Covid Vaccination and the CIA are prevented from tracking Stanley's thoughts due to the tin foil hat he's wearing, oh and he prefers to use square wheels still
Your comment presumably?
In the 1960s NASA put Space Science 50 years ahead of it's time, then budgets were cut and they fell behind. Now, thanks to President Trumps support and funding of brave new projects, NASA is once again leading the way. Very exciting times.
Trump had nothing to do with it, NASA had this on the go years before the orange one came to power. it was also a multi country project, ie the parachutes used were made in the UK.
Don't politicise great science. Trump had naff all to do with it but always claimed the credit while blaming others for any failures. He's irrelevant now.
A wonderfully exciting achievement - congratulations to all involved. I hope they find evidence of past life on Mars .
Some way to go but I'm sure Rishi and his mates have a few billion tucked up their sleeves to fund it.
We have developed ion thrusters for the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo project to Mercury.
Never seems to gets a mention, not as sexy as Mars?
Never seems to gets a mention, not as sexy as Mars?
Don't forget Beagle 2! We did try, but it wasn't so successful
No political will and unfortunately we are now out of the European programme
You can watch the new UK rocket take off on 5th November! every year Next to the bonfire.
We’re trying to,for instance with HS 2,but we have asxxxles putting themselves in tunnels and swinging in trees trying to stop it
If it’s anything like swampy and his mates when runway two was being built at Manchester officials even bought their DHS payments from Wilmslow PO!
If it’s anything like swampy and his mates when runway two was being built at Manchester officials even bought their DHS payments from Wilmslow PO!
Stunning achievement.
Does it need to maintain social distancing if it meets any Martians? wouldn't want to wipe out any new friends.
Could we ask them to have a look at our 'Track and Trace' system(sic). Might help to protect life on this planet.
But... in the picture of President Biden he is watching SpaceX and their Starship trying to land in Texas. Wrong space pic.
Oh come on, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Biden will soon cut NASA's budget. Doing things like this "Makes America Great Again" and he does not like thats.
SLS will be cancelled by Biden.
SpaceX will be doing most of the SPACE stuff in the future, And unless Biden gives Elon the freedom, he will move operations over the boarder to Mexico. Have you noticed how close to the boarder Boca Chica is?
SLS will be cancelled by Biden.
SpaceX will be doing most of the SPACE stuff in the future, And unless Biden gives Elon the freedom, he will move operations over the boarder to Mexico. Have you noticed how close to the boarder Boca Chica is?
"NASA had this on the go years before the orange one came to power."
A bit Racist is it not? Imagine the outcry if I posted about Obama saying " The black one was in power when this started"
But of course it's ok to be racist, as long as it's directed at non black people.
A bit Racist is it not? Imagine the outcry if I posted about Obama saying " The black one was in power when this started"
But of course it's ok to be racist, as long as it's directed at non black people.
Seriously fascinating.
It'll be interesting to see how the helicopter performs. Will it generate lift?
I guess they're tested it in a simulated Martian atmosphere.
I guess they're tested it in a simulated Martian atmosphere.
Really could care less, perhaps they can send their next billion to the American Red Cross or a cancer charity...
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
I feel your opinion is a little naive. Exploration of space has brought us so much technological innovation on earth. It's actually very cheap in the grand scheme of things. As for your other question...facepalm
Could explain but judging from your post I doubt you'd understand.
Err.. cos nearest galaxies are trillions of miles away while Mars is millions and space travel is slow compared to light
Yes I can tell you. Mars is metaphorically 'in our back yard' compared to the nearest star (apart from the sun) - over four light years away. Light travels at approx 186,000 miles per second; so that should give you a feeling for how close Mars is, and how far away the stars are..
The rover had landed 11 minutes before nasa received the data.
Mars is about 6 and a half light minutes away (It will take light or a radio signal that much time to get there) the nearest star system is 4 and a half light years away. so it would take light much much longer to get there.
If the NASA lander took 7 months to get to Mars, If my sums are right, it would take approx 197,235 years to get to the nearest star system.
If the NASA lander took 7 months to get to Mars, If my sums are right, it would take approx 197,235 years to get to the nearest star system.
I suggest you put the kettle on, have nice cup of tea and order yourself a copy of beginners guide to the Universe from Waterstones.
It's wonders to behold.
It's wonders to behold.
It is quite obscene to spend this amount of money when it could be used to help the problems we have on earth.
One astronomical unit (AU) is the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Mars is around 0.5 AUs from Earth. The nearest star to our solar system is 271937 AU away - it would take ~4.3 years travelling at the speed of light to reach it.
It's a planet, not a star.
Because the planets orbiting the same star as us are much closer to us than the other stars in the galaxy.
In the same way as it takes less time to drive from London to Birmingham than it does to drive from London to Moscow.
In the same way as it takes less time to drive from London to Birmingham than it does to drive from London to Moscow.
I would explain it to you but i think whatever i said would go way over your head anyway
Do you understand the difference between a million miles and a million light years?
It took Perseverance 7 months to travel 11 light-minutes. Our nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri, is 4.34 light-years away. That's about 200,000 times further away.
Holly, I could tell you but you probably wouldn't understand. I suggest that you stick to putting the kettle on; that would appear to be about your intellectual limit.
NASA's #MARS2020 programme cost just under £2bn.
That amount of money won't solve poverty here on Earth.
I'm not sure what your second point is.
Mars is roughly 205 million km, away at the moment (and it takes light/signals about 11minutes to reach Earth), and seven months is about right for a transit to Mars using current technology.
That amount of money won't solve poverty here on Earth.
I'm not sure what your second point is.
Mars is roughly 205 million km, away at the moment (and it takes light/signals about 11minutes to reach Earth), and seven months is about right for a transit to Mars using current technology.
You know the money does not disappear right? NASA give it to their supply chain. They give it to their supply chain and employees. They spend it on whatever they want to spend it on. All the while, with EVERY transaction, the government claws back a big chunk in tax.
The only star close to us is the Sun and light takes around 8 minutes to reach us from it. Mars is a planet within our own solar system so again light takes a few minutes to reach us from it. By contrast the next nearest star after the Sun is around 4 light years away. The stars we see are all within our own galaxy - the Milky Way. Other galaxies exist at millions of light years distance.
Mercury is the new Mars - that's why they named it after the Queen front man.
What hasn't been reported is that the fabric used for the parachute was designed, developed and made by Heathcotes, a Devon company. If that fabric had failed, the rover would be 50 feet underground. The parachute slowed the capsule down from 12,000mph....yes, 12,000mph! Heathcotes is a world leader in this and is over 200 years old.
No one celebrates this, why not!
No one celebrates this, why not!
Because no one cares and they're just a very small cog in a huge machine.
You are right but to be fair I have seen this mentioned in various news sources.
Making an awesome parachute is not quite in the same bracket as successfully sending the Rover to Mars. There will be thousands of awesome things which have been developed and utilised to successfully make and send the rover to Mars. This is but one.
Cannot understand the down arrows. Heathcoats were originally a Nottinghamshire lace company that came to Tiverton to escape the Luddites and promptly created not only a decent factory but also good accommodation for its workers. It has been an asset to the town ever since now at the high end of technical fabric manufacture -check out their website. British achievements at its best.
If we follow standard uk practice, Heathcotes will be bought out by the Chinese or US private equity like everything else.
Apologies for the negativity but it always happens this way.
Apologies for the negativity but it always happens this way.
I should imagine the contributors to the success of this vast NASA project are too numerous to mention, let alone celebrate, in a brief news bulletin.
I also expect they come from all four corners of the globe, Devon included.
Are you a champion of Brexit by any chance, looking for evidence of the UK's innate superiority?
I also expect they come from all four corners of the globe, Devon included.
Are you a champion of Brexit by any chance, looking for evidence of the UK's innate superiority?
Actually, the heat shield is the initial means of slowing the vehicle down, as a result of friction from the Martian atmosphere. The parachute deploys after the craft has already been slowed down to below 1,000mph.
Seriously read Arthur C Clarke (otherwise there was no need to comment),
The monolith was a machine effectively doing what perservence is trying to do (detect life on another planet except from millions of light years away (did not completely turn out too well for humanity in the long run as it decided to protect some underwater life as it's priority)
The monolith was a machine effectively doing what perservence is trying to do (detect life on another planet except from millions of light years away (did not completely turn out too well for humanity in the long run as it decided to protect some underwater life as it's priority)
Utterly incredible. I doff my hat to everyone involved.
Whatever the future of humanity is, our exploration of space will be crucial.
Maybe we’ll soon find out the answer to my favourite David Bowie song... is there, or was there, life on Mars?
God I miss Bowie :(
Anyway, I digress.
Whatever the future of humanity is, our exploration of space will be crucial.
Maybe we’ll soon find out the answer to my favourite David Bowie song... is there, or was there, life on Mars?
God I miss Bowie :(
Anyway, I digress.
I understand the achievement but all the trillions of dollars being spent looking for fossils on Mars when millions across the world are homeless, we have pressing needs for cures for cancer etc does rather sit uncomfortably. Think how many homeless Americans could be housed and fed with a fraction of what is being spent sending probes to Mars etc.
Never understood this argument. Do you buy nice biscuits? Why? You could give that money to a homeless charity. There are always pressing issues that need to be resolved, and they need to be funded properly, but that does not mean at the expense of everything else.
Have you contributed financially to the homeless today? I notice you say nothing of the trillions spent on nuclear weapons..
How do you know there are millions accross the world who are homeless? How did you and I just communicate. How is it possible America is not an undiscovered continent? Why are we not all still living in Africa?
Scientific and engineering progress is never wasted money. Each step brings rewards. Some are not in the short term or obvious. If we could harness a fraction of the resource of the Solar System it would result in an incredible benefit for all humanity. This work is just part of the investment in our long term future.
"Estimates of the return on investment in the space program range from $7 for every $1 spent on the Apollo Program to $40 for every $1 spent on space development today"
On top of that, medical advancements that come from the space program save lives every day
On top of that, medical advancements that come from the space program save lives every day
They didn't launch the money to Mars, it was spent here on Earth, at thousands of companies and manufacturers.
The money spent does not cease to exist or leave the earth. It’s just temporarily in the hands of NASA’s supply chain
Like many, you look at a long term solution through a short termism lens.
Colonizing other planets is vital to our species long term survival. While we remain tied to a single home planet we are ALL at the mercy of a one off cataclysmic event. We could spend all our resources trying to “fix” this worlds problems (to no avail) but would look foolish if/when that world is damaged beyond repair
Colonizing other planets is vital to our species long term survival. While we remain tied to a single home planet we are ALL at the mercy of a one off cataclysmic event. We could spend all our resources trying to “fix” this worlds problems (to no avail) but would look foolish if/when that world is damaged beyond repair
Some context, it is not trillions. The cost of this mission equates to what US citizens spend on their pets every 10 days or running the US Dept of Defense for less than 1.5 days. It is very cost efficient considering what it aims to achieve and it hasn't taken money from cancer research etc.
Why does the BBC keep calling NASA, Nasa??? Or should I say Bbc...
Acronyms are specifically words formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as words themselves. e.g Laser, Radar, Scuba, Nasa
A set of initials that doesn't create a new word, eg BBC, is called an initialism.
A set of initials that doesn't create a new word, eg BBC, is called an initialism.
Because it's an acronym that's become a word in its own right, like scuba, laser, spam and numerous other such terms that we use lowercase for. We say it as a word without really thinking about what the letters stand for. The BBC stays in uppercase because it has no vowels and we say it as individual letters.
Scientists are the best. They make the rest of the world's population look stupid by comparison - and certainly brighter than politicians!
Expect Biden will claim this as his own.
That’s a given regarding politicians!.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Which means you don't know either.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
That's what we used to call gobbledygook in old money, answers nothing.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
We need to send one of those rovers to search for signs of intelligent life in Westminster.
My money's on finding it on Mars first.
My money's on finding it on Mars first.
They tried it in Rhyl but the wheels were nicked before it could report anything.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Thank you, gives some dimension to the time in space.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Mars is about 6 and a half light minutes away (It will take light or a radio signal that much time to get there) the nearest star system is 4 and a half light years away. so it would take light much much longer to get there.
If the NASA lander took 7 months to get to Mars, If my sums are right, it would take approx 197,235 years to get to the nearest star system.
If the NASA lander took 7 months to get to Mars, If my sums are right, it would take approx 197,235 years to get to the nearest star system.
Well thanks for answering my query.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
$2,400,000,000 well spent?
"Estimates of the return on investment in the space program range from $7 for every $1 spent on the Apollo Program to $40 for every $1 spent on space development today"
So yes, very well spent.
So yes, very well spent.
Yes indeed.. Better to find out about our place in the universe than spending it on nuclear weapons.
I suppose you would moan about anything.
You could argue that this money would be better spent on education and helping the less well off get a better chance in life. On the other hand, the Earth has a finite life span, and we humans will need to find somewhere else to live in a few billion years, even sooner if we don't start looking after the planet we've got. So we're basically laying the foundations for those who are yet to live.
It's a great use of money. Think about how many people have been employed, directly or indirectly, by this project. Think about all the research papers that have been published and will be published. Think about how all that research could benefit us. Science and technology is very good value for money, something a lot of people struggle to get.
I think I would approve if they spent that much on birth-control for the planet. Well done to the scientists! A quite remarkable achievement and their efforts to explore will help future generations I'm sure.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Contributed financially today have you?
I agree wholeheartedly.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
At these speeds must be difficult to avoid space debris and clutter of old satellites.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Surely the distance to Mars varies hugely with the relative position of each planet in its orbit. Often over 2.5 AU
Many thanks Dave.
I understand the achievement but all the trillions of dollars being spent looking for fossils on Mars when millions across the world are homeless, we have pressing needs for cures for cancer etc does rather sit uncomfortably. Think how many homeless Americans could be housed and fed with a fraction of what is being spent sending probes to Mars etc.
Big deal.
Indeed it is..
It is a big deal. This is the culmination of decades of preparation, research and engineering, quite a lot of which is likely to benefit us on Earth too (as much of space exploration has). It is a huge achievement to accomplish something like this when there are just so many variables that have to be accounted for.
$2,400,000,000 well spent?
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Humanity is underrated.
Watched it live. It was actually a lot more exciting than I expected it to be, and it basically involved people glued to their computer screens..
I watched on NASA TV. It was great, the joy on the techies faces (despite masks) was lovely.
Science, much of it is beyond me but I love it.
Science, much of it is beyond me but I love it.
some of us remember the apollo 11 landing. not taking anything away from this achievement, but not the pivotal point for mankind of man's first landing on another body in space.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
What hasn't been reported is that the fabric used for the parachute was designed, developed and made by Heathcotes, a Devon company. If that fabric had failed, the rover would be 50 feet underground. The parachute slowed the capsule down from 12,000mph....yes, 12,000mph! Heathcotes is a world leader in this and is over 200 years old.
No one celebrates this, why not!
No one celebrates this, why not!
What hasn't been reported is that the fabric used for the parachute was designed, developed and made by Heathcotes, a Devon company. If that fabric had failed, the rover would be 50 feet underground. The parachute slowed the capsule down from 12,000mph....yes, 12,000mph! Heathcotes is a world leader in this and is over 200 years old.
No one celebrates this, why not!
No one celebrates this, why not!
For heaven's sake, show a bit of pleasure. It is a British firm, and as such contributes to the general well being of what is a marvellous country. Some people have pride in the UK even if you don't.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
I understand the achievement but all the trillions of dollars being spent looking for fossils on Mars when millions across the world are homeless, we have pressing needs for cures for cancer etc does rather sit uncomfortably. Think how many homeless Americans could be housed and fed with a fraction of what is being spent sending probes to Mars etc.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Removed
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
No
Big deal.
We have developed ion thrusters for the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo project to Mercury.
Never seems to gets a mention, not as sexy as Mars?
Never seems to gets a mention, not as sexy as Mars?
Utterly incredible. I doff my hat to everyone involved.
Whatever the future of humanity is, our exploration of space will be crucial.
Maybe we’ll soon find out the answer to my favourite David Bowie song... is there, or was there, life on Mars?
God I miss Bowie :(
Anyway, I digress.
Whatever the future of humanity is, our exploration of space will be crucial.
Maybe we’ll soon find out the answer to my favourite David Bowie song... is there, or was there, life on Mars?
God I miss Bowie :(
Anyway, I digress.
I understand the achievement but all the trillions of dollars being spent looking for fossils on Mars when millions across the world are homeless, we have pressing needs for cures for cancer etc does rather sit uncomfortably. Think how many homeless Americans could be housed and fed with a fraction of what is being spent sending probes to Mars etc.
Apart from the nauseating amounts of money spent on space exploration when we have so much poverty on earth can anyone tell me why it only takes seven months for this contraption to reach Mars (128 million miles away) and yet we are always told stars and galaxies are millions of light years away and what light we see from a star or planet could have taken years to reach earth.
Thank you Jon, this is now making sense.
This was a fantastic world scientific effort and everybody should be proud of the achievement.
My only slight criticism was the NASA coverage. I felt like I was watching an episode of Playschool for much of it.
I understand NASA need to appeal to kids however there are also grown ups watching as well and there was just a little bit too much cutesy kid, showing their drawings, going on...
My only slight criticism was the NASA coverage. I felt like I was watching an episode of Playschool for much of it.
I understand NASA need to appeal to kids however there are also grown ups watching as well and there was just a little bit too much cutesy kid, showing their drawings, going on...
Why proud of billions being spent on a glorified fossil hunt when millions are starving or homeless????
Kids named the spacecraft didn't they? In the US there have been big efforts to get kids involved in this mission, and presumably education is a key part of it's remit.
NASA has different levels of coverage for major events, from those aimed at younger audiences, general audiences and in the case of the "clean feed" (i..e. without the talking heads) directly from Mission Control, to technical audiences who can understand the jargon without translation. You possibly weren't watching the appropriate one.
Biden will soon cut NASA's budget. Doing things like this "Makes America Great Again" and he does not like thats.
SLS will be cancelled by Biden.
SpaceX will be doing most of the SPACE stuff in the future, And unless Biden gives Elon the freedom, he will move operations over the boarder to Mexico. Have you noticed how close to the boarder Boca Chica is?
SLS will be cancelled by Biden.
SpaceX will be doing most of the SPACE stuff in the future, And unless Biden gives Elon the freedom, he will move operations over the boarder to Mexico. Have you noticed how close to the boarder Boca Chica is?
What hasn't been reported is that the fabric used for the parachute was designed, developed and made by Heathcotes, a Devon company. If that fabric had failed, the rover would be 50 feet underground. The parachute slowed the capsule down from 12,000mph....yes, 12,000mph! Heathcotes is a world leader in this and is over 200 years old.
No one celebrates this, why not!
No one celebrates this, why not!
Pathetic comment, your world of scientific technocrats is on the horizon, if you think you will be part of, it except as some sort of menial servant think again. Too much Star Trek.
If you couldn't care less, then why did you read this article in the first place?
"Really could care less, perhaps they can send their next billion to the American Red Cross or a cancer charity..."
Why are you spending your time reading and commenting about it? Shouldn't you be out feeding the homeless or something?
Why are you spending your time reading and commenting about it? Shouldn't you be out feeding the homeless or something?
Quite. These science geeks do my head in. Put someone on a planet 52 years ago and can’t cure cancer. Misguided priorities.
I'm sure you are doing your bit. And if you are great, but why are you scrolling through an article to a comments section to post negativity on a subject you 'could care less about'. Cheer up.
'Really could care less' - that means you do care, at least a little
heyheyhey #wordcrimes
heyheyhey #wordcrimes
And we really can't care about hearing your inane opinions
$2,400,000,000 well spent?
$2,400,000,000 well spent?
I understand the achievement but all the trillions of dollars being spent looking for fossils on Mars when millions across the world are homeless, we have pressing needs for cures for cancer etc does rather sit uncomfortably. Think how many homeless Americans could be housed and fed with a fraction of what is being spent sending probes to Mars etc.
Scientific and engineering progress is never wasted money. Each step brings rewards. Some are not in the short term or obvious. If we could harness a fraction of the resource of the Solar System it would result in an incredible benefit for all humanity. This work is just part of the investment in our long term future.
Electrically powered for the next ten years without a single charging point for 300 million miles.
See it can be done :)
See it can be done :)
$2,400,000,000 well spent?
This was a fantastic world scientific effort and everybody should be proud of the achievement.
My only slight criticism was the NASA coverage. I felt like I was watching an episode of Playschool for much of it.
I understand NASA need to appeal to kids however there are also grown ups watching as well and there was just a little bit too much cutesy kid, showing their drawings, going on...
My only slight criticism was the NASA coverage. I felt like I was watching an episode of Playschool for much of it.
I understand NASA need to appeal to kids however there are also grown ups watching as well and there was just a little bit too much cutesy kid, showing their drawings, going on...
Do you really think that if the money wasn't spent on exploration, that it would have been spent on good deeds? If you do, you live in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Oh top virtue signal ! Well done
Get down off your soapbox - we're NOT interested in hearing you.
Perhaps you could donate the money you spend on your Internet connection to good causes. That would be two good deeds in one.
At least it gives you something to moan about.
Wouldn't it be boring without Nasa ?
Wouldn't it be boring without Nasa ?
Surprised you’re not blaming Columbus. He started this trend of spending vast sums of money for pointless exploration.... I mean look where his explorations got us as a species.
I guess your saying we’d all be better off living in mud huts and marvelling at fire?
I guess your saying we’d all be better off living in mud huts and marvelling at fire?
Americans spent 10x as much on Valentine's Day in 2020:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/285028/us-valentine-s-day-sales/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/285028/us-valentine-s-day-sales/
Yay great achievement and all but I think even we as humans keep dumping our crap everywhere even Mars , discovering.. all for it but god were messy !
| Expect Biden will claim this as his own.
..and when that turns out to NOT be the case, are you going to revisit your misguided assumptions and perhaps reassess where you get your news from, or are you going to forget all about this and move on to the next conspiracy?
..and when that turns out to NOT be the case, are you going to revisit your misguided assumptions and perhaps reassess where you get your news from, or are you going to forget all about this and move on to the next conspiracy?
Err. No. Though he is a science denier, he is a god beleiver who must therefore believe the nonsense in the bible, he won't claim this as his. In fact he has already spoken.
A wee bit of a negative Nelly there! (apologies to all Nelly's)
Spoken by an archetypal trumper.
Maybe Nicola will let us build a Space Centre in her fiefdom
No we are not. We are full members of the ESA. It has nothing to do with the EU
The UK remains a member of the European Space Agency ( ESA ) and continues to participate
It will be hell of a surprise if there is a police telephone box up there!
"Bringing rocks back for further, more sophisticated analysis.."
Hooray, just what Earth needs right now is an alien virus...
Oh well, probably for the best humans can been pretty awful. We certainly don't seem that bothered about wrecking this planet..
Hooray, just what Earth needs right now is an alien virus...
Oh well, probably for the best humans can been pretty awful. We certainly don't seem that bothered about wrecking this planet..
Considering that viruses are closely evolved with their host organism, and that Mars and Earth life would have been separated by billions of years of evolution, ..I wouldn't expect the invasion of the body snatchers any time soon.
That may have happened billions of years ago......
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765
Big deal.
It is a big deal. This is the culmination of decades of preparation, research and engineering, quite a lot of which is likely to benefit us on Earth too (as much of space exploration has). It is a huge achievement to accomplish something like this when there are just so many variables that have to be accounted for.
What hasn't been reported is that the fabric used for the parachute was designed, developed and made by Heathcotes, a Devon company. If that fabric had failed, the rover would be 50 feet underground. The parachute slowed the capsule down from 12,000mph....yes, 12,000mph! Heathcotes is a world leader in this and is over 200 years old.
No one celebrates this, why not!
No one celebrates this, why not!
Whatever the future of humanity is, our exploration of space will be crucial.
Maybe we’ll soon find out the answer to my favourite David Bowie song... is there, or was there, life on Mars?
God I miss Bowie :(
Anyway, I digress.