The Poll is moot. Until we can completely master the various aspects of non-manned missions, it is unsafe to send men and women there... period. A manned mission at some point down the road I support, but not until the technology is mature enough to permit it.
Hint: we're not going to have a cost effective mission with chemical rockets and traditional structural technologies. We're a LONG way from a manned mission being reasonable. Maybe 20 years or more. Don't buy into Bush's crap. His comments are no more than an election year Grand Standing ploy.
Had the mission failed from the get-go, he'd have said *nothing* of it.
More unmanned missions first, then manned. And Bush will be long gone regardless.
Good grief, Al Gore and the Gubernator in the room @ JPL. Mars explorers should be like Mac users: unpopular while relishing their superior technology.
Well, it stopped rolling (they stopped thinking it was rolling), and it's on a side pedal. They still have to open it up and deploy the Solar Panels yet this afternoon to charge batteries.
Looking at the first pictures from opportunity. Wow.
Looks much more smooth than spirits site.
Much cooler too. There were lots of little rocks at the Spirit site, but it was mostly level. Opportunity seems to have landed right next to a slight incline. The rock formation right in front of Opportunity is interesting in the way it's crusted.
I missed the EDL this time around, but how awesome that we have another successful landing and deployment so far. Another step towards the afore-mentioned mastery I spoke of.
Comments
And I'm not being indecisive.
Seriously though, it should be both. The unmanned exploration should ramp up to a manned visit. No?
Asa (from Mozilla fame) is giving the landing the same treatment as a Stevenote (by-the-minute blog updates)
Screed
Hint: we're not going to have a cost effective mission with chemical rockets and traditional structural technologies. We're a LONG way from a manned mission being reasonable. Maybe 20 years or more. Don't buy into Bush's crap. His comments are no more than an election year Grand Standing ploy.
Had the mission failed from the get-go, he'd have said *nothing* of it.
More unmanned missions first, then manned. And Bush will be long gone regardless.
airbag inflation confirmed
retros fired
tones rule!
Opportunity is down and alive!
Okay OT, sorry.
Any press coverage is good coverage, I suppose...
Screed
Looks like we got 2 for 2!
Go Marvin, Go Daffy!
And it sounds like Spirit may be on the mend.
The poll could have more to it....I'm abstaining.
looks like a hillside outcropping of tile in one direction.
very alien
Looks much more smooth than spirits site.
Originally posted by Anders
Looking at the first pictures from opportunity. Wow.
Looks much more smooth than spirits site.
Much cooler too. There were lots of little rocks at the Spirit site, but it was mostly level. Opportunity seems to have landed right next to a slight incline. The rock formation right in front of Opportunity is interesting in the way it's crusted.
What really got my attention was what happened at JPL last night, I can't believe it didn't make the headlines...check it out!!
The slabby rock formation directly ahead of Opportunity