Phx Postcards from mars!!!

The mars rover has finally landed!!!!!

here is the article with pics......



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20040104/ap_on_sc/mars_rover_46

 

Well, it's nice to see that mars is still the rocky, barren wasteland that it was last time.

 

shiny! now they need to send some people over there...

 

This is pointless. There is no point in spending all this money to see red rocks and to see if the planet was once hospitable. It's not going to make us any smarter. It's not going to make us any more peaceful as a species. It's not going to accomplish anything other then sending back pretty pictures of a landscape full of scattered rocks. Woohoo.

 

Did Columbus' voyage have a point? Lewis and Clark? We wouldn't be here today without the spirit of discovery. Mars is just the next step in that journey.

And it's not just about territory. Every year new products and technologies are introduced because of the problems solved, the difficulties overcome by the space program.

 

Are you sure it's MARS? It looks like Arizona. Conspiracy? Hmmmm.

 

Actually Columbus and Lewis & Clark's journeys really didn't have a point. I mean we were going to find all this land sooner or later. They didn't have to go on their journeys to find the land and crap.

And going to Mars is the biggest waste of money in the world. My friend Dan is already talking about how we're going to be living there one day because the world is over populated. Now that's just BS. Did you know that the entire world population of humans can fit inside the city limits of New Orleans? And that the entire world population, everything can fit inside the state of Delaware? There's a bunch of small towns across the world that could use more people. We should think about our planet before we spend all this money to go to Mars.

I wonder how many better things there are to spend this money on anyway. You could spend it to buy food for starving people in 3rd world countries. You could use it to try and fix some of our environmental problems. You could use it to try and find a cure for diseases. There is a whole crapload of problems we could spend this money before we start thinking about sending a machine to Mars. Seriously, compared with everything on the list of crap we need to do as humans, sending a machine to Mars should be pretty far down on the list. Lives could be saved with that money. But noooooooooooooooooo, we need to see the Mars landscape of red sand and rocks.

 

Eventually someone has to go to look for land if you're going to find it. You can't just assume it would happen eventually. Someone's gotta do the actual exploration. This is the same type of thing, just to a different frontier.

 

I agree. See John I told you other people feel the same way as I do.
For the money, we spend money on starving people in 3rd worlds, we spend money to find cures for diaeses, we spend money to try and fix the stuff, we spend a crapload on stuff that you say needs to be at the top.

 

Well Dan, wouldn't it be more helpful if all that stuff had more money? There would be less starvation. There would be less diseases.

 

I completely agree with the exploration of space and heavenly bodies, not to mention the exploration for purposes of colonization. The best way to start is colonization and creation of oceanic style habitats in the depths of our seas.
Why spend money on this and not disease cure and starvation you ask? (I fully believe in spending oodles of money on diesease research though)
My anwser to that is this: In the event of a comet three times the size of mount everest traveling at speeds in excess of 100,000 mph smashing into our planet. What are the chances that those mouths we fed will survive at all? What are the chances that any of us will survive? (Pretty good knowing most of the fanforce memebers). However not everyone is like us! Not everyone is prepaired for a post-apocaliptic extinction level event like that. If we live on multiple planets the chances of us all being wiped out is limited to our sun going red dwarf! Horray for survival!

 

maybe you could fit the whole population of the US in a space the size of New Orleans. but consider how much basic stuff is required to make any living space both clean and hospitable, like clean water and restroom facilities. that means more space is required. once you get past that, which would essentially be like living in a habitrail, then the amount of luxury that each person wants and has the freedom to pursue means more space is needed for each of them.
Even with all the problems that we live with on Earth, like starvation and disease, that we could spend the money on, it doesn't guarantee that we'll have the MEANS to solve it. the technology to produce a way to solve all of our earthly dilemmas could come from the pursuit of living beyond the bounds of this planet, something that wouldn't happen if we stopped thinking outside the planet.
Exploring Mars, building a place to live on the moon, studying planets beyond ours could clue us in to ways of saving this planet and everything living on it. Besides, sooner or later the human race has to leave this world behind. The sun will someday go out, and if we're not someplace else when it does then everything that people have accomplished will go with it. it would be like we never existed.
Besides, I'm certain there are other areas in the government's spending that could stand some scrutiny for reallocation. Just lemme get ahold of the federal budget, and gimme the power to make a few changes and I can find more money for feeding and healing people.
And for that matter, why should it just be the government that spends money on feeding the starving or healing the sick? It should be something that any entity with significant money and resources should strive to accomplish. I'm looking at you, private sector. Yes big business spends a lot on medicine and agriculture, but it could spend more, just like the government.

There's a lot of things that COULD be done. But getting them done is not quite the same.

 

Lord Reaper, tell me, what does sending a robot up to mars have anything to do with a Comet hitting our planet?

i agree, if a comet is coming and we know about, spend all the money you want on stopping the big rock. But going and spending all that money to go to Mars, it's a little stupid. It's the biggest waste of money ever.

 

The scientific community is pretty certain that there was water and to a certain degree, life, on Mars at one point. What better way to learn how to conserve life and resources here on Earth than to study a planet that's undergone total annihilation of it's natural resources.

 

That would be pretty nice if that's why they were going to send a robot up there. But that robot is not there to find out about why there is no more life on the planet but instead to get samples of the dirt and rocks and crap.

George Bush has said that he wants to send someone up to Mars in the next ten years. Not to find out about the life that used to be on that planet but so we can colonize Mars sooner rather then later. Colonizing Mars is the stupidest idea ever. We still have plenty of resources down here. Once we can make Solar Energy more efficient we won't need to colonize Mars for another 1,000 years.

 

"But that robot is not there to find out about why there is no more life on the planet but instead to get samples of the dirt and rocks and crap."

Actually, you're quite misinformed.

January 11, 2004 - NASA engineers staged a "dress rehearsal" on Sunday for the rover Spirit's first drive on Mars and scientists snapped the most detailed images yet of the rocky landscape where the robotic explorer likely will begin its search for signs of water.

[...]

It will be their first chance to use the spectrometer's full palette of 14 colors, including spectra beyond the range of the human eye, said NASA science manager John Callas.

The new spectrometer should give scientists enough information to identify types of rocks and their mineral classifications, as well as likely sources of clues to whether Mars once was wet enough to support life, Callas said.

Source Reuters Jan. 11th, 2004

But currently all eyes are on Mars, where evidence of river deltas and water mark the first significant clues that life could have been supported there.

On Saturday night, NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars after a seven-month journey. Over the next three months, the robotic probe will scour the rocks and soil of Mars looking for evidence that water existed in the so-called Gusev Crater.

Source - Cape Cod Times Jan. 7th, 2004

And another article devoted entirely to the search for life on Mars from Jan. 5th, 2004.

As you can see one of the main missions of the landers is to search for traces of water, which would give us clues as to the likelihood of life at some point in the history of Mars. So yes, we are looking for life.

"We still have plenty of resources down here."

Those ambiguous 'resources' you mention are not infinite, do you know how long they will last? Eventually all of our 'resources' will be gone, used up. Let me provide you with some quick reading material on asteroid mining (from space.com).

Are you aware that one of the major contributors in the field of solar/photovoltaic technology is the space program? The two most recent rovers use an array of photovoltaic panels to recharge onboard batteries. (check the feature here. You'll have to skip forward a bit.) The International Space Station and the Hubble telescope use them, and there is talk of building solar-power satellites. So the Mars missions you are protesting so vehemently are helping to advance solar technology.

"George Bush has said that he wants to send someone up to Mars in the next ten years. Not to find out about the life that used to be on that planet but so we can colonize Mars sooner rather then later."

The President won't even outline his plan for future space missions until later this week and as of yet I have not heard anyone from the government even talking about colonization. Please provide references for your information before you start making assumptions.

In closing, here are 9 reasons we should have a strong space program:

Prevention of environmental disaster: Remote sensing satellites allow us to monitor the ozone hole, global warming, air, water and ocean pollution, the effect of oil spills on the melting of the ice caps, the loss of rain forests and other environmental threats to human survival. These systems can help us trace our recovery from the worst environmental threats and improve our quality of life.

Creating a global network for modern communications, entertainment and networking: Advanced satellites provide global connectivity by means of the telephone, fax, the Internet, radio and television extend far beyond the reach of fiber

 

I didn't say anything about our space program. I'm talking about our pretty pics of Mars. Give me one good reason on why we should have sent that robot up THIS time. There is no reason. All that stuff you said, great, wow. But they have nothing to do with this mission.

 

The Mars Mission is a part of the Space program. I suggest you start offering some sources and support here, AJ, your argument seems pretty poor next to that presented by Mod Squad Leader.

 

funny to see someone who posts on a star wars message board, and is against space exploration and colonization...

 

Just cause I like star wars movies doesn't mean I'm supposed to support space exploration sideshow. I'm not like you guys on the boards that are all obsessed with Star Wars. I've seen each movie probably only twice each.

And also Emprshandmick, is it my fault that I have a life and don't really care about an argument I'm having with some guy online? I could really care less about the space program and all that crap. I'm just bored.

 

Well, if you get involved in a debate the proper way to go about it is to provide data and site your sources. Otherwise you accomplish nothing aside from statement of vague opinions with no support. If you have no desire to go about a debate properly then don't enter into one in the first place

 

Just cause I like star wars movies doesn't mean I'm supposed to support space exploration sideshow. I'm not like you guys on the boards that are all obsessed with Star Wars.
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don't defensive, just josh'n ya...