US spacecraft makes nail-biting approach to Mars (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

(6 month to Mars, now that's fast for a robot, I wouldn't want to make the trip personally though.)

US spacecraft makes nail-biting approach to Mars

Wed Mar 8, 2006 06:08 PM ET

By Dan Whitcomb

PASADENA, California (Reuters) - Jittery NASA scientists waited on Wednesday for the most advanced spacecraft ever sent to another planet to make its risky final approach to Mars, where it is due to return 10 times the data of all previous probes put together. NASA's unmanned Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has traveled some 300 million miles since leaving Earth in August, was due to enter its most delicate phase on Friday. It will try too ease into orbit around Mars, which has defeated two-thirds of all man-made craft sent there.

"We're very excited about the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in a couple of days, but my heart rate is going up for a different reason," said Fuk Li, Mars program manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, referring to the dangerous maneuver.

If the spacecraft succeeds in reaching its planned orbit, which will take another seven months, it could collect a remarkable amount of data in its two-year mission that could help NASA determine where to land rovers and even make early plans for a human landing site on Mars. "What we're really looking for is that sweet spot where we can go down with other instruments and look for evidence of life," said project scientist Richard Zurek.

The vast distance of Mars from Earth and the wild unpredictability of its atmosphere have been fatal to previous missions there. NASA has only a 65 percent success rate in getting space probes to orbit the planet, as opposed to some 80 percent success in landing spacecrafts on its surface. The hard part is getting the robot orbiter -- which is as tall as two-story building and cruising at about 11,000 miles per hour -- to slow down enough to be captured by the planet's gravity.

(more at link below)

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=11470301&src=rss/domesticNews>

[Greeby]

1. I dunno

At least you'd know you're in a place where Shrub can't get at you ever again ;)

[Up2Late]

2. Unless he cut the budget for your space flight, AFTER you launch...

...that would suck.:evilfrown:

[Wilms]

3. Or worse, outsources the mission to Haliburton.

That would vacuum, too.

[The Straight Story]

4. I thought they gave mars port to Dubai? Or was that nasa they gave em?

Who the hell knows.

Good luck on that mars thing though. The only probe I ever launched hurt like hell.

[librechik]

9. that decision was made on a VERY low level

microbial perhaps

[geomon666]

5. What point is there for humans to go to Mars?

Any scientific data can be just as easily obtained by machine without the risk to human life.

[SaveElmer]

6. Absolutely not true...

Machines cannot think for themselves and cannot respond efficiently to unexpected discovery. They are programmed to look for what we think they might be likely to find. If there is something extraordinary or unexpected, another robot has to be sent.

[Up2Late]

7. But what if we find Oil or Gold there?!? How would we keep those...

...blabber-mouth scientists from telling everyone? :sarcasm:

Just kidding. At this point, at our current level of technology, I'd have to agree with you.

Maybe in 20-40 years, when and if we have much fasted and larger inter-planetary spaceships, it might be worth the trip, but with what we have now, no.

Besides, I'm still waiting for my Flying Car!
(Yes. that's the current Issue of Popular Science)

[bananas]

8. Same reason people climb mountains

because it's there.

[librechik]

10. with you there--but had to say goodbye to my sci-fi childhood

to make a rational decision about it. We (liberals) do like to explore!

Have you heard about the astronaut who is traveling the speaking circuit to talk about all the junk and particles orbiting earth which will someday make it impossibly dangerous for current spacecraft (especially with human inhabitiants)to leave earth? Even a paint chip becomes a deadly missile at orbital speeds. We are trapping ourselves earthside forever with our eagerness to control space. Ironic, huh?

And don't get me started about extra-atmosphere radiation exposure...

[Up2Late]

11. kick n/t

:kick:

[Up2Late]

12. Today's the day!

:kick: