Europe launches mars express/beagle 2

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

'Excellent start' for Mars mission

The good news is that the launch of the Mars Express probe with Beagle 2 lander from Baikonur in Kazakhstan went ahead sucessfully. The slightly less good news is that it will take six months to get to Mars (due to arrive on Christmas day).

So a good day for the European Space Agency and european cooperation. It seems to be an interesting time for european ventures, with the Galileo system going ahead, first European mars launch and a European led expedition to the Congo

[Guest]

Yepp, in december we'll (hopefully) be able to exclaim "The Beagle has Landed"

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

Doh! you were just waiting for such a thread to make that spam post!

[Major Gripe 0]

This is the head honcho Professor Colin Pillinger, a man who works on his farm in his spare time!!

Whatever next after a West Country rocket scientist!!

Ooooh Aaaarh its Ambrosia!!!

[Mister 5 0]

...from Baikonur in Kazakhstan...

Does the ESA make most of its launches from there? Isn't the Cosmodrome in Baikonur also?

[Tex -USMC- 0]

Just make sure you don't make the same mistake we did:

"Dude, check this out- the Mars Lunar Lander's programmed to understand metric measurements... but I did the all the calculations in standard measurements- so over 50 million dollars of high tech equipment didn't just land. It fuckin' buried!!"

[Guest]

Yeah, that was a beuty. I wonder how many NASA engineers comitted suicide out of embarrassment after that?

It's beyond me why they used non-metric calculations at all. For scientific work the metric system is de facto standard in the US too.

[Major Gripe 0]

@ Mister5 the ESA has a launchpad in French Guiana but with the Ariane 5 launch vehicle actually turning into a giant firework,

launching from Baikonur is cheaper (perfect for the bare bones nature of the project!) and with the Soyuz-Fregat launcher more reliable.

BTW look how chuffed he is

bless him and his inpressive sideburns!!

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

It's beyond me why they used non-metric calculations at all. For scientific work the metric system is de facto standard in the US too.  

Its amazing they even got close to mars.

[Tovarish 0]

It's beyond me why they used non-metric calculations at all. For scientific work the metric system is de facto standard in the US too.  

They had Grandpa Simpson on the team.

"The metric system is the tool of the devil,

my car gets 40 rods to the hogs head and thats the way I likes it"

[FSPilot 0]

You can't beat the simpsons episode where homer goes into space.

Love that inanimate carbon rod!

[ralphwiggum 6]

my concern about any space exploration is whether the equipments sent from earth might contaminate the planet. that would give in appropriate result and don't want that.

[Tovarish 0]

my concern about any space exploration is whether the equipments sent from earth might contaminate the planet.    that would give in appropriate result and don't want that.

Yeah I always wondered about the possibility of some bacteria making it there with whatever probe they're sending and we suddenly detect life :P. I remember a Russian probe to Mars being scrapped in the final stages...the thing was supposed to be able to detect the faintest signs of life, and then some genius decided to test it on Earth instead of just running simulations. The probe's findings - there's no life on Earth

[FallenPaladin 0]

The probe's findings - there's no life on Earth  

Shit...

[CoolCarlos2002 2]

The probe's findings - there's no life on Earth  

Shit...  

We live in the matrix thats why

[Die Alive 0]

Later in June, NASA will launch two identical rovers to Mars. The rovers will land in January and explore two very different environments on the Martian surface.

While Beagle-2 is made to study soil, the two rovers are more interested in rocks. They'll be the first machines on Mars with the capability of drilling into solid rock and searching for minerals and sediments that were deposited by water.

NASA Rovers

-=Die Alive=-

[Gollum1 0]

The probe's findings - there's no life on Earth  

Ha ha-Oh man, that´s rich

[Badgerboy 0]

Later in June, NASA will launch two identical rovers to Mars. The rovers will land in January and explore two very different environments on the Martian surface.

While Beagle-2 is made to study soil, the two rovers are more interested in rocks. They'll be the first machines on Mars with the capability of drilling into solid rock and searching for minerals and sediments that were deposited by water.

NASA Rovers

-=Die Alive=-

Those rovers look like Lego Technic toys! Bah, they really need a cosmetic makeover... where are fins?

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

Later in June, NASA will launch two identical rovers to Mars. The rovers will land in January and explore two very different environments on the Martian surface.

While Beagle-2 is made to study soil, the two rovers are more interested in rocks. They'll be the first machines on Mars with the capability of drilling into solid rock and searching for minerals and sediments that were deposited by water.

NASA Rovers

-=Die Alive=-

Those rovers look like Lego Technic toys! Bah, they really need a cosmetic makeover... where are fins?

You can hardly send a caterpillar and beton mixer and pneumatic drill to Mars, can you :P

[Badgerboy 0]

I'm sure we would if we found oil there!