Exploration Mars or why humans want another life form
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Exploration Mars or why humans want another life form
2write Wed Aug 01, 2012 5:12 am
Curiosity Rover on Track for Monday Landing
Curiosity, the car-size, one-ton rover is bound for arrival on Mars at 1:31 a.m., EDT on Monday, Aug. 6.
The landing will mark the beginning of a two-year prime mission to investigate one of the most intriguing places on Mars.
Entry, Descent and Landing Timeline Activated
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:25:42 AM GMT+0530
The Mars Science Laboratory continues its final preparations for entry, descent and landing this upcoming weekend. Yesterday, the flight team completed and confirmed a memory test on the software for the mechanical assembly that controls MSL's descent motor. They also configured the spacecraft for its transition to entry, descent and landing approach mode, and they enabled the spacecraft's hardware pyrotechnic devices. MSL is now under the control of the autonomous entry, descent and landing timeline flight software. The flight team continues to monitor Curiosity's onboard systems and flight trajectory. The spacecraft and ground systems remain in good health, with no significant issues currently being worked.
* * * *
Why is it not enough for us to know that the Milky Way has no life comparable to human beings? What stops us from aiming at exploring planets known to be close to Earth's constitution? Why is it that we only want to land on planets within our Solar System - what will it prove? What have we learnt from our explorations of our Solar system so far - that something can be mined in future or that there is frozen water elsewhere - WTF???
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Curiosity, the car-size, one-ton rover is bound for arrival on Mars at 1:31 a.m., EDT on Monday, Aug. 6.
The landing will mark the beginning of a two-year prime mission to investigate one of the most intriguing places on Mars.
Entry, Descent and Landing Timeline Activated
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:25:42 AM GMT+0530
The Mars Science Laboratory continues its final preparations for entry, descent and landing this upcoming weekend. Yesterday, the flight team completed and confirmed a memory test on the software for the mechanical assembly that controls MSL's descent motor. They also configured the spacecraft for its transition to entry, descent and landing approach mode, and they enabled the spacecraft's hardware pyrotechnic devices. MSL is now under the control of the autonomous entry, descent and landing timeline flight software. The flight team continues to monitor Curiosity's onboard systems and flight trajectory. The spacecraft and ground systems remain in good health, with no significant issues currently being worked.
* * * *
Why is it not enough for us to know that the Milky Way has no life comparable to human beings? What stops us from aiming at exploring planets known to be close to Earth's constitution? Why is it that we only want to land on planets within our Solar System - what will it prove? What have we learnt from our explorations of our Solar system so far - that something can be mined in future or that there is frozen water elsewhere - WTF???
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2write- Admin
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Yes, I too say WTF??
Plexim Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:57 pm
The billions that are spent on mars could be used for other more worthy causes on our own planet such as tackling extreme poverty.
What do they really hope to discover with their costly little machine, 'Curiosity'?
Here's what most people vaguely interested in astronomy or cosmology know about Mars:
It is a barren desert across it's entire surface, a cold wasteland with nothing like life there probably. It is now a dead planet if it ever had life.
The proposed manned mission to mars in the next few decades possibly is only valuable for it's own sake - i.e. getting a crew there, take some samples, maybe stay awhile and get home.This is a huge technological challenge and would be success in itself for the feat of getting to another planet in our solar system and returning safely. But I doubt they'll find anything useful or surprising.
However, 'there are always possibilities', Spock said so here is a more optimistic view in an excerpt from a fictional short story I wrote about life in 2051......
"......Around this time the 21st century space race began. In June 2032 the Mars Explorer 7 Probe sent back data indicating vast subterranean water systems and aquifers underneath the planet's south pole and the tantalising possibility of marine life. This was global news and soon the world's space agencies were spurred into action. The race in the previous century was to put a man on the moon - now the race was to send a manned mission to Mars and establish a base where a team could live and work for up to six months. After initial intense 'competing', the four agencies did have to cooperate due to escalating funding problems and technological difficulties. The effort required for this first International Mission to Mars was just too big for any one of them even NASA. So it was, that in August, 2041 the first mission in the Joint Ulysses Program, an international body which now oversaw IMM’s, launched from Florida and a crew of eight astronauts representing the four space agencies, including three women and five scientists set off for the red planet which they reached some 7 months later aboard Ulysses 1. It was the UN flag that was planted in the arid Martian soil that first day. Progress in the last decade has been good and they have discovered very simple life - a great breakthrough - but now wonder what, if anything else, lies in the depths - perhaps something more complex if they're lucky.... "
What do they really hope to discover with their costly little machine, 'Curiosity'?
Here's what most people vaguely interested in astronomy or cosmology know about Mars:
It is a barren desert across it's entire surface, a cold wasteland with nothing like life there probably. It is now a dead planet if it ever had life.
The proposed manned mission to mars in the next few decades possibly is only valuable for it's own sake - i.e. getting a crew there, take some samples, maybe stay awhile and get home.This is a huge technological challenge and would be success in itself for the feat of getting to another planet in our solar system and returning safely. But I doubt they'll find anything useful or surprising.
However, 'there are always possibilities', Spock said so here is a more optimistic view in an excerpt from a fictional short story I wrote about life in 2051......
"......Around this time the 21st century space race began. In June 2032 the Mars Explorer 7 Probe sent back data indicating vast subterranean water systems and aquifers underneath the planet's south pole and the tantalising possibility of marine life. This was global news and soon the world's space agencies were spurred into action. The race in the previous century was to put a man on the moon - now the race was to send a manned mission to Mars and establish a base where a team could live and work for up to six months. After initial intense 'competing', the four agencies did have to cooperate due to escalating funding problems and technological difficulties. The effort required for this first International Mission to Mars was just too big for any one of them even NASA. So it was, that in August, 2041 the first mission in the Joint Ulysses Program, an international body which now oversaw IMM’s, launched from Florida and a crew of eight astronauts representing the four space agencies, including three women and five scientists set off for the red planet which they reached some 7 months later aboard Ulysses 1. It was the UN flag that was planted in the arid Martian soil that first day. Progress in the last decade has been good and they have discovered very simple life - a great breakthrough - but now wonder what, if anything else, lies in the depths - perhaps something more complex if they're lucky.... "
Plexim- Posts : 14
Join date : 2012-07-31
Age : 50
Location : Cork City, IRELAND -
What simple life was found on Mars?
Therese Waneck Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:55 pm
What form of simple life was found on Mars? I find the explorations exciting.
Therese Waneck- Posts : 3
Join date : 2013-08-18
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