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  1. #1

    NASA Mars exploration!

    Curiosity will be landing on Mars and beginning its mission to determine habitability of Mars and plan for a manned mission.

    Is anyone else profoundly depressed by how many fucks the world doesn't give about space exploration anymore?

    The amount of ingenuity and planning required to automate a landing sequence for a robot 35 million miles away and even land on a specific geologic formation on a planet we've NEVER SET FOOT ON... how does the world look at this and go "Meh"?!

    While Curiosity is doing this:

    Last edited by Pendulous; 2012-08-06 at 09:00 PM.

  2. #2
    I too find the lack of media interest for the Mars landing appaling.

    Going to be very exciting to follow the landing, I assume the link you posted is the one that will keep us updated.
    "In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance

  3. #3
    Deleted
    I for one enjoy the "silence" so idiots aren't commenting on it, because they're watching sports instead

  4. #4
    The world goes "meh" about a great many things these days and instead focus on sports... Like Syria.

  5. #5
    Banned Orlong's Avatar
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    Sure, landing on mars is a technological marvel, but it is also a colossal waste of money. Who cares what is on Mars. Nothing on Mars affects us and we will get nothing from Mars other than knowledge about a planet that we have no need to go to. There is no need to determine if we can make it habitable either. Who would want to live on a frozen desert where it is -225 degrees. We have so many other things that are much more important that those billions of dollars should be spent on.
    Last edited by Orlong; 2012-08-05 at 02:32 PM.

  6. #6
    Apparently the times on Wikipedia are wrong. The landing is at 1:30 AM EST and 10:30 PST.

  7. #7
    Elemental Lord Sierra85's Avatar
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    sporting events actually sells advertisements and is a way of keeping the every day plebs of society occupied. People need to wake up from the feeding tubed lives they are leading...
    Hi

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laize View Post
    All the world will only concern itself with which country is going to dance around a gymnastics stage the best.

    I find this... kind of abhorrent.
    You could flip that argument around, and say: what's the point of space colonization, if we never take the time to enjoy ourselves, by prancing around in hilarious outfits.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    Sure, landing on mars is a technological marvel, but it is also a colossal waste of money. Who cares what is on Mars. Nothing on Mars affects us and we will get nothing from Mars other than knowledge about a planet that we have no need to go to. We have so many other things that are much more important that those billions of dollars should be spent on.
    It's only a colossal waste of money until its uses become apparent.

    If they find abiogenic oil or get reason to believe there are workable gold deposits on Mars, you can bet public interest in the planet will explode.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    Sure, landing on mars is a technological marvel, but it is also a colossal waste of money. Who cares what is on Mars. Nothing on Mars affects us and we will get nothing from Mars other than knowledge about a planet that we have no need to go to. There is no need to determine if we can make it habitable either. Who would want to live on a frozen desert where it is -225 degrees. We have so many other things that are much more important that those billions of dollars should be spent on.
    While I understand your point, wouldn't it be incredibly boring if there was never any new discoveries because the money could be used elsewhere?


    Quote Originally Posted by Laize View Post
    It's only a colossal waste of money until its uses become apparent.

    If they find abiogenic oil or get reason to believe there are workable gold deposits on Mars, you can bet public interest in the planet will explode.
    Even if they find out that mars has something like a 100x100 square by 100 mile deep ore of the finest gold ever found, we'd have no way to take off from the planet to transport it away. A way could probably be invented, but I'd bet it take the longer part of 50 years or more.
    Last edited by mmoc6223637058; 2012-08-05 at 02:38 PM.

  11. #11
    Herald of the Titans Hinalover's Avatar
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    Where else would you have Shatner and Wheaton narrating the same viral video

    http://go.nasa.gov/N7eV2N - Shatner
    http://go.nasa.gov/N7f8D8 - Wheaton

    Anyways I will probably be in bed by then since I need to get up early for work. But I'll be keeping an eye on the developments. Mars has always fascinated me.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Diesta View Post
    Even if they find out that mars has something like a 100x100 square by 100 mile deep ore of the finest gold ever found, we'd have no way to take off from the planet to transport it away. A way could probably be invented, but I'd bet it take the longer part of 50 years or more.
    Which would lead to massive improvements in... well, most things. Considering that getting things there would require new tech that would then trickle to the public sector, as it did last time we made massive space inventions.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vanyali View Post
    Which would lead to massive improvements in... well, most things. Considering that getting things there would require new tech that would then trickle to the public sector, as it did last time we made massive space inventions.
    One can always dream. Either way, I hope Curiosity lands safely so we get some interesting topics to discuss later on.

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  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Diesta View Post
    One can always dream. Either way, I hope Curiosity lands safely so we get some interesting topics to discuss later on.
    o.O

    So you're saying that if resources are found (say oil, or gold) people will just let it chill there because "it's hard to get to"? Fuck no. You can bet people will start working on it the next day and the scientific breakthroughs WILL move into the public sector fairly quickly, if only because a project that large will need more funding than "just throw money at it".

  16. #16
    Pit Lord aztr0's Avatar
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    Most people aren't interested in something they won't live to experience. Curiosity is landing on Mars, and if Mars is deemed habitable, it'll take X amount of years before people can actually live on it. By that time its the next next next generations that will get to experience it.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Diesta View Post
    While I understand your point, wouldn't it be incredibly boring if there was never any new discoveries because the money could be used elsewhere?




    Even if they find out that mars has something like a 100x100 square by 100 mile deep ore of the finest gold ever found, we'd have no way to take off from the planet to transport it away. A way could probably be invented, but I'd bet it take the longer part of 50 years or more.
    You'd get private interest in it. Billions in investment. We'd get huge advances in engineering that improve safety and ease of interplanetary transport.

    Where there are natural resources, there are dollars willing to be invested.

    Gold costs what now? $1600/oz?

    If we got the cost of going to Mars down to $1 billion then returning a standard space shuttle payload (50000 lbs) of gold would pay for the trip. Increase carrying capacity or reduce cost further and holy balls fuck yes.

  18. #18
    Deleted
    BBC has a doco on this last week and had all but forgotten it lands tomorrow, the landing cycle is just insane-

    Thank for posting OP

    First it was the technology that held us back now its the money.

    This is one of the reason I still have faith in the USA for doing amazing things like this..
    Last edited by mmoc8344756004; 2012-08-05 at 02:50 PM.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vanyali View Post
    o.O

    So you're saying that if resources are found (say oil, or gold) people will just let it chill there because "it's hard to get to"? Fuck no. You can bet people will start working on it the next day and the scientific breakthroughs WILL move into the public sector fairly quickly, if only because a project that large will need more funding than "just throw money at it".
    I didn't say people will give up, but I'm saying if it's not a big amount or incredible quality, I doubt anything will happen.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    Sure, landing on mars is a technological marvel, but it is also a colossal waste of money. Who cares what is on Mars. Nothing on Mars affects us and we will get nothing from Mars other than knowledge about a planet that we have no need to go to. There is no need to determine if we can make it habitable either. Who would want to live on a frozen desert where it is -225 degrees. We have so many other things that are much more important that those billions of dollars should be spent on.
    I and many others care what's on Mars.
    And there are actually already plans in the works of sending humans to Mars.

    So what's Mars good for?
    Having an extra planet helps, especially with the overpopulation and the way we treat ours. This will obviously require terraforming, if you plan to live on the surface that is. One could also build underground tunnels & buildings if the surface proves too hard to terraform.
    "In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance

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