# Mankind's priorities



## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

On thing the really pissed me off lately is the lack of coverage for the mars rover (curiosity) instead we are being bombarded by the fecking Olympics on every channel! Now I'm not saying the Olympics aren't important but I am saying the fact that mankind has successfully landed on a planet 350 MILLION miles away is a damn site more important than watching someone dressed as the queen jumping out of a helicopter with daniel craig or watching some run slightly faster than the other person etc.

The mars rover travelled 350 MILLION miles in just 9 months!!!! it also landed within its target landing zone of just over a kilometre, its already sending back HD photos and its got a 2 year nuclear battery!

You may be thinking so what why bother? Curiosity is searching for several things including water, bacteria (other lifeforms), valuable minerals (stronger metals, energy sources etc) Its also looking to see the practicalities of sending people! the opportunities are endless!!

Here are some great links

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/rover/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19244888

Rant over!


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## BrianR (Oct 12, 2011)

There should definately be more news about this subject - unbelievable feat of engineering to achieve what they have achieved - maybe its just all dry riverbeds and rocks at the moment though? guess we wont know unless they tell us!!

Loved every minute of the olympics from opening to closing but it is now over and so couldnt believe that the news was still full of it today. Hopefully tomorow will be different.


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## CraigW (Mar 19, 2009)

There is no doubt that its a fantastic accomplishment and the pictures being sent back are epic. However its now over 40 years since man first stepped on the moon. I would have been hoping by now that easyjet would have started running daily commutes to the red planet. Although I'm sure that taxes would be a fucking killer and the baggage allowance would be shit 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

CraigW said:


> I would have been hoping by now that easyjet would have started running daily commutes to the red planet.


They are. The flight lands at Charles De Gaulle airport, then it's a coach transfer the rest of the way.


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

I find it amazing that they have managed to be able to cordinate and build this piece of technology, fly it across the universe and remotely land it on mars, whilst simultaneously beaming back amazing images of the marsian landscape and it's orbiting moons.....Meanwhile, beack here on Earth Audi struggle to make a coil pack for the spark plugs that does'nt need replacing every thirty fucking miles!


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## CWM3 (Mar 4, 2012)

oceans7 said:


> I find it amazing that they have managed to be able to cordinate and build this piece of technology, fly it across the universe and remotely land it on mars, whilst simultaneously beaming back amazing images of the marsian landscape and it's orbiting moons.....Meanwhile, beack here on Earth Audi struggle to make a coil pack for the spark plugs that does'nt need replacing every thirty fucking miles!


+1 .............. add to that bonnet release handles


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

It's not on Mars it's in a field just outside Norwich and we have all been suckered in :wink:


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## Gazzer (Jun 12, 2010)

jamman said:


> It's not on Mars it's in a field just outside Norwich and we have all been suckered in :wink:


got to be honest being called the red planet.........some of those pics looked remarkably well earthish to me :?


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## CWM3 (Mar 4, 2012)

Hmmm.... looks like we are gonna start another 'did they really land a man on the moon?' debate


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## BrianR (Oct 12, 2011)

CWM3 said:


> Hmmm.... looks like we are gonna start another 'did they really land a man on the moon?' debate


Did they really land this machine where they said the did? Or was it a con like the moon landing? You decide :lol:


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## SteviedTT (Apr 10, 2009)

They really landed on Mars and the only reason it was possible was the technology given to them by the colony of aliens living in area 51, who were promised they could go home if they did.


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

SteviedTT said:


> They really landed on Mars and the only reason it was possible was the technology given to them by the colony of aliens living in area 51, who were promised they could go home if they did.


 :lol:


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## antcole (Apr 4, 2009)

jossytt said:


> On thing the really pissed me off lately is the lack of coverage for the mars rover (curiosity) instead we are being bombarded by the fecking Olympics on every channel! Now I'm not saying the Olympics aren't important but I am saying the fact that mankind has successfully landed on a planet 350 MILLION miles away is a damn site more important than watching someone dressed as the queen jumping out of a helicopter with daniel craig or watching some run slightly faster than the other person etc.
> 
> The mars rover travelled 350 MILLION miles in just 9 months!!!! it also landed within its target landing zone of just over a kilometre, its already sending back HD photos and its got a 2 year nuclear battery!
> 
> ...


You might like this link too.... 

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2012/08/06/cur ... d-of-mars/

Made me giggle anyway....


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

jossytt said:


> The mars rover travelled 350 MILLION miles in just 9 months!!!! it also landed within its target landing zone of just over a kilometre, its already sending back HD photos and its got a 2 year nuclear battery!
> 
> You may be thinking so what why bother? Curiosity is searching for several things including water, bacteria (other lifeforms), valuable minerals (stronger metals, energy sources etc) Its also looking to see the practicalities of sending people! the opportunities are endless!!


2 Years is just the original mission time. The power source should be good for over 10, so expect the project to be extended like the other rovers were 

A problem MSL faces with the media is simply a media that has no patience. And NASA itself faces a funding problem. Its budget is woeful compared to military spending, and with a growing number of American politicians being religious whack-jobs who think Noah's Ark is a reasonable historical account and wanting creationist bullshit taught in schools as "science", they're not exactly champing at the bit to have real science funded.

The Olympics isn't the problem. A media that is rubbish at reporting science stories is the problem.


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

jossytt said:


> On thing the really pissed me off lately is the lack of coverage for the mars rover (curiosity) instead we are being bombarded by the fecking Olympics on every channel! Now I'm not saying the Olympics aren't important but I am saying the fact that mankind has successfully landed on a planet 350 MILLION miles away is a damn site more important than watching someone dressed as the queen jumping out of a helicopter with daniel craig or watching some run slightly faster than the other person etc.
> 
> The mars rover travelled 350 MILLION miles in just 9 months!!!! it also landed within its target landing zone of just over a kilometre, its already sending back HD photos and its got a 2 year nuclear battery!
> 
> ...


Keep ranting Joss! I fully agree. I for one didn't watch any of that Olympic doodah but missed extensive coverage of the Mars mission


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## Gforce (May 10, 2011)

Agreed they should defiantly be more coverage of this!

also don't forget voyager1 is just about to leave our solar system that thing has been going since 1977!!!


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

Gforce said:


> Agreed they should defiantly be more coverage of this!
> 
> also don't forget voyager1 is just about to leave our solar system that thing has been going since 1977!!!


Is it that long  Time flies when you're not watching!


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## Gforce (May 10, 2011)

It certainly dose mate it's traveled 8.7billion miles in that time and is traveling at aprox 38000mph 
(I so want to ride it lol)


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## newt (May 12, 2002)

An amazing achievement, this must have been the most complex mission yet, can't imagine what the insurance premium was for failure. The graphic simulation of how it worked just seemed impossible, but it did work. 10 out of 10 NASA.


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## TTQ2K2 (Jun 25, 2009)

As a retired space launch guy, I for one will say you're comments are well appreciated. It was/is fu#king amazing.

cheers.


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

TTQ2K2 said:


> As a retired space launch guy, I for one will say you're comments are well appreciated. It was/is fu#king amazing.
> 
> cheers.


Wat did u do?? Sounds interesting


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## pas_55 (May 9, 2002)

Looks like a nice day on Mars today


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## TTQ2K2 (Jun 25, 2009)

jossytt said:


> TTQ2K2 said:
> 
> 
> > As a retired space launch guy, I for one will say you're comments are well appreciated. It was/is fu#king amazing.
> ...


It was. Launch crew at both west coast (Vandenberg) and east coast (Cape Canaveral). One of the geeks manning a console from 95-98 and again 2003-2005. But, really helps to have a litte OCD as ops are extremely repetitive and sequential. Never, ever, deviate from the check list. :wink: 
cheers.


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

WOW! That sounds mega!
How long did you work there?


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## TTQ2K2 (Jun 25, 2009)

Yodah said:


> How long did you work there?


...95-98 and again 2003-2005, as noted above. :wink:

cheers


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## Gazzer (Jun 12, 2010)

pas_55 said:


> Looks like a nice day on Mars today


thats hale in cornwall ya wally, look closely and you can see the ciggie buts in the sand


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## jdn (Aug 26, 2002)

I greatly admire the engineering involved and the astronomical amount of planning it required...

But...

Is it money well spent when 1 billion people on this planet live in absolute poverty surviving on less than 1 dollar a day? :?

How many children could you feed, cloth and educate for the amount this cost?

Not here to stir up a storm - but it does make me wonder.


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

jdn said:


> I greatly admire the engineering involved and the astronomical amount of planning it required...
> 
> But...
> 
> ...


but dont you agree that projects like this shape our future, what if they find a (for example) a new energy source or discover they can build a base to further explore the universe or that mars was once full of life or contains life of some sort?

Poverty is just an over exaggeration the sooner we stop paying people £1,000,000PA+ for filling in forms or making "important" decisions sat in some office somewhere the sooner we will all be better off.


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

Gazzer said:


> pas_55 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like a nice day on Mars today
> ...


cornwall's not that sunny :lol:


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## TTQ2K2 (Jun 25, 2009)

jdn said:


> I greatly admire the engineering involved and the astronomical amount of planning it required...
> 
> But...
> 
> ...


No storm. It'd be nice if we (the collective we) could take care of the world, but...we are only human and that means we're a bit selfish too so we don't feed, cloth, and educate the children of the world.

If we did go the noble route, we wouldn't be spending our money on space....the olympics. :wink: But, we think those things are important too.


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

TTQ2K2 said:


> Yodah said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Basscube (Jan 2, 2012)

Defo sounds like an interesting job.

With great power comes great responsibility :lol:


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## antcole (Apr 4, 2009)

Just found these new photos of the Martian landscape..... seems we have arrived too late....

....but whats this...?










Ahhh.... bloody typical....!!










Next itll be a pound shop.... or whatever the currency is up there.... :?


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## jossytt (Jan 9, 2012)

antcole said:


> Just found these new photos of the Martian landscape..... seems we have arrived too late....
> 
> ....but whats this...?
> 
> ...


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## antcole (Apr 4, 2009)

jossytt said:


> what u cant see is the rover taking the picture sat in the new mars "costa coffee"


 :lol: :lol:

Hells teeth.... corporate invasion strikes again....


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Gforce (May 10, 2011)

Basscube said:


> Defo sounds like an interesting job.
> 
> With great power comes great responsibility :lol:


Push the red button go on you know you want to muahahaha


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

I got a Lidl across the road. Does that mean I'm on Mars? :roll:


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Does the area around you look like a wasteland?


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

Errrr, possibly


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Sir, I put it to you tha tyou are indeed on Mars. Or Hull.


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

In Hull I'm not [smiley=book2.gif] 
[shakes head]


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Mars it is then! :lol:


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## Yodah (Sep 26, 2005)

ScoobyTT said:


> Mars it is then! :lol:


Where's my oxygen mask [looks around] :roll:


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