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Space.com is reporting that the Beagle lander, originally a part of the ESA Mars Express mission, may not be completed in time, and Mars Express will launch without it. This comes just on the heels of speculation that the 2003 MER rovers will be delayed until 2008. This is all bad news for Mars exploration. I had particularly high hopes that the Beagle would give us some conclusive results about present microbial life on Mars.
"I'm not much of a 'hands-on' evil scientist."--Dr. Evil, "Goldmember"
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Yep, I've seen that - here's a story on BBC News about it. I haven't seen any specifics about why they are behind, but I gather that there have been funding problems and perhaps they've been holding up or distracting the team.
Editor of [url=http://www.newmars.com]New Mars[/url]
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I don't think the Beagle will be cancelled. It might come close, but I don't think so.
But the two NASA rovers, on the other hand... let's just not get our hopes up until we're seeing streaming images.
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
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The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
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GOOD GRIEF !!!!!!!
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
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I have to go with Josh on Beagle. I think somehow the team will get everything done in time for flight. As for the NASA rovers, I think the project would be better off tranferred to a few teams from "Battle Bots" and "Junkyard Wars."
t
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Monday's explosion of a Soyuz rocket may endanger the launch of Mars Express. Although other Soyuz payloads (like this month's Soyuz TMA-1) will not miss their launch dates, a review of the accident could hold some nasty surprises for Mars Express's planned booster.
"I'm not much of a 'hands-on' evil scientist."--Dr. Evil, "Goldmember"
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RATS !!!!!!
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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PHEW !!!
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
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Guess I was right for a change... :;):
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
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The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
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Mars Express Probe Has Power Problem
Europe?s Mars Express satellite has lost 30 percent of its power-generating ability and likely will be forced to restrict its instruments? use once it begins operations in Mars orbit in late December, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced July 2.
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
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The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
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Mars Express Probe Has Power Problem
Europe?s Mars Express satellite has lost 30 percent of its power-generating ability and likely will be forced to restrict its instruments? use once it begins operations in Mars orbit in late December, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced July 2.
Damn.
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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Yeah, a shame, really. They seem optimistic, though. And really, we've had incredible luck with many probes that have failed half-way on us before. Basically, if we can get a signal, we're pretty much okay. That just seems how things tend to pan out, at least.
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
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The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
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