Today is Day 960 of Opportunity’s 90 Day Mission to Mars

[onedomino]

The remarkable robots, Spirit and Opportunity, have weathered three Martian winters and still retain almost all of their original capabilities. The JPL engineers that built these machines have done a fantastic job. Their success underlines the grandeur and determination of human exploration. Humans are many different things: we are a species that uses language; we are a species that makes tools; but perhaps most of all we are a species that explores.

Here’s a recent photo from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, yet another American robot explorer, of Opportunity perched near the edge of Victoria Crater.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

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[-Kt Atis-]

We are waiting to long to colonize other planets. We should have been sent a man to Mars. While watching a Mars documentary on the science channel Nasa stated that they was ready to send a man to Mars sometime around the 1970's or 80's but the public wasn't interested, and so Nasa didn't have the money or support to send anyone to Mars. We are waiting way to long.

 

[dilloduck]

We are waiting to long to colonize other planets. We should have been sent a man to Mars. While watching a Mars documentary on the science channel Nasa stated that they was ready to send a man to Mars sometime around the 1970's or 80's but the public wasn't interested, and so Nasa didn't have the money or support to send anyone to Mars. We are waiting way to long.

Why should we send a man to Mars ?

 

[Mr. P]

Why should we send a man to Mars ?

I think we should set up on the moon, there is lots of green cheese there and the view is Worldly too!:

 

[Nuc]

Why should we send a man to Mars ?

It is obvious that between global warming, the Muslims, nukes and whatever other perils are out there this planet won't last indefinitely. If we want the race to survive we must colonize space. That's a good reason if we care about the survival of the human race. If not then, why bother?

 

[onedomino]

Why should we send a man to Mars ?

Why we should go to Mars.

1. For the science. Mars was once warm and wet. The Spirit rover landed on the shores of an ancient sea. Did life start there on Mars as it once did on Earth? If we drill down to the water on Mars will we find microbes or the fossils of microbes? If so, then life is a general aspect of the Universe. It is absolutely fundamental to find out whether we are alone or not.

2. Hundreds of years from now, who will remember 911, Afghanistan, or Iraq? If we go to Mars we will be remembered. Because, make no mistake about it, humans will eventually go to Mars and it should be us. Why? Because it is within our grasp and exploration is at the core of human nature. If we had spent the same money on going to Mars that we have blown in that rathole Iraq, we could have both a manned base on the Moon and Mars. Humans are explorers, it’s what we do. We could have sat in Spain during the 15th Century and asked, “Why sail west?” When societies, cultures, or nations, are challenged by doing something difficult, then we grow and become more than we were. JFK said that “We choose to go to the Moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” JFK understood that if America took on a difficult task, then it would become even greater.

3. I’m sick of Tang. I want NASA to invent a new drink.

4. Dillo, check the photo above, there’s even a feature of Victoria Crater named after you.

 

[dilloduck]

Why we should go to Mars.

1. For the science. Mars was once warm and wet. The Spirit rover landed on the shores of an ancient sea. Did life start there on Mars as it once did on Earth? If we drill down to the water on Mars will we find microbes or the fossils of microbes? If so, then life is a general aspect of the Universe. It is absolutely fundamental to find out whether we are alone or not.

2. Hundreds of years from now, who will remember 911, Afghanistan, or Iraq? If we go to Mars we will be remembered. Because, make no mistake about it, humans will eventually go to Mars and it should be us. Why? Because it is within our grasp and exploration is at the core of human nature. If we had spent the same money on going to Mars that we have blown in that rathole Iraq, we could have both a manned base on the Moon and Mars. Humans are explorers, it’s what we do. We could have sat in Spain during the 15th Century and asked, “Why sail west?” When societies, cultures, or nations, are challenged by doing something difficult, then we grow and become more than we were. JFK said that “We choose to go to the Moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” JFK understood that if America took on a difficult task, then it would become even greater.

3. I’m sick of Tang. I want NASA to invent a new drink.

4. Dillo, check the photo above, there’s even a feature of Victoria Crater named after you.

I'll be just fine looking at pictures of Duck Bay. The pictures are beautiful but there are a lot of things at the core of human nature that are best left at the core. I think its a big EXPENSIVE ego trip.
Anything wrong with fixing the planet we have? I mean it does have air and water enough to sustain life. Are we going to haul it all to Mars when we go there?

 

[onedomino]

I think its a big EXPENSIVE ego trip. Anything wrong with fixing the planet we have?

And having an ego is wrong? Why? Every generation seeks to find its place in history. What's wrong with continuing the human drive to explore, to find out what's over the next hill? Yeah, it's expensive, but so was the European exploration of the New World. Without the human drive to explore we would just be a bunch of unknown fossils in Olduvai Gorge. Fixing the planet? There is no reason that we must do one and not the other, we can do both.

 

[dilloduck]

And having an ego is wrong? Why? Every generation seeks to find its place in history. What's wrong with continuing the human drive to explore, to find out what's over the next hill? Yeah, it's expensive, but so was the European exploration of the New World. Without the human drive to explore we would just be a bunch of unknown fossils in Olduvai Gorge. Fixing the planet? There is no reason that we must do one and not the other, we can do both.

Having an ego is a sort of a necessary evil I guess. I'm not sure every generation seeks its legacy but rather has a history written for them by the futures. We know more about the moon than we know about our own oceans.
How about we start there?

 

[-Kt Atis-]

Truth is: We humans can do anything. We have the power to colonize the moon or even the waters. We could easily set up a base on the moon by the next 5 to ten years. We are way behind. I don't wanna be in my death bed watching the first ever woman take pots and pans to the moon- NO! I don't wanna see some chinese guy on the moon- NO! I want to see a man on Mars by at least 2021. We are in the age of Space exploration. We have sent a probe to Pluto that reach its destination by 2015. We have came a far far way to be this far frickin' behind!

Also even if we do get to Mars we'd be faced with these 15 problems. Among the questions asked by scientists are the following:

How does the composition of Mars differ from the Earth's and how have the two planets evolved differently?

How does the composition and state of the interior of Mars differ from the Earth's?

Is Mars still geologically active?

What natural resources are available at the surface for future human use?

Was there an early dense atmosphere on Mars?

Did Mars once have oceans?

What changes in climate has Mars experienced over its geologic history and what caused those changes?

How stable is the climate of Mars today?

Did chemical evolution take place on Mars, leading to the formation of prebiotic organic molecules?

Did chemical evolution lead to the formation of replicating molecules, i.e. life?

If life once arose, is it to be found anywhere on Mars today?

How did Phobos and Deimos come to be where they are?

What geology and resources do they possess?

Do anyone has any answers?

 

[dilloduck]

Truth is: We humans can do anything. We have the power to colonize the moon or even the waters. We could easily set up a base on the moon by the next 5 to ten years. We are way behind. I don't wanna be in my death bed watching the first ever woman take pots and pans to the moon- NO! I don't wanna see some chinese guy on the moon- NO! I want to see a man on Mars by at least 2021. We are in the age of Space exploration. We have sent a probe to Pluto that reach its destination by 2015. We have came a far far way to be this far frickin' behind!

Also even if we do get to Mars we'd be faced with these 15 problems. Among the questions asked by scientists are the following:

How does the composition of Mars differ from the Earth's and how have the two planets evolved differently?

How does the composition and state of the interior of Mars differ from the Earth's?

Is Mars still geologically active?

What natural resources are available at the surface for future human use?

Was there an early dense atmosphere on Mars?

Did Mars once have oceans?

What changes in climate has Mars experienced over its geologic history and what caused those changes?

How stable is the climate of Mars today?

Did chemical evolution take place on Mars, leading to the formation of prebiotic organic molecules?

Did chemical evolution lead to the formation of replicating molecules, i.e. life?

If life once arose, is it to be found anywhere on Mars today?

How did Phobos and Deimos come to be where they are?

What geology and resources do they possess?

Do anyone has any answers?

Will our life just be horrible if we never know? Not mine.

 

[-Kt Atis-]

Actually all our lives would be horrible because with these unanswered questions colonization in space would be meaningless. If you think you could just stay here on earth think agian. Personally If we all had to leave our beloved Mother Earth from an astroid threat, I probably would be upset. But face it- sonner or later Earth is just going to waste away and indeed it'll be sad but just like Paris Hilton life gose on.

 

[strollingbones]

Actually all our lives would be horrible because with these unanswered questions colonization in space would be meaningless. If you think you could just stay here on earth think agian. Personally If we all had to leave our beloved Mother Earth from an astroid threat, I probably would be upset. But face it- sonner or later Earth is just going to waste away and indeed it'll be sad but just like Paris Hilton life gose on.

We will not see Men on Mars, or men back on the moon for several decades.
We still do not have the trips to the moon done safely and without incident.

All this talk of the destruction of the planet is true. Man will end when this planet ends. Do not flatter youselves, in the line of time, we are nothing.
In the mass of the univerise we are nothing...get the drift here.

Astroids: I will put my money on an panedemic simliar to the flu of 1917.
The planets seems to have ways of fighting back. Tsunamis, earthquarkes, etc.

Of course, the sun going into a supernova state or nova state would certainly fullfill what the end timers people as the world is taken by fire.