Cutting Edge Tech Slated For Next Mars Rover 143
oxide7 writes "NASA is pushing the boundaries of technology as it readies its next mission to Mars, loading up its 4th Mars Rover with nearly a dozen instruments and deploying an innovative but risky landing procedure. Scientists and engineers were piecing together some of the final components to the new rover, dubbed Curiosity, on Saturday as it ramps up for a high-stakes launch in November."
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What is the point? (Score:3, Insightful)
That's not the argument. The argument is that it's just a negligible cost compared to other costs so if you want to save money you better start elsewhere.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
The money is all spent here on earth. It goes for salaries, parts, labor, design, engineering, fuel. Those who get the money spend their earnings for groceries, gas, house payments, cars, shoes and junk food. Those suppliers do the same with there earnings. They hire lawn care "engineers" , painters, babysitters, oh, and they buy all of the above as well.
Somewhere along the line money gets to the burger flippers who could never understand economics 101, who post on Slashdot that everything they are not interested in is a waste of money.
Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
But that's not the argument, Osgeld.
With a mission to mars and these "cutting edge" technologies, there's at least a chance at something good, something really good coming out of it. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not so much.
Plus, there's the possibility that frontiers give a people a useful goal besides getting rich and famous. Once Americans realized that there wasn't going to be any more "going West", there seemed to set in a sad narcissism that has manifested itself in some very self-destructive behavior, privately and publicly. Having a frontier again might not be such a bad thing. And since it only costs a fraction of what the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are costing, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of human lives that are wasted - flushed down the crapper - for no reason beyond putting cash into the pockets of military contractors, having a Martian frontier, no matter how far off the benefits might be (but there will certainly be benefits) doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
When I think about buying some new tech that might be useful to me, sometimes it helps to put its expense into perspective. And that perspective is often obtained through comparison with other things I spend money on. Like a new iPad is about the same cost as 20 bottles of Bombay gin. Or a Kurzweil PC3LE7 76 Key Semi weighted action Performance Controller & Workstation Keyboard is about the same cost as a trip to Vegas (rehab and course of penicillin not included).
And in the future, I'd prefer if you didn't start a comment with "I love the argument..." when you clearly don't love the argument at all. It's not even good sarcasm, it just makes you sound small. Of course, you can do what you like, but I'm just putting you on notice that this is your first strike.