11 Amazing Things NASA's Huge Mars Rover Can Do 147
TheNextCorner writes "NASA is getting set to launch its next Mars rover this week. The car-size Curiosity rover is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, slated to blast off Saturday (Nov. 26) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rover will employ 10 different science instruments to help it answer questions once it touches down on the Red Planet in August 2012."
No terraforming? (Score:4, Insightful)
#0 (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll be impressed if it actually manages to land there. Otherwise the things it can do after landing are pointless.
Re:#1 (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:#12 (Score:2, Insightful)
When the most important thing in your life is money you're a sad excuse for a human being.
Re:#12 (Score:2, Insightful)
So money is either "the most important thing" or "not important"?
Re:No terraforming? (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm not saying it is likely- just possible. Get the right extremophile bacteria on mars and the potential is there.
Even if they are not ideally suited- all they need to do is be able to survive and reproduce. Thriving is not required.
There are species that can survive wild temperatures and dry conditions. Species that can survive all sorts of conditions. Bacterial species are not like animal species- genetic information is easily spread.
If one species can survive the temperature- one species can "feed" on mars-etc, etc, - if they're all there in a rare event they could exchange the right genetic information and survive on mars.
Re:If I had say in the matter. . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:On the red planet .... (Score:4, Insightful)
No, curiosity was merely the bait, ignorance killed him.