Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Launches

Joost Schuur writes "Two down and one to go. After several delays, due to bad weather, Mars Exploration Rover 'Spirit', the second of three Mars probes destined for the Red Planet this year has launched successfully. An identical probe, named Opportunity by 9 year old Sofi Collis, is set to launch June 25th. Earlier this month, the European Space Agency's Mars Express took off in Baikonur and is already well on its way. All three will rendezvous December/January 2003/4 and include landing modules, when late-comer, Japanese probe Nozomi will catch up after a 5 year trip and several course corrections that sent in in a slingshot maneuver around the Sun to build up enough velocity."

Arrival

[kamukwam]

It seems although the two american rovers launch more than two weeks apart, they arrive within a day. So why didn't they launch them both at the most favorable day? Wouldn't that be cheaper?

Re:Arrival

[TCQuad]

Probably not. The majority of the trip is done just through sheer momentum, which requires no extra fuel. And a launch is such a large, complicated event that you couldn't really make do with less than two full teams (one per rocket), so you wouldn't have any savings in terms of fuel or personnel.

Re:Arrival

[mikerich]

It seems although the two american rovers launch more than two weeks apart, they arrive within a day. So why didn't they launch them both at the most favorable day? Wouldn't that be cheaper?

It would require keeping two teams working simultaneously, separate launches allows one team to work, have people replaced if they go sick, then stand down and help the second launch team.

Also, they launch one rocket near the opening of the Mars launch window, if that one slips (as this one did), it doesn't matter

Umm, dupe?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope this story isnt the second of three [slashdot.org] also...

Make a third story

[Anonymous Coward]

Just submit it sometime this afternoon, with a slightly reworded title, such as "New Mars Launch, with Rovers". The editors will surely add it.... again!

Re:Make a third story

[kamukwam]

Maybe if they send a Volkswagen [imdb.com] it would be worth a newsstory!

It had to come to this....

[AtariAmarok]

First, we sent mice [hyperreal.org] to Mars. I have no idea why, maybe it was to eat the red cheese.

Next, we sent cats [campbellsville.edu] to take care of the mouse problem.

Now, we have to send dogs like Rover to take care of the cats?

What next? Will we have to send gorillas to eat the dogs, and hope that the Martian winter then kills the gorillas? Skinner: "When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death" [snpp.com]

Rather OT

[psavo]

But I just love those names. It bring memories from Iain Banks' books. (he has universe in which spaceships are self-aware and have names in style of 'Just Testing', 'Killing Time').. read more here [spies.com].

Fresh Meat!

[Tackhead]

"Woohoo! More Targitz! We need more targets! Bring it on, Earth pussies!"
- Field Marshall Xenu, First Martian Air Defence Force!

BattleMars

[Chagatai]

Call it a hunch, but I think that these three different space organizations have each sent separate probes so that when they all land on the Red Planet they will engage in the world's first interplanetary match of BattleBots. With those lag times it would be quite interesting. Maybe they'd use Viking as a referee bot. Who knows?