Nasa Mars rover makes detailed crater image

[ßringer]

I think it's great.

You should never stop learning about your surroundings.. reach out as far as possible.

Absolutely.

Seeing this photo gave me a nerdgasm of the highest magnitude. On the one hand I'm really excited that we've finally gotten to Mars, but on the other I can't help but be somewhat disappointed that it took this long to get there - 43 years after the moon landing.

I realize that around the time of Apollo 11 the technology didn't exist to go to Mars yet, but in the ensuing decades the federal government scaled back the space program dramatically and that played a big role in why it took us this long to get there. It's almost as if we went to the moon and then just went : "Well, that's it, nothing up here" and threw in the towel.

Pretty disappointed in Obama's actions against NASA, as well - Space exploration plays a vital role in our understanding of the universe.

Anyway, awesome stuff indeed.

[Xyei]

Absolutely.

Seeing this photo gave me a nerdgasm of the highest magnitude. On the one hand I'm really excited that we've finally gotten to Mars, but on the other I can't help but be somewhat disappointed that it took this long to get there - 43 years after the moon landing.

I realize that around the time of Apollo 11 the technology didn't exist to go to Mars yet, but in the ensuing decades the federal government scaled back the space program dramatically and that played a big role in why it took us this long to get there. It's almost as if we went to the moon and then just went : "Well, that's it, nothing up here" and threw in the towel.

Pretty disappointed in Obama's actions against NASA, as well - Space exploration plays a vital role in our understanding of the universe.

Anyway, awesome stuff indeed.

This isn't the first time we've gotten to Mars though. There have been other successful landings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_rover

[ßringer]

Cool link - I knew there were other landings (by the Americans and Soviets), but I honestly had no idea about the UK's Beagle 2 program. I might check into that later. Still, I think we could've been much further along in the process of understanding mars (and possibly other planets) had the government not scaled back the space program as much as they had.

Imagine what could've possibly been discovered by now had we dedicated the same amount of resources to Mars (and other planets) that we did to the moon landing. Crazy stuff.

[THE REED]

What's really interesting is thinking how many other civilizations have landed on our planet that we don't know about..










Or do we?

[hayZ]

They are doing this to find minerals and such...awesome picture btw.

[Danny Gunz]

They shouldve somehow made the rover so it could put an American flag on Mars too

[Xyei]

Cool link - I knew there were other landings (by the Americans and Soviets), but I honestly had no idea about the UK's Beagle 2 program. I might check into that later. Still, I think we could've been much further along in the process of understanding mars (and possibly other planets) had the government not scaled back the space program as much as they had.

Imagine what could've possibly been discovered by now had we dedicated the same amount of resources to Mars (and other planets) that we did to the moon landing. Crazy stuff.

Yeah we definitely slowed way down after the Moon race. I always look forward to news in space exploration. I almost busted a nut when the Cassini craft launched the Huygens probe to Titan a few years a go. The photos we got back aren't as beautiful as the ones we're seeing from Curiosity but it was still pretty bad ass that we sent a craft to successfully orbit Saturn and then launched a probe to one of the moons.

It really is amazing what we've done but there is so much that we don't know yet. Assuming all goes well, we will finally have some pictures of the flyby of Pluto in 2015 with the New Horizons craft.

[ßringer]

What's really interesting is thinking how many other civilizations have landed on our planet that we don't know about..










Or do we?

I don't buy it.

Not that I doubt the existence of intelligent life somewhere out there in the multiverse - I think only an absolute dullard could look at those numbers and come to the conclusion that we're alone in the universe. However, I doubt said intelligent life's inter-planetary space travel capabilities (if they exist at all) would be so technologically advanced that it would even be feasible to make it here at all. We're talking about light-years here.

I suppose it's possible, I just don't think it's probable.

What's equally interesting to me about the issue of intelligent life existing beyond our celestial boundaries is that a vast majority of those who do believe in it's existence automatically assume that said life forms would have to be far more intelligent and technologically advanced than we are.

Not that that's not possible, either. It's just an assumption I find someewhat quirky.

[Danny Gunz]

As for space exploration when is that commercial space ship supposed to leave? That will be a pretty interesting thing if commercial space travel gets popular

[THE REED]

We're talking about light-years here.

It would only take that long if you travel in a linear mode, which is what we're capable of.

existence automatically assume that said life forms would have to be far more intelligent and technologically advanced than we are.

Some may be, some may not be.