Mars mission: Kapla !

[Silver Moon]

Whereas, in the previous mission, we came in pieces...

Yeah, our defensive capabilities must be improving. The Martians shot down the previous two, but this one managed to get past their sentries.

 

[Gez]

Beagle 2 landed in one piece, but decided to go on vacations... So correct landing is not the only trial.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Yeah, our defensive capabilities must be improving. The Martians shot down the previous two, but this one managed to get past their sentries.

Funny, that's pretty much what I've been thinking too. It amazes me how hard a time we've been having getting probes to Mars. Coincidence?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Funny, that's pretty much what I've been thinking too. It amazes me how hard a time we've been having getting probes to Mars. Coincidence?

No such THING as coincidence! Its obviously a conspiracy by the government! We're not going to Mars! We're ACTUALLY sending probes to New Kentucky!

 

[Umbran]

It amazes me how hard a time we've been having getting probes to Mars.

Right. As if covering interplanetary distances with our level of technology is easy. Child's play, in fact!

If it amazes you, try it yourself some day, then come back and talk about being amazed that they manage to get a thing out of the atmosphere at all

 

[the Jester]

Right. As if covering interplanetary distances with our level of technology is easy. Child's play, in fact!

If it amazes you, try it yourself some day, then come back and talk about being amazed that they manage to get a thing out of the atmosphere at all

Right, but isn't it amazing how much more successful we seem to be at getting probes to the outer planets than Mars?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Looks like Death Valley

 

[DanMcS]

Right, but isn't it amazing how much more successful we seem to be at getting probes to the outer planets than Mars?

The outer planets probes don't have to land. Landing adds a whole lot more systems for something to go wrong in.

 

[Jonny Nexus]

The outer planets probes don't have to land. Landing adds a whole lot more systems for something to go wrong in.

Exactly. The closest we've come so far is a probe parachuted into the atmosphere of Jupiter, where all we had to do was successfully hit the largest gas-giant in the Solar System.

Incidently, in about a year's time - after a seven year journey - we will (fingers crossed) make our first landing on an outer planet system, when the Huygens probe lands (or possibly "splashes down" into a possible liquid methane and ethane ocean) on the surface of Titan, a moon of Saturn.

Here's some info about the probe:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/huygens-probe.cfm

And here's some more info, including details of how it has been designed to float, if it happens to land in liquid:

http://pssri.open.ac.uk/missions/mis-casa1.htm

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Color Photos from Mars now online and available!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/3855168/