h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

oh dear

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3344693.stm

At the moment the news isn't good.

The bookies will be breathing a sigh of relief regarding the 'life on Mars' bets.

Has anybody actually seen figures for failed Mars missions?
They are staggering.
Both US and Russian attempts after the Viking missions have met with poor failure rates, I mean I think about 9 out of 13 have met with disaster!

You'd think they would have given up and spent the money on the NASA and British space program's Christmas parties. They could hide the figures by say buying a 40 million dollar coffee machine.

Well I was tempted to say that if the British made it then it would never succeed but i thought i would get slated for it

Mort (from chilly, but not snowy Scotland)

The whole "chassis" for this vehicle is built in Newcatle uopon Tyne.
The engineering is well, literally ET stuff, all hollow ribbed structures. Amazing stuff. I reckon we can give NASA a good run for the space stuff. That O ring failure was evident of that...could not believe that. My local auto garage could have done better.

I think we have a few thousand years before the sun expands and turns the earth into an uninhabitable planet.

By that time they may have discovered a way to terraform Mars!

Providing of course, that they know if they are using metric or imperial measurements and actually bother to check the communications link before they send probes off. (just discovered they never had time to check the communication link with 'Beagle' )

Honestly!!!

The 'O' ring thing was just a total f*** up. I mean, you spend millions on a shuttle but don't listen to the bloke that built the blooming ring, when he says there is a problem. If nothing else, financially it is a total waste, and the human cost is not worth the risk.

Or apparently not...

I mean it was just basic 14 yr old technology. My 13 yr old would have chained himself to the bloody gantry. He's a headstrong kid.
As for comm links. Well all the talents making megabucks working for the cellular retail sector.

The military have just about tripled the pay of the avionics guys 'cause of the shortage.

I get quite p*ssed off when I hear things like China has gone into space - fabby and great for them, but taking a more wholisic view - spending money on stuff that has been done before

Space investigation is a global thing, not a national thing. Why the hell can't France, Us, UK, China etc spend all the money on furthering a joint investigation. Achieve more, get further, find out more, PROGRESS more!

10 cooks can discover how to boil a vegetable, but if they worked together then they may find out how to make a stew!

Politics, politics,politics. I know that there is more working together than ever before but even so, it is still very much East v West, and no country can afford, or even justfy, running an agressive space programme by themselves.

Controversial, but instead of duplicating each others stuff, why not spend the money on saving the starving in Africa - who is to say that the modern day Albert Einstein isn't starving to death elsewhere.

*gets off soapbox* I just wish they would work to gether.

I agree Mort.
But look at academia and the gov depts: they are all at each other in competition for the pay cheques. And where are the cheques coming from? From "the science park" next door. And who owns that then?
A subsid of a multi-nat. Where will the results be applied? Anywhere on the planet with near zero cost.

yeah, I know.

I have a thing about space for some reason! I find it so fascinating. So much could be achieved. In the last 100 years so much has been achieved - I mean we couldn't even fly then! Unbelievable really. In the last 30 years bog all has been achieved as far as space has gone. And I have an idea in my head that the missing link is only around the corner.

Don't get me wrong - sort out the earth before we go elsewhere, but the money isn't being spent on the earth (starving, global unification and environmental issues etc) it is being spent on crap like weapons and finding new ways to get one over on everybody else.

Turns out that they didn't think they would need to involve NASA so they didn't bother to check the communication lines with them until it was too late, which is a fantastic example of them not working together. Who knows why Beagle hasn't been able to communicate yet, and maybe at 10pm tonight it will, but if it boils down to the fact they could've communicated via NASA if they had not had the arrogance to think they didn't need them then millions of quid has been wasted.
They need their heads banged together.

But as you say - it is the man that writes the cheques - or rather decides if there can be a profit it in, it that dictates the way of the world.

ing multi-nationals.

Have you ever read 'Stark' by Ben Elton?

oops - still on soapbox!

"You'd think they would have given up and spent the money on the NASA and British space program's Christmas parties" - shh, you're giving it away!!

I reckon that private sector industry is the way to go for space exploration. Competition drives industry forwards, and if it becomes commercially viable THEN you'll see rapid progress. Look at the history of atmospheric flight, cars, or just about anything else.

Gif

Ben Elton is not my favourite person.

Hello Gifford Nice to meet you.

Indeed the private sector is efficient in providing market solutions.
That assumes perfect competiton which in the aerospace sector is impossible.

In short the private sector needs to delouse itself of corrupt and opaque accounting conventions if it is to achieve integrity. Shareholders have had enough of "red neck bean counters".

Not that I believe that situation will come about, please note. On the other hand I believe a few academics are missing sharing the odd piece of help here and there amonst themselves. Seems the MBAs are not keen on a bit on neighbourly help.

But as one of our regular contributors to this thread reminds us "it is dangerous to make generalisations" and she, of course, is right.
I should not make generalisations about MBAs. Ouside of the nearest linen cupboard...I'll not say a word!

Fingers crossed for 10pm.

Oh, I really dó hope it will finally work.
Wouldn't that be wónderfull.

But I'm afraid it won't.
I get the impression that they worked in the time-schedule that was too stressful.
Why not just a year later?


Greatings from Amsterdam to all of you, ánd Mars!

You're right. It ain't gonna work.

Greetings Alfredo....good wishes for the festive season!

Well, it½s not for nothing people talk about a Mars curse.

Twas Igor. I'll have to talk to him.

Was it hell it was a nugget of an MBA...too proud to ask the yanks.
Xenophobic provincial Oxbridge public school tosser...Boston type.

You are all nissed. Too slow you lot. Eaten too much?