For those of us who follow space exploration.

Mars Express, carrying the Beagle 2 lander, is the European Space Agency's first planetary mission. It was launched back in June from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket.

The Beagle 2 has separated from the Mars Express mothership, and is on schedule for a landing in the Isidis basin on Christmas morning. Today (20-DEC-03) the ESA is retargeting the Mars Express for an orbital insertion course.

Here's hoping that it will be a very Merry Christmas in Darmstadt!

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Eudaimonia

I believe one of the unique factors is that the mothership will do all the communications and analyzing duties, freeing the lander payload for much more complex and dedicated processing. It could make for a very Merry Christmas for the whole planet Earth.

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PantyFanatic,

So the orbiter mediates the communications?

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Eudaimonia

That's my understanding. BBL

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I will be watching to see how this goes as well. Just think, the $$ spent on our efforts in the Persian Gulf in the last couple of decades would have easily funded a manned mission to Mars.

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
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Lilith,

Yeah. Bummer. Wouldn't that have been an exciting journey! Imagine all the discoveries we'd have made during the the process. I like to think it would have been - WILL BE - worth every nickel.

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Eudaimonia

Maybe Sharni will get us the hot scoops from the cross town receiver. (well... cross continent)


http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/ar...x.cfm?fareaid=1

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http://www.marssociety.org.au/

I dont follow it...nor am i going to add anything else to this thread....so check here...its an Aussie site

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DAMN! I was so counting on updates from your telephone booth.











lmao

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I think that the Billions of $,that we forgave the French Govt.in the
'20s(?),would also have funded it. Irish
P.S.Is Santa on the space probe?

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

Irish,

I believe that St. Nick has pressing business elsewhere at that time. The Beagle’s fate rests in good hands.

During the 1930s Britain and other European countries defaulted on their war loans from the US, valued at around $30 billion. Is this what you are referring to?

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Eudaimonia

jseal---I'm not exactly sure!They were talking about it on the Pat
Whitley talk show(WRKO,Boston radio)last week.There are still many,unexplored areas,of the oceans,on earth.I,personaly,
would much rather see them explored first but they say opinions
(like excuses)are like assholes.Everyones got one,and most of them stink. Irish
P.S.That's a quote,from a bumper sticker,that my youngest daughter,sent to me!

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Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

Irish,

I’m opening up the kimono a bit here, but I must admit that my preferences point towards outer rather than inner space.

Still, it would be nice to be able to spend the money on voyages of exploration rather than on national defense. There is so much to discover! It would be new and exciting!

In re opinions: that’s why I think one should express them carefully.

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Eudaimonia

Funny how "the powers that be" can always find finances for certain projects~~~and cannot come up with answers to problems closer to home!~~~~~~ah well~~~looking forward to seeing pictures from space whilst working in the ward on Christmas day!

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Don't pet the sweaty things!!!!

Mankind's thirst for exploration has made us and our world what it is today - the good and bad - sorry, but you can't have one without the other.

What the hell did that Columbus guy think he was doing? and as for Amerigo..........and those Siberians wandering over the ice bridge and perhaps even those Europeans making their way across the iceflows of the atlantic during the last ice age?

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Vigil, if you were my husband, I would give you poison.

Madam, if you were my wife, I would take it.