DailyTech - European Mars Rover to Test For Signs of Life

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Science European Mars Rover to Test For Signs of Life
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - June 13, 2006 3:02 AM

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9 comment(s) - last by Griswold.. on Jun 14 at 4:50 AM

The search for life on Mars continues

The European Space Agency wants to send another probe to Mars. Bridget, a prototype craft that will search for signs of past or present life on Mars, will be the most intelligent rover to explore the surface of the Red Planet. The craft will contain high-tech equipment designed to gather soil and rock samples directly from the planet's surface. British scientists hope that Bridget is approved for the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission, which is expected to launch in 2011.

The ESA is hoping that Bridget will help the space organization get over the loss of the British Beagle 2 in 2003. Although Beagle 2 separated from the Mars Express without a problem in 2003, mission controllers later lost contact with it.

With NASA and other space agencies aiming towards better understanding the Red Planet, higher quality and more intricate technology is being designed to explore Mars. With space agencies contemplating sending humans to the planet, as much as possible needs to be learned about the Martian atmosphere and surface.

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What if -

By mindless1 on 6/13/2006 8:46:25 AM , Rating: 2

What if the first signs of ET we encounter, have a sense of humor? What if the aliens put a widescreen TV program in front of the probe camera to mess with us and dress it up like spongebob squarepants before sending it back?

Sure it seems unlikely, but what are the odds that the stereotypical one of two other events happens instead? 1) They attack 2) They cautiously approach and want to trade information. These seem as much subjective projections as anything else.

There are quite a few other possibilities. What if the aliens are holding Beagle 2 hostage? Picture if you will, a football match and they just want the !@#$% alien mars probe off the playing field and could care less where it came from. Possibly their MP3 player has low batteries and they find it oh-so-convenient that this battery on wheels just drove up to them. The probe might taste like chicken to an alien or it might come back with graffiti all over it.

We need some Mars probe insurance coverage. You can't be too careful.

RE: What if -

By masher2

(blog) on 6/13/2006 9:59:33 AM , Rating: 4

The probes are looking for microscopic life...the only form they're likely to find on Mars. You're welcome to your opinion, but I rather doubt a few microbes are going to hold our probe hostage. :p

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RE: What if -

By PLaYaHaTeD on 6/13/2006 1:02:46 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
What if the aliens are holding Beagle 2 hostage? Picture if you will, a football match and they just want the !@#$% alien mars probe off the playing field and could care less where it came from.

What if you actually layed off the booze while you are at work.

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RE: What if -

By mindless1 on 6/13/2006 2:38:10 PM , Rating: 2

Then I would find you less amusing?

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lets go already

By IMPoor on 6/13/2006 2:10:59 PM , Rating: 2

what if it didn't take 5 years to send something into outer space. What if you could send it sooner and it did not cost $50 billion. Wouldn't that be nice. At this rate we will have almost 8 broken down vehicles on mars surface when I die. Kind of like a US redneck's front yard.

Can't we get big business doing this instead of government. Microsoft, google, and yahoo we need you. Tell them they can have 100 acres for each succesful mission. then they would have WIFI jon mars.

RE: lets go already

By NT78stonewobble on 6/14/2006 2:39:20 AM , Rating: 2

Well ain't the "ping" time to mars around 8 minutes?

Hmm thats just for one way though so the real ping time would be 16 minutes... Hows that for gaming ?

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RE: lets go already

By Griswold on 6/14/2006 4:50:14 AM , Rating: 2

Almost. Signal propagation delay varies from 8 to 40 minutes depending on the planets position. I think the average delay for this mission is 20 minutes.

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SciFi Fans?

By gdillon on 6/13/2006 9:42:19 AM , Rating: 2

Just wanted to make a Mars-appropriate recommendation for any sci fi fans: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. Especially for the environmentalism/geology interested folks. ~g