Uncle Al wrote in message
...
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...portunity.html

Stereopairs are a nice touch. What have we gotten for our ~$billion?

1) Volcanic regolith background, plus
2) Meteoric strikes, then
3) Mix well with wind and cook with solar UV; wait a billion years.
4) http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2003/03_87AR.html
5) WIRED 12.03 146 (2004)

Nothing. The only thing NASA will eructate is studies on its
studies.

Those damn studies, always getting in the way of scientific progress.



There are no "discoveries" because there is nothing present to be discovered.

Cool. Just send them your proof that there is nothing to be discovered,
including all the notebooks from your visits there, the readings Uri
Geller gave you about Mars, and your Certificate of Omniscience from
God. NASA will listen.



Not all real estate is valuable. At least the moon
is a competent and accessible platform for observation (UV through
deep radio in hard vacuum, with the bonus of low gravity and for large
structures and physically blocked terrestrial EMF emissions) and
launch (vacuum, low gravity).

This I can agree on. Do more moon stuff.



BTW - no canals.

Damn! If we had only known that last year...



The only usable major power source on Mars would be
a local nuclear reactor. Combustion is out, solar panels don't
receive enough sunlight even at the equator.

Bigger solar panels. More efficient machines. I do find the short life
of the current rovers annoying.



The singular interesting project would be to pepper Mars with
synchronized seismic sensors then de-orbit and crash Deimos (2.4X10^15
kg or 22.6% the mass of Phobos, and orbiting more slowly 1.36 vs.
2.138 km/sec mean). A big thump would tell us about Mars' internal
structure.

Isn't that just like a curmudgeon? Give him a planetary system
with a couple of nice little moons and the first thing he wants to
do is break it.

If Uncle Al is appointed NASA Administrator, I want to sign the
recall petition.

Servo