Poor little guy

I feel like the Fry's dog from Futurama and the Mars Rover would be good friends.

Snapper Carr: [www.wdtprs.com image 639x862]

wow you couldn't even get the original link directly from xkcd.com?!?

Is it wrong that I want to hug a planetary rover?

/dusty in here

BostonFarker: Snapper Carr: [www.wdtprs.com image 639x862]

wow you couldn't even get the original link directly from xkcd.com?!?

grabbed it from a GIS without actually noting the source

We as humans really need to get off this rock. Don't get me wrong, I like it hear, but we need to expand. A simple meteor could take us out,and last I heard we only watch 2% of the sky.

OceanVortex: I feel like the Fry's dog from Futurama and the Mars Rover would be good friends.

Ugh...  Just saw that episode the other day, and it wrecked me.

the_sidewinder: Also, anyone ever notice that Opportunity kind of looks like a Replicator?

Mars is farked

Vodka Zombie: OceanVortex: I feel like the Fry's dog from Futurama and the Mars Rover would be good friends.

Ugh...  Just saw that episode the other day, and it wrecked me.

Watch Bender's Big Score. It evens out due to time travel that a version of Fry ends up going back and taking care of the dog.

Sargun: the_sidewinder: Also, anyone ever notice that Opportunity kind of looks like a Replicator?

Mars is farked

Nah, not enough material a replicator can use.

basemetal: [www.hour25online.com image 600x600]

Hmm, was Opportunity carrying Jesus at this point?

10th year? Is subby from the future?

FTA: The six-wheel, solar-powered rover parachuted to Eagle Crater in Mars' southern hemisphere on Jan. 24, 2004

SN1987a goes boom: Vodka Zombie: OceanVortex: I feel like the Fry's dog from Futurama and the Mars Rover would be good friends.

Ugh...  Just saw that episode the other day, and it wrecked me.

Watch Bender's Big Score. It evens out due to time travel that a version of Fry ends up going back and taking care of the dog.

That episode was always my least favorite cause it was so sad. Then I saw that movie and it made me happy to know he did indeed live out his life with Fry. But pissed me off what Bender did to him.

This pathetic probe only lasted 3 hours: Link

Nontentional: We as humans really need to get off this rock. Don't get me wrong, I like it hear, but we need to expand. A simple meteor could take us out,and last I heard we only watch 2% of the sky.

Given that major asteroid impacts on Earth (big enough to threaten humanity as a whole rather than just a fraction of it) only happen on the millions of years scale, I don't think that is a pressing reason to get to space. If you want reasons to expand it would have to be new threats caused by humans directly or indirectly - so contagious diseases would be one reason (especially since air travel became so common), or nuclear weapons of course. Most other things just don't have the possibility of being deadly or disruptive enough to be a existential threat to humanity.

Frozboz: 10th year? Is subby from the future?

FTA: The six-wheel, solar-powered rover parachuted to Eagle Crater in Mars' southern hemisphere on Jan. 24, 2004

It was launched 10 years ago. Was on July 7, 2003. So subby is correct about it is coming up on 10 years.. but wrong about it being in operation for 10 years.

yves0010: Frozboz: 10th year? Is subby from the future?

FTA: The six-wheel, solar-powered rover parachuted to Eagle Crater in Mars' southern hemisphere on Jan. 24, 2004

It was launched 10 years ago. Was on July 7, 2003. So subby is correct about it is coming up on 10 years.. but wrong about it being in operation for 10 years.

Hey, spending 13 months in cold, lonely space waiting to get to Mars is no small feat. I'll give that little probe credit for the journey towards his time-already-served.

Frozboz: 10th year? Is subby from the future?

FTA: The six-wheel, solar-powered rover parachuted to Eagle Crater in Mars' southern hemisphere on Jan. 24, 2004

It landed on Jan 24 2004. At that point, it started its first year operating on Mars.

In 2005, it started its second year.

In 2006, it started its third year.

In 2007, it started its fourth year.

In 2008, it started its fifth.

2009: sixth.

2010: seventh.

2011: eighth.

2012: ninth.

And now, in 2013, it will start its tenth. Not until January 24, though -- so, you're right, subby is from a little bit in the future.

Saddest. XKCD. Ever.

SN1987a goes boom: Vodka Zombie: OceanVortex: I feel like the Fry's dog from Futurama and the Mars Rover would be good friends.

Ugh...  Just saw that episode the other day, and it wrecked me.

Watch Bender's Big Score. It evens out due to time travel that a version of Fry ends up going back and taking care of the dog shiats all over Jurassic Bark and other past favorite episodes that it almost ruined Futurama.

I must never tell my six-year-old goddaughter about the Opportunity rover, lest she actually steal some Burt Rutan blueprints, build a spaceship and go off by herself to rescue it.

Oh, wait. Maybe I should. If ever there was a thing to make her buckle down and do her subtraction homework, it's the thought of a poor little WALL-E-esque robot left all alone on a red planet with nobody to talk to until some smart girl can grow up and bring him home. She'd probably try to send him letters via helium balloon or write emails to him for Aunt Spidey to pass along through NASA.

...And I totally just used the personal pronoun. Wow, that was a sad XKCD.

Banacek: Watch Bender's Big Score. It evens out due to time travel that a version of Fry ends up going back and taking care of the dog shiats all over Jurassic Bark and other past favorite episodes that it almost ruined Futurama.

I agree Banacek - The original Jurassic Bark was a wonderful and powerful episode BECAUSE it was sad. Then they go back in time to try to un-sad it.

It'd be like going back and saving Bambi's mom, allowing Charlotte and Wilber to live happily ever after, or remaking the Star Wars movies as prequels and turn Darth Vader into a joke and Yoda into a miniature ninja instead of an all-seeing spirit guide. No screen writer would be so inept as to think any of those would be a good idea.

We need to get our asses to mars. for no other reason than either

A)bring this badass robot home, the way it deserves. parades, etc.
B)build a museum of badassery around it.

Humans anthropomorphicise everything.

However, there will be a time - probably not in my lifetime - that some of the early martian probes will be brought home. Whether they are in a museum or some trillionaire's foyer depends on what kind of place the earth becomes.

SuperT: We need to get our asses to mars. for no other reason than either

A)bring this badass robot home, the way it deserves. parades, etc.
B)build a museum of badassery around it.

I'm sure it would love that.

jfarkinB: And now, in 2013, it will start its tenth. Not until January 24, though -- so, you're right, subby is from a little bit in the future.

Fine, I'll give you that one. Also, I am old. 10 years? Seems like yesterday.

Mars is great and all, and I think this rover is wonderful, but can we try Io or Europa now? They seem like better prospects for life at this point.

SuperT: We need to get our asses to mars. for no other reason than either

A)bring this badass robot home, the way it deserves. parades, etc.
B)build a museum of badassery around it.

Build the museum on Mars and collect all the mars rovers and probes.

jfarkinB: And now, in 2013, it will start its tenth. Not until January 24, though -- so, you're right, subby is from a little bit in the future.

I thought the same thing reading the headline. I remember mainly because I started dating my now wife the same day the rovers landed on Mars. I remember speaking about it at length over lunch with her, figuring if she was horrendously bored with talk about planetary rovers and the like we should probably figure that out sooner or later because that was going to be a recurring topic. She obviously wasn't or at least I was charming enough (or she patient enough) that it didn't matter.

OceanVortex: Mars is great and all, and I think this rover is wonderful, but can we try Io or Europa now? They seem like better prospects for life at this point.

costs way more. and we can do it way less often because of how we limit our launches.

Tax Boy: Build the museum on Mars and collect all the mars rovers and probes.

Bonus points if the rovers find their own way there and park on their display pedestals under their own power.

WinoRhino: Tax Boy: Build the museum on Mars and collect all the mars rovers and probes.

Bonus points if the rovers find their own way there and park on their display pedestals under their own power.

And then they explore the museums at night, studying lost change and lint on the floor.

OceanVortex

Mars is great and all, and I think this rover is wonderful, but can we try Io or Europa now? They seem like better prospects for life at this point.

Given those two choices, if you're going to attempt a landing I'd recommend Io.

WinoRhino: Tax Boy: Build the museum on Mars and collect all the mars rovers and probes.

Bonus points if the rovers find their own way there and park on their display pedestals under their own power.

Good luck with Spirit =)

OceanVortex: And then they explore the museums at night, studying lost change and lint on the floor.

"This evening, Opportunity will be exploring a formation NASA has been referring to as "bubbler", which has shown evidence of flowing water in the recent past..."

I'll see everyone's xkcd and raise them this.

/It's a thing
//A cool thing to put in a museum if and when we can reclaim it
///but come on.

Fake, we've never been to Mars, we can't even get past the Van Halen belts.