OT: What went wrong with the Mars Polar Lander

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Truth is indeed stranger than fiction?

-- Steve (hartsman@ticon.net), December 16, 1999

Answers

I bet they never even tried landing that freaking thing in a windstorm like they have on Mars. While trying to balance itself with thrusters, and solar panels sticking out both sides, the stupid thing probably just flipped over in a 40 mile an hour gust, and now we have a $165 million example of how humans can litter in places that are 140 million miles away. Heck, I've seen remote controlled toy trucks that would do a better job than their stupid designs for a hell of a lot less money.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.

Hawk: they must be remarkable toy trucks. No doubt if you feel you can do a better job they'd be only too happy to consider your resume.

-- Nobody particular (nbdy@nbdy.nbdy), December 16, 1999.

I doubt it. You have to know how to waste millions of taxpayer dollars to get one of them gubmint rocket scientist jobs. My conscience wouldn't allow me to live up to their standards!

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.

I was watching either TLC or Discovery last night and they had a show on about space exploration - describing the polar lander expedition as a future event. My hubby and I chuckled a bit since we know how THAT turned out (or we are just pissing off the Martians!).

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), December 16, 1999.

FOOLISH EARTHLINGS!!!

Your superior intelligence is no match for our puny weapons.

-- Krang (Johnny@Marz.com), December 16, 1999.



Hawk, a 40 mile per hour windstorm would amount to about a 2 mper hour hurricane on Earth due to the low atmospheric pressure. Also it would take a pretty large rubber band to hurl your toy truck all the way to mars, and the 20.000 mile per hour impact with the surface after burning through the atmosphere would render the unit more than a little damaged. Or were you going to calculate your rubber band thrust so that the truck would begin to fall back to earth just as it reached the Martian surface? ha ha ha, what an idiot.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.

Nikoli, that was very funny, about the rubber band that is.

-- Viewer Only (ViewerOnly@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

What if you put heat shields on the toy truck..and a little plastic parachute? Huh, what then? See, we're not so dumb! ;-)

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), December 16, 1999.

Thank you kritter, I'm glad someone was at least capable of comprehending the general idea!

Nikoli,

Do you remember the Pathfinder mission, and the little box with the wheels on it that moved about 1" every hour? Well I think a better idea would be to send up a vehicle the same way, inside the heat-shielded "ball" which entered the atmosphere by parachute, and then "bounced" to rest on the surface.

Of course it would still require a rocket and entry vehicle (rubber band? heh, you funny :-) but the big difference would be instead of using a big heavy vehicle that costs $100 million and moves 1" every hour, they could design something a little faster and strap some mini cameras on it. They could have driven over to the pyramids and the face on Mars within a few hours, but of course, that's what they don't want us to see.

By the way, I'm proud of you Nik, I haven't seen any Russian nuclear fear-mongering posts yet today, and this is appreciated particularly near the holidays. Maybe you're starting to grow up a bit after all, although I can see that it makes you very irritable not to post your nightmarish delusions of death and horror. You'll eventually get over it, but remember, ridiculing someones I.Q. is about the equivalent of comparing penis sizes. Trust me Nikoli, awareness is much more important than intelligence, and even someone like you is capable of knowing that there is still some hope for mankind. But in case we both get fried in your nuclear holocaust, I just want you to have things in their proper perspective before we leave this earthly existence... my I.Q. is of genius level. :-)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.


"my IQ is of genius level." ROTFLMAO Har har hee ho stop it you're killing me, damn I think I peed in my pants. All hail Hawk the Rocket scientist he heee hee. Oh man you kill me. You open this whole thread talking about how stupid the NASA scientist are, bunch of bumbling fools, make some idiotic statements about 40 mile an hour winds on mars wrecking their probes, couldadonebetter with a toy truck, oh shit then when you get called on your blatant stupidity you steal their idea about landing the probe in a cushion and call yourself a genius. Man you are a card, I swear.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.


142 my friend, read it and weep. Life must be a tremendous struggle for you sub-100 levels.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.

Hawk also got his penis nipped by Malcom a few days ago when he thought he knew about electricity. Then Hawk says he doesn't really care about electricity. 142 IQ? NOT!! I think that's more like your underwear size.

-- (Smiley@face.com), December 16, 1999.

If you'll read the thread again dickface, I said right in it that I didn't know anything about electric utilities. Of course people like you probably have a hard time reading, so I forgive you for your misconceptions. :-)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.

Ok Hawk, let's test that fantastic mind of yours. In your above post you said

"Do you remember the Pathfinder mission, and the little box with the wheels on it that moved about 1" every hour? Well I think a better idea would be to send up a vehicle the same way, inside the heat- shielded "ball" which entered the atmosphere by parachute, and then "bounced" to rest on the surface.

Of course it would still require a rocket and entry vehicle (rubber band? heh, you funny :-) but the big difference would be instead of using a big heavy vehicle that costs $100 million and moves 1" every hour, they could design something a little faster and strap some mini cameras on it. They could have driven over to the pyramids and the face on Mars within a few hours, but of course, that's what they don't want us to see. "

End Quote.

Now your quote already displays your idiocy but we'll give you a chance to crawfish yet again. Answer these questions.

1. Why did they design the rover to be so slow?

2. How "big and heavy" do you think the rover was?

3. What third component would be nesescary for the extended journeys you propose for the rover?

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.


Well I'm waiting. None of these questions requires a search of the internet. Everyone is answerable by deductive reasoning. That's all I used to ask them. Come on genius, strut your stuff.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.


Hawk,

OK, tell us what embedded systems you think will fail with your great knowledge of electricity.

I think you better go back and read the thread, ding dong. Does it hurt when it shrinks..? haaaaaaa

Who gave you the IQ test? A chimp?

-- (Smiley@face.com), December 16, 1999.


Aaaah, it is becoming ever so more apparent why we have this breakdown in communicative ability. You see, for me to try to convey an idea to you Neanderthals is like flogging a dead horse. You simply do not possess the cognitive capabilities to comprehend.

Knowledge is an entirely different thing than intellect, but you sub-100's try to use this a compensation for your deficiencies. Intelligence is a characteristic of your genetic makeup that you are born with, whereas knowledge is nothing more than information, that can be purchased in a store, like the words you read in books by your friend "Jr." Nyquist ("Junior" on an intellectual scale, that is). Intellect is the ability to understand concepts, see truth, and grasp reality. For example, it is simple for someone of my intellect to understand that peace is superior to war, and that love is superior to fear, hatred, and prejudice. But someone like you Nikoli, no matter how many words you memorize about Russia nuclear missiles, is still not capable of understanding these things which do not come out of a book, because they need to be deduced by your own mind, and you simply don't have the genetic makeup. As I said, life must be a struggle for your kind, and in most cases I would feel pity, but not for someone as rude and insensitive as you.

You continue to bore me with your unwillingness to open your mind, but I now understand that there is nothing more there to open up. At the very least I had hoped you were capable of a higher level of consciousness, but I see that you insist on stubbornly remaining in your barbaric primitive ego-based condition.

Remember, he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword!!

Tah, tah, my friends!

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.


Hawk. The questions I asked were based entirely on the ability to use your deductive reasoning skills in conjunction with a tenth grade level of geometry and physics. As I suspected even these simple exercises were beyond your abilities. Let us not forget who started this little slugfest either. Hint, it wasn't me. I will gladly cease pointing out your idiocy as soon as you desist from attacking every thread I post on. Until then, I will consider you fair game as you initiated the hostilities. Have a good night dumbass.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.

"Let us not forget who started this little slugfest either. Hint, it wasn't me."

Oh really? ....

"Hawk, a 40 mile per hour windstorm would amount to about a 2 mper hour hurricane on Earth due to the low atmospheric pressure. Also it would take a pretty large rubber band to hurl your toy truck all the way to mars, and the 20.000 mile per hour impact with the surface after burning through the atmosphere would render the unit more than a little damaged. Or were you going to calculate your rubber band thrust so that the truck would begin to fall back to earth just as it reached the Martian surface? ha ha ha, what an idiot.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999."

Goodnight, liar.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.


Idiot, I was referring to the thread you started accusing me of endorsing the Bible codes predictions and calling me a religious nut. Even that wasn't the beginning of it though, as you had attacked numerous posters on my threads prior to that. You are incapable of telling the truth and you morph personalities and beliefs like an Arkansas Politician.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 16, 1999.

Nice try, Nik. Every time I dispute any of the assumptions that you make in your posts you simply refuse to consider any other perspective, so you call me an idiot. If that's what you want to do go right ahead, but it won't stop me from disputing false assumptions when I see them. Just because Nabi (a.k.a. Brian Huie), BB, or Jr. Nyquist say something doesn't mean that it represents the truth.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 16, 1999.

If only we could throw pies through our moniters! Thanks guys. I haven't laughed like this in years!

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.

LOL, thanks Gia, I found it pretty enjoyable myself. I can almost understand why the trolls hang out here after this episode.:<) Got whiped cream?

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), December 17, 1999.

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