Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Mars Rover sends back postcards
Well done NASA. But having supported the Beagle project, one now has to question the wisdom of spending £50m on something that is close to replicating the Mars Rover science.
From the Beagle website:
So it is different - a little. Enough?
Well done NASA. But having supported the Beagle project, one now has to question the wisdom of spending £50m on something that is close to replicating the Mars Rover science.
From the Beagle website:
How is Beagle 2 different from NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers?
Beagle 2 carries a "mass spectrometer" capable of measuring
quantities of carbon in all its forms. It also has a "mole" with
which to bury under the surface of Mars to retrieve samples
for in-situ analysis rather than just scraping the surface of
visible rocks.
Sub-surface sampling is novel and no similar activity has ever
been attempted on Mars
So it is different - a little. Enough?
(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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