So, the Martians go and helpfully draw a box on the ground as a target for the Phoenix landing, and what do they do? They land next to it, not in it. Way to go, NASA.
I bet if they hadn't screwed up the unit conversions, they would've hit it...
(The square pattern on the ground is really something to do with the water ice that the mission is there to look for-- it's a natural phenomenon, and a good sign for the mission.
(It just looks like a landing zone drawn by space aliens.)
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ROFL.
Maybe it is a big chess game! And now it is the Martian's turn to make their move.
"Maybe it is a big chess game! And now it is the Martian's turn to make their move."
I sure hope not.
As I understand it their typical move involves large cylinders landing on earth and tripod things with ray guns redecorating major cities.
According to the story we win in the end, our microbe friends do the dirty deed, but I'm not sure that is really how it ends. You see the story is told by earthlings and, of course, they would claim they win. The Martian version version might have a slightly different last chapter.
According to the story we win in the end, our microbe friends do the dirty deed, but I'm not sure that is really how it ends. You see the story is told by earthlings and, of course, they would claim they win. The Martian version version might have a slightly different last chapter.
The Martian version ends with a lengthy explanation of how they were really winning even afetr the microbe thing, but the Gleebnaks in the Planetary Senate were a bunch of pacifist wimps and sold the military out. If only they had listened to the Zyxlors, and had the will to stay the course, they'd be ruling Earth.
Jeff Marlow explains the patterns. I think he's saying that Phoenix has landed in Siberia.
i'm surprised the Martians haven't started shooting these things down, accusing us of littering.
Well, of COURSE they didn't land in the obvious square. It's plainly a TRAP! Don't you watch cartoons? Whenever you see an obvious "land here" sign, there's bound to be a giant anvil hanging overhead or a net or an explosives-triggering plunger underneath or something hidden there.
Sneaky martians.
So anyone want to point this picture out to Richard Hoagland?
Q: How do we know we didn't trigger the trap?
A: "Where's the 'Kaboom'? There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering 'Kaboom'!"
(Full disclosure: courtesy of my friend Chuk.)
One can hardly wait for Phoenix' electronics to belch out detection of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, bisphenol-A, and ultratrace garlic residues from a souvlaki group luncheon. "More studies are needed".
How will Man on Mars maintain local sterility and chemical noncontamination after the first asstronaught pops a hatch? Live steam, chlorine dioxide, or hydrogen peroxide cold plasma air locks? Returning to Earth with tonnes of sewage and garbage will be interesting if only for propulsion.
That's not a target it's a baseball diamond isn't it? Obvious. And no US craft is going to land inside a diamond is it? Very clever 'let's cover this just in case - don't want to ruin a game if there's one going on ' programming by somebody.
Pete
Hey, the whole point of the mission is to sample the surface by digging into a spot next to the lander. So maybe the "target" is what needs to be sampled, in which case they got it exactly right.
Marvin takes Phoenix. Checkmate.