I could possibly be the only person on I-club who is really really excited for this. Anyone else been following this?

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassin...uygenspre.html

 

i'm too excited to even click the link

 

I wore my NASA shirt yesterday... I should have saved it for Huygens.

*edit* I am serious.

 

i just wet myself.

 

I know i know, im sure a few of you can barely contain your excitement. lol.

 

Actually, I'm now kinda interested to see what they find. We've never seen the surface before, right?

 

No, they really don't know what is on it, but the moon itself is very very rich in organic compounds. This will be the first landing on a moon other than our own, and a moon with an atmosphere much like early earths to boot. It's going to take pictures for 2 hours before it lands in somthing, they dont know what. I'll post some pictures here if its anything neat looking.

 

Fingers crossed for fire breathing aliens!

 

omg i've been waiting FOREVER for this.

I fear though, this will be as interesting as it gets, other than Mars. I do not think we're going to find anything better than macrobial-sized life, if even that, anywhere.

jason

 

Yeah, i really think all we are going to get is some fuzzy landscape pictures - so i guess it's more exciting in theory than in reality. I still think its super interesting. However, if they sent a probe to europa, then i'd be glued to the TV.

 

I think the Europan possibilities are way over-hyped. Chances for life, at least at some point in time past, seem phenomenally higher for Mars. I don't know if we're alone in the Universe, but I am pretty sure we are alone in this Solar System.

btw - chances are, a Europan mission isn't happening for another 10 - 15 years... it will be considered throw-away money by most politicians.

jason

 

Yeah, I've just been intruiged by europa since i was a little kid - i used to write crazy sci-fi stories involving it and whatnot when i was in 6th grade. Most of these missions are considered a waste by politians. The only way we can get there is if we say the terrorists are planning on going to europa. Much like our first moon mission...

I too doubt we'll find anything in this solar system - although i do think there is a good chance of life being around geothermal vents on the ocean floor of europa, but "good chance" is a relative term i guess.

 

so no fire breathing aliens?

 

Oh wait, thats what i mean...

Actually they think the entire planet is populated by WWF wrestlers. We need to tread lightly.

 

/\ :rotfl:

That is teh funnAy

-Ted

edit: I am curious to find out what they see when the probe lands as well...but even if it is a "waste" of money....we are exploring previously unexplored territory.....how do you think Columbus found the Americas....He was discouraged by many people when he said what he was doing too....its the same thing here, just on a larger scale. If we didnt have explorers....we would still think the Earth was Flat....IMHO, exploration is no waste of anything, we are gaining valuable knowledge about the world/space around us, and that is invaluable reguardless of what some pencil pushing politician thinks. They are just pissed because they arent getting the money that goes into the space program...so ofcoarse they are gonna say its a waste. They are all money hungry bastards IMO.