NASA Mars rover makes unexpected discovery

[BrokenLink]

OMG, they think it could have been an aggressive piece of plastic, or do they think it might somehow attack the rover by some other insidious means?

You never know with those Mars plastics....those things can be lethal. Some say...you can go deaf just by looking at it.

[Compton_effect]

The object itself is speculated to be from a previous Mars rover, possibly the Mars Phoenix Lander or the Opportunity rover.

Um. Let see - number of missions to Mars so far. 15
Total surface area of Mars - hmm. Fun fact - about the same as Dry land on Earth.
So - a craft landing in a completely unexplored part of the planet lands next to a pinkynail sized piece of plastic blown there from another craft...
Yeah.... (Back away slowly while not making any sudden moves) I can see that happening (wave frantically behind my back to the men in white suits)

[Compton_effect]

The most obvious explanation. They outsourced the rover construction to Tata. So the plastic parts are already falling off.

[Arzy]

I see this as a Terry Pratchett moment.

If there is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance of something happening it is basically a certainty that it will happen.

Any other given probability and it won't happen.

[Compton_effect]

I see this as a Terry Pratchett moment.

If there is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance of something happening it is basically a certainty that it will happen.

Any other given probability and it won't happen.

Sigh. That's it. I need to stop using Facebook. Just spent a minute looking for the 'Like' button.

[AlphaJohn]

Sigh. That's it. I need to stop using Facebook. Just spent a minute looking for the 'Like' button.

I feel your pain, so I made one for you:

[patrick]

Engineers have identified the bright bit as “shred of plastic material, likely benign"

Oh good, so it won't need chemo then.

[Moosedrool]

People remember:
Plastics are organic polymers. If this thing didn't come from earth it is a big find.

[elvis_presley]

It's a Galaxy S II. Samsung's getting the drop on Apple in this new market.

[j4ck455]

This just proves that we humans are the dirt bags of the universe, we've already started a rubbish dump on Mars, give it a few more years and Ion drive propulsion and there will be massive landfills on Mars, sure the cover story will be terraforming by artificially creating a Methane atmosphere to warm up Mars and melt its polar ice caps, but the reality is that someone in the waste disposal industry will become a Brazilianaire (sic).

[AlphaJohn]

This just proves that we humans are the dirt bags of the universe, we've already started a rubbish dump on Mars, give it a few more years and Ion drive propulsion and there will be massive landfills on Mars, sure the cover story will be terraforming by artificially creating a Methane atmosphere to warm up Mars and melt its polar ice caps, but the reality is that someone in the waste disposal industry will become a Brazilianaire (sic).

Naaa... would be cheaper to dump it on the moon, if you cart it off the planet, then again its cheaper not to take it anywhere or recycle.

[be.plato]

I saw the video, looks like a fish.

[AlphaJohn]

I saw the video, looks like a fish.

So the guide was right.... its the dolphins!!!!

[be.plato]

So the guide was right.... its the dolphins!!!!

I hate to say it but I watched the vid on abovetopsecret.com, then read their comments.

[AlphaJohn]

I hate to say it but I watched the vid on abovetopsecret.com, then read their comments.

Erm, I think you missed the joke... I was referring to this guide.