NASAs Next Mars Rover : Curiosity

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/89016-meet-nasas-next-mars-rover-curiosity-it-has-a-plutonium-powered-laser

Amazing stuff. Oh, and here's the mission simulation on youtube:



Gotta love plutonium... The launch is scheduled to occur late this year.

It's great to see nasa actually progressing, despite the drastic funding cuts. Heck, who needs the human shuttle program when you have this kind of stuff?

Neato! Still, nothing could compare to seeing the surface of Mars with your own two eyes instead of a camera.

The Awesome thing is...is we actually already have Lasers... that Kill/Destroy.

This Laser that can "Destroy rocks at Seven meters" sounds kinda crap compared to the one the US Military is using/making, ASM/Enemy Aircraft. (CISW), and the thing to destroy ICBM's over massive ranges.*

So this Laser is pretty...lame, but still cool.

I still say the US are Retards, for Can canceling that & the Fully Working Rail Gun project, that Wasn't an Black Hole like the F-35, Ware talking about an Weapon System that can fire an Shell, about 560 km, at about 5km/s. For Nine year sit's been getting made, costing no more than 35 Million, since the Project started.

Now if you look at, the F-35 Lighting-II, has been in development hell for a quite a while, and has cost nearly 2 Billion. So by the Logic of the US Congress, you must Can, your good Weapon systems, and Fund your Blackholes.

* The ABM laser wasn't cancelled.

I feel Mildly OT.

It's a shame they can't use that money more efficiently. Building the F22 then canceling the project (after pouring billions of dollars into it) and going for the F35, which will most certainly be replaced in about 3 years.

Of course, it really would be something if they'd actually cut military spending *le gasp how unpatriotic* and used the money on something actually useful like, you know, medicare and social security.

When did they can the Raptors?

As far as I know, there grounded, ATM dew to Oxygen issues.

The F-35...should just be canned...to much of an Black Hole.

Eh, we're collectively too fucked up to actually do anything that is actually productive.

But on the OP, It always surprises me how exposed those probes seem. I know that the environments are mostly sterile and barren, but still, it seems too open.

@Manned exploration: Eh, don't write it off, manned exploration is necessary to ensure our collective futures and that of our lineage. Furthermore, space opens up grand new horizons that expand our ability to gather resources.