Oh look another fucking robot *yawn* wake me up when NASA does something cool like build a base on the Moon or sends you know PEOPLE to Mars.
Sorry I understand it is probably scientifically valuable. But it isn't sexy. It is really just old hat. I had a rant on the boards awhile ago about NASA needing two faces (Public sexy one, less private more scientific one). No need to rehash it but yeah sending robots to Mars just doesn't do it for me. I think the Voyager probe is more interesting since last I heard we still were getting data from it and it is beyond the solar system, so that thing is still cool. Sending the billionth robot to mars....meh
Good thing the robots on Mars are not there to "do it for you." Because that would be awkward and potentially messy.
Getting data about the atmosphere on Mars seems relevant to our interests since we are totally fucking up our planet and can glean a lot about how their shit potentially got fucked up. Beyond the solar system stuff actually seems "sexier" to me as it is not in fact that relevant to our more immediate concerns and seems like more of a jerking off mission. Wheeee! Look at what we can do way out here is super far out outer space, mofos!
I don't think there is ever going to be anything 'sexy' about NASA, nor do I think it's a bad idea to get people interested in any level of research or exploration since most people are not paying attention to anything remotely scientific or research oriented in their daily lives. Unless reading about celebrity Botox on Gawker is considered scientific research.
Should we stop exploring parts of the ocean because it's totally "been there, done that?" Should we abandon cancer or AIDS or mental illness or other types of research because we're, like, over it? I think not.
Mostly, I posted this to just make a point that humans are not all pieces of giant garbage and have the capacity to do something better than shoot up the damn place. Even though something horrible has happened somewhere, something great and, I think, innovative, happened somewhere not that far away.
