
Off-topic, but I’m excited about it (being a big Ray Bradbury fan and all): NASA’s Phoenix lander has successfully made it to Mars! The last polar lander, uh….didn’t quite make it.
(In space, no one can hear you explode).
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080525b.html
The Phoenix will be scooping up stuff and analyzing it to see if Mars once held water (and if it still might). I prefer to see it as NASA taking another step toward getting me to Mars before I die.
Great news – I heard the disheartening statistic that 50% of all Mars missions end in failure, so chalk one up for the fine geniuses at NASA!