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U.S. mission to Mars has Canadian link

PAUL TAYLOR

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 5:36 PM EDT 16/05/08

Phoenix is to touch down later this month, carrying with it Canada-built weather station ...Read the full article

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  1. Dick Dead-Eye from Fiji writes:

    The unofficial story is that the N.D.P. are looking for a retreat someplace in space and are secretly financing this mission.
  2. T B from Canada writes: Why do we insist on reporting Canadian content. Is it only new BECAUSE it has a Canadian link? That is just pathetic.
  3. Steve Prime from Canada writes: T B : don't be silly

    At least it is nice to know how Canada is contributing and how our tax dollars are being spent regardless of whether one agrees with how
  4. Michael Sharp from Victoria, Canada writes:

    Wow.

    What does this spacecraft have that is SO Canadian?
    A robot leg?
    With a Canada flag on it?

    Wowsers.
  5. John McMortimer-Boyles from An Undisclosed Underground Location Safe From Nuclear Attack, Canada writes: No Michael Sharp. One of the six science instruments on Phoenix is Canadian.

    Anyway, I think the risks of landing on Mars tend to get played up. A lot of the failed Mars missions were Soviet spacecraft that never even got to the planet. And a couple of the NASA failures were missions where NASA flew on a K-Mart blue light special budget. I think if you look at just the US lander missions--Viking 1, Viking 2, Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Polar Lander--almost every mission in the list landed successfully.
  6. John Doucette from Manotick, Canada writes: T B from Canada writes: "Why do we insist on reporting Canadian content?"
    TB its because it is so rare. Thus we can pretend that we have an industrial/ scientific community which actually does more than lecture to students who, if they are capable must go elsewhere to follow their careers.
  7. Mr. Reilly from Canukistan, writes: If they can put a weather station on Mars why can't they at least give us Canadians an accurate three day forecast.
  8. The Blind Man Is King from Burlytown, Canada writes: Aren't there regular heavy wind storms on Mars? How do they expect a tripod to stay up through that? Even more interesting is that, in a best case scenario, we get one season of readings before the entire thing is buried and ceases to function. I don't think it's a waste of money, but that's a lot of money riding on one good summer.
  9. Phil King from Ottawa, Canada writes: So even on Mars Canadians are discussing the weather?

    I wonder when the first Timmys opens?
  10. Catherine Medernach from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Phil King from Ottawa lol! I needed a good laugh.

    This is about the future of our younger generation with employment potential in Canada. When the Avro Arrow project was cancelled we lost a lot of very talented people (to NASA). What people seem to miss is the part played by Canadians working in Canada.
  11. harry carnie from Northern,B.C., Canada writes: Hurrah..for CANADA!
  12. Combative American from Minneapolis, United States writes: Though some might question the need of a report of a Canadian built weather station, it doesn't reduce the fact that it was built in Canada (not Taiwan), and given birth via Canadian brainpower utilized along a specific R&D direction.

    It is newsworthy because of all of these factors, including the fact that it is a very viable component in and amongst a space craft that incorporates thousands of similar pieces of well engineered instrumentation.

    For those of you nattering away at the story itself, all you have to do is to look at the scope and breadth of this mission, the tens of thousands of man-hours it took to get it off the ground, and the coordinated plans needed to make it into space and you will see why it was brought to light in the first place and how it applies to you, the average citizen.

    Way to go, Canada.
  13. Michael Sharp from Victoria, Canada writes:

    Thank God it's not a robot leg.

    I don't think I could stand that.
  14. Dean The Machine from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Holy smokes, people complaining the government shouldn't spend money on space exploration either? Shouldn't spend money on the Military. Shouldn't do this, shouldn't do that. Blah! Blah! I know...why don't we give to Air Canada? Now that's a sound investment.
  15. Jake Richardson from Kingston, Canada writes: Mr. Reilly from Canukistan, writes: If they can put a weather station on Mars why can't they at least give us Canadians an accurate three day forecast.
    ----
    This shows why being a comedian is harder than it looks.
  16. Wealthy CEO of a Canada Retailer, We sell everything 50% Higher in Canada from Canada writes: As long as it is built with a foreign government's money and donated to NASA for free, I see no reason why NASA won't install it. After all, it is not a key component. Canadians got mentioned in Canada news papers (no other countries report that) - a great thing that money can buy. Keep taxing us and pissing off monies for good cause.
  17. J S from Toronto, Canada writes: Combative American from Minneapolis, United States - thank you for the excellent post.
  18. James P from Spruce Grove, Canada writes: Counting the days....I love this space stuff!
  19. Michael Sharp from Victoria, Canada writes:

    Seriously?

    I'm a space nut.

    I'm betting there's life on Mars.

    Then this...

    Did you know that there is no way to completely disinfect a spacecraft such that it doesn't introduce earth organisms on Mars.

    There is life on Mars.

    We put it there.
  20. James P from Spruce Grove, Canada writes: If there is life there we'll know about it soon.What gets me is the fact we might have transferred it there by asteroid and the life we find is our own.
  21. della baird from vancouver, Canada writes: dee vancouver: why do humans have to disrupt everything in the universe? now we know there's no man 'in' the moon,mars can be very dangerous,shooting stars are dying stars,etc,etc, etc. to heck, i still believe in faeries, wish upon a star,become 'moonstruck'. why don't you people 'lay off' so some of us can still dream!
  22. Claude Carriere from Canada writes: The climate near the north pole of Mars is exceedingly cold. The temperature isn't expected to rise above minus 33 C and could dip as low as minus 73 C.
    -----------------------------------------

    A typical winter in Winipeg.

    I guess this is a way to look for more land to expand on, maybe we can find more oil there.
  23. michael morris from Prescott, Canada writes: Why is this news - BECAUSE CANADA IS A LAND OF LOSERS!
  24. harry potter from Toronto, Canada writes: For Globe and Mail news relating to Khadrs and little connection US Mars project is great news. As some one pointed we have nothing much to talk about besides minute connections we have with some countries.

    By the way we are good at spending tax dollars for wrong reasons and this is not one of them.
  25. Al Bore from O-T-T-A-W-A, Canada writes: Oh, the Canadian Connection.
    Where would we be as a country if we didn't have the Canadian slant on every American success story.
    It makes me laugh when the Canadian media always find some Canadian connection to a current news story.
    Maybe we can find some connection to Britney Spears and Stephane Dion.
    3rd cousins twice removed maybe, and then we can clain Britney Spears as "Canada's Own" y'all!

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