Curiosity, are you excited?

[Singularly Datarific]

"Why does everyone care about Mars?" -Facebook Friend
We care because the will to explore, I believe, is nested deep within us. It is a test of us as the Human Race- a test of our intellect against a world of obstacles. It is a test we passed. Seeing that rover land means we succeeded as a race, that we saw past our differences as individuals and banded together to discover the world we inhabit, and in the end, discover ourselves.

 

[Jonluw]

Yeah, since we get events like this every day of the week, it's nothing to get all excited about it.

C'mon man a lab just landed on a different planet!

I'll get excited if the lab finds something to be excited about.
I'm simply not the type to be excited over the possibility to find something cool. I'll be excited by the possibilities finding something cool will unveil.

It's like if someone built a new, slightly more powerful, computer. Whoop-dee-doo, has happened before. No cause for celebration. But if the computer happens to be just powerful enough to create genuine artificial intelligence... High fives all around.

 

[Ledan]

Watching the parts fly off the pod made me wonder about something: Will mars eventually be cluttered with all the debris?
Would be kinda odd to arrive to Mars, and find it a trash-yard

Probably won't happen, cause we would need an incredible amount of missions, but still interesting how we will deal with those parts. One day.

Not as exciting as the current SCIENCE! Let's find some oil/gold/platinum/crust of diamond/something to get those greedy business people to invest in sending stuff there.

 

[A Satanic Panda]

Yeah, since we get events like this every day of the week, it's nothing to get all excited about it.

C'mon man a lab just landed on a different planet!

I'll get excited if the lab finds something to be excited about.
I'm simply not the type to be excited over the possibility to find something cool. I'll be excited by the possibilities finding something cool will unveil.

It's like if someone built a new, slightly more powerful, computer. Whoop-dee-doo, has happened before. No cause for celebration. But if the computer happens to be just powerful enough to create genuine artificial intelligence... High fives all around.

I don't think you get it. We were sending small RC cars and rovers the size of mopeds that could only take telemetry, barometric data, stuff a weather station can do. But now we have a car sized remote lab on Mars. It even runs on a small reactor that has a minimum life of 14 years. Hell add a bit more space and life support and it's a capsule that can ferry humans.

Spoiler: It's more like jumping from a 4 function calculator to super computer.

 

[Guffe]

It is some interestong stuff going on.
The sad thing is I think this will stay pretty much in the dark until they actually find something.
But hey, a lab on mars, all we now need is some big ass MarsWorm that surfaces and swallows it whole!

 

[piinyouri]

Wow, I had NO idea this thing was that big.
Reason enough to be exited, I don't believe we've ever sent something this large to Mars.

 

[Jonluw]

Yeah, since we get events like this every day of the week, it's nothing to get all excited about it.

C'mon man a lab just landed on a different planet!

I'll get excited if the lab finds something to be excited about.
I'm simply not the type to be excited over the possibility to find something cool. I'll be excited by the possibilities finding something cool will unveil.

It's like if someone built a new, slightly more powerful, computer. Whoop-dee-doo, has happened before. No cause for celebration. But if the computer happens to be just powerful enough to create genuine artificial intelligence... High fives all around.

I don't think you get it. We were sending small RC cars and rovers the size of mopeds that could only take telemetry, barometric data, stuff a weather station can do. But now we have a car sized remote lab on Mars. It even runs on a small reactor that has a minimum life of 14 years. Hell add a bit more space and life support and it's a capsule that can ferry humans.

Spoiler: It's more like jumping from a 4 function calculator to super computer.

*Yaaaawwwn*​

Like I said: Nothing particularly exciting or marvelous about that.

It's cool that they've managed to rocket all that equipment out there, but I'm not the type to be excited about the prospect of exciting results.
Call me when they've actually gathered some data that is unique in nature to this trip, and actually has some relevance.
(That is to say, if they find out the sand on Mars is mostly made of silica, hold your horses. If it's mostly made of organic compounds though...)

 

[GenericAmerican]

To celebrate Nasa's achievement here is a picture of the Milky Way from the surface of Mars.

Spoiler

 

[Cowabungaa]

I can't help but feel all this excitement some of you are exuding is incredibly forced, as if to compensate for the fact that NASA's space programs are not being funded as much as they were. I mean, relax guys. It's just Mars. Sure, this is an achievement, but the thing has barely gotten underway! Can we at least wait until it actually finds something cool before we piss our pants with glee?

I'm sorry...what? Just...what? Human beings just moved a goddamn one ton moving laboratory to another goddamn planet. Did you even look at the contraption involved?

Like I said: Nothing particularly exciting or marvelous about that.

Really? Really?! That's just saddening... Space exploration needs better PR because anyone not seeing this as an awe-inspiring accomplishment is either out of their minds or extremely poorly informed. I mean, nothing marvelous?! What?! Good gods where do I even begin. I mean holy shit we send that thing hurtling almost 50 million miles through space then have it land all on it's own using a freakin' flying crane. On an alien planet. How is that not amazing? The amount of effort, risk and skill involved and how much of a jump forward this really is.

I guess Death was right about humans; only they can invent boredom in a universe so full of wonders.

 

[Jonluw]

Like I said: Nothing particularly exciting or marvelous about that.

Really? Really?! That's just saddening... Space exploration needs better PR because anyone not seeing this as an awe-inspiring accomplishment is either out of their minds or extremely poorly informed. I mean, nothing marvelous?! What?! Good gods where do I even begin. I mean holy shit we send that thing hurtling almost 50 million miles through space then have it land all on it's own using a freakin' flying crane. On an alien planet. How is that not amazing? The amount of effort, risk and skill involved and how much of a jump forward this really is.

I guess Death was right about humans; only they can invent boredom in a universe so full of wonders.

We've sent stuff hurtling through million miles of space many times before. I'm sort of baffled by why people consider this such a milestone. It's not like we're doing anything radically new: we're just sending more equipment out there.
Don't get me wrong. I love that this is happening, and I think it's good that we've finally got the equipment to do some serious data collecting out there, but it's not a milestone.

Personally, I think the fact that we've managed to build the LHC is more exciting than the fact that we've managed to send a probe to Mars.

Still, the building of the LHC in itself: not all that exciting.
When we found the boson however: That's some shit right there!

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

The fact they landed something the size of a small car on another planet is impressive enough in its own right, but its mission could lead to a manned mission in the future. That's pretty damn exciting.

 

[Kolby Jack]

I can't help but feel all this excitement some of you are exuding is incredibly forced, as if to compensate for the fact that NASA's space programs are not being funded as much as they were. I mean, relax guys. It's just Mars. Sure, this is an achievement, but the thing has barely gotten underway! Can we at least wait until it actually finds something cool before we piss our pants with glee?

I'm sorry...what? Just...what? Human beings just moved a goddamn one ton moving laboratory to another goddamn planet. Did you even look at the contraption involved?

Like I said: Nothing particularly exciting or marvelous about that.

Really? Really?! That's just saddening... Space exploration needs better PR because anyone not seeing this as an awe-inspiring accomplishment is either out of their minds or extremely poorly informed. I mean, nothing marvelous?! What?! Good gods where do I even begin. I mean holy shit we send that thing hurtling almost 50 million miles through space then have it land all on it's own using a freakin' flying crane. On an alien planet. How is that not amazing?

I guess Death was right about humans; only they can invent boredom in a universe so full of wonders.

Oh, blah blah blah, poetic nonsense blah. Try and pump this up all you want, the fact of the matter is there is NOTHING to get excited about until this things actually gets some results. It could break down in 5 minutes for all we know. I'm happy the thing is there and moving, I am. But I'm not going to throw my fists in the air just because it landed. Everyone always comments on how bullshit it is to give kids ribbons for participation. Well why are we doing it for NASA? We paid for results, so how about we wait for them before we tell NASA "good job, sport!"?

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Spoiler: It's more like jumping from a 4 function calculator to super computer.

Damm, I thought it was similar size to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.

Hey isn't one of those older rovers still going?

 

[RedDeadFred]

Maybe we'll discover mass effect technology, wouldn't that be fun?

My dream would come true. Maybe Bioware are secretly aliens in disguise and they made the Mass Effect video games to educate us on the galaxy.

 

[Naeras]

As a biologist I'm extremely intrigued as to what Curiosity might find out in regards to stuff like water and the potential for life, or at least what potential the planet might have had. And as a scientist in general, I believe my stance on this mission can be summarized with "SCIENCE FUCK YEAH".

 

[Cooperblack]

Spoiler: It's more like jumping from a 4 function calculator to super computer.

Damm, I thought it was similar size to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.

Hey isn't one of those older rovers still going?

Yup Opportunity is still kicking around when it gets it's solar panels cleared once in a while.

 

[Cowabungaa]

]We've sent stuff hurtling through million miles of space many times before. I'm sort of baffled by why people consider this such a milestone. It's not like we're doing anything radically new: we're just sending more equipment out there.
Don't get me wrong. I love that this is happening, and I think it's good that we've finally got the equipment to do some serious data collecting out there, but it's not a milestone.

Yes, yes it is. Ask any NASA engineer. This baby is preparing us for a manned mission to Mars. A moving, nuclear powered one ton laboratory designed to help put people on other planets. We went from skipping about with rickety, wooden and cloth things on grass fields to planning to send people to alien freakin' planets in one human lifetime. Holy fucking shit.

Personally, I think the fact that we've managed to build the LHC is more exciting than the fact that we've managed to send a probe to Mars.

Still, the building of the LHC in itself: not all that exciting.
When we found the boson however: That's some shit right there!

Building the LHC not exciting?! Building the Curiosity not exciting?! Can you even comprehend the jump made by humanity here? We went in about a century from building this:

to building goddamn this:

How anyone can not be in awe of this amazing achievement, how anyone can describe this as mundane is beyond me.

Oh, blah blah blah, poetic nonsense blah. Try and pump this up all you want, the fact of the matter is there is NOTHING to get excited about until this things actually gets some results. It could break down in 5 minutes for all we know. I'm happy the thing is there and moving, I am. But I'm not going to throw my fists in the air just because it landed. Everyone always comments on how bullshit it is to give kids ribbons for participation. Well why are we doing it for NASA? We paid for results, so how about we wait for them before we tell NASA "good job, sport!"?

Same as above. Nothing excited about this...good grief. This is the pinnacle of human skill and engineering and you say it's nothing special. *sigh* If you want poetry go to Sagan, these are just the facts.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

I was very excited. Watching the room full of people who've spent the past 8 years working on this mission, hearing them go into estactics over a simple step of the plan working, and getting the first picture back was amazing to watch live.

Than again, I was kinda high, so it would have been hard not to be excited.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Spoiler: It's more like jumping from a 4 function calculator to super computer.

Damm, I thought it was similar size to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.

Hey isn't one of those older rovers still going?

Yup Opportunity is still kicking around when it gets it's solar panels cleared once in a while.

Considering it was only meant to run for 90 days, that quite an achievement.

And Sprit lasted pretty long as well.

Spoiler

 

[Jonluw]

]We've sent stuff hurtling through million miles of space many times before. I'm sort of baffled by why people consider this such a milestone. It's not like we're doing anything radically new: we're just sending more equipment out there.
Don't get me wrong. I love that this is happening, and I think it's good that we've finally got the equipment to do some serious data collecting out there, but it's not a milestone.

Yes, yes it is. Ask any NASA engineer. This baby is preparing us for a manned mission to Mars.

Every space mission ever has been bringing us closer to manned missions to [wherever].
This is just the next step.

A moving, nuclear powered one ton laboratory designed to help put people on other planets. We went from skipping about with rickety, wooden and cloth things on grass fields to planning to send people to alien freakin' planets in one human lifetime. Holy fucking shit.

Building the LHC not exciting?! Building the Curiosity not exciting?! Can you even comprehend the jump made by humanity here? We went in about a century from building this:
snip
to building goddamn this:
[snip]

How anyone can not be in awe of this amazing achievement, how anyone can describe this as mundane is beyond me.

You're presenting that as if we went from rickety hanggliders to Mars rovers in one step. We didn't.

Yeah, holy fucking shit. We were at the point where we were sending people out into space and hoping to send them to other planets fifty bloody years ago.

From there on, the endavour to bring people to our closest, least hostile, planet has been a gradual process.
We've been working, step by step, towards reaching a goal. You're talking like we have reached that goal already. We haven't.
We've gotten closer, sure, but we got closer with every previous step as well.

If you're going over to some girl's place to get laid, do you celebrate for each city block you pass on the way there?
"Yay, we've come a fair bit closer towards getting laid"

The way you're presenting it is just disingenuous.
"Went from this [picture of primitive plane] to this [picture of Mars rover]"

While it's not techically wrong, a more reasonable comparison would be to say we went from this:

To this:

Comparing every step forward to the starting position without ever taking into account the last step you took will just wear you out.
If you acted like that in regards to every other aspect of life, you would have to piss yourself with excitement every time a new cellphone model came out.

Modern cellphones have the same data power as the entire system used to run the Apollo expedition (I think it was), yet you aren't freaking out every time you're touching one thinking of the very first cellphones that you had to carry on your back, are you?


When we actually put a person on Mars
When we have reached the goal
I will accept your going "We went from this:

To this:"

And I'll be right there pissing myself with glee along with you.

But I'm not going to react like that for every step forward we take. That'd be silly.