back to article Two years on, Curiosity's still in the same crater

Its wheels are eroding and its (parody) Twitter account is grumpy, but the Mars Curiosity Rover has celebrated two years in space. Yes, it has been two years since we sat on the edges of our seats, watching (if we were able to) or listening (in the case of this scribe, who was in his car at the time, thankful for the broadcast …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meanwhile

    2km away a small Martian town echoing to the sounds of 'is that all they can come up with?' awaits discovery.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "It's wheels are eroding"

    Its wheels are being eroded.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: "It's wheels are eroding"

      It's wheels dey are for da rollin' and one of this days dey gonna roll right outta da crater!

    2. Trigonoceps occipitalis

      Re: "It's wheels are eroding"

      No, the wheels are eroding Mars.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    " a small Martian town"

    So that's where the vandals who slashed Curiosity's tyres came from.

  4. lawndart

    Unexpected behaviour

    "Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose any more. Goodbye."

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: Unexpected behaviour

      [Shot heard, somewhat muffled in a thin martian atmosphere]

  5. Annihilator

    6th August 1945, we detonated the first nuclear weapon in anger.

    6th August 2012, we landed the first nuclear powered probe on another planet.

    Sombre parallel, but I'm cautiously optimistic about our progression as a species.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. alwarming

      I like the optimism with human race.

      Having said that, I must note that RTGs are being developed since 50s[1].

      And 1970s vikings used it as well [2].

      Also, they aren't exaclty true nuclear reactor/bomb powered, more like isotope decay powered [3].

      [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mound_Laboratories

      [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Nuclear-powered_robots

      [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator

  6. bed

    Two years on Mars

    "Rover has celebrated two years in space... "

    While, IMHO, space is the empty bits between the hard bits, the OED gives one definition as "A continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied", which, in this case, would certainly apply, if was not for, just out of camer view, the little green men holding up placards with the martian equivalent of "NASA go home"

  7. Fluffy Bunny
    Angel

    Boredom

    "still in the same crater" - one of the things that separates intelligent things from mere machines is the ability to be bored. The rover that has been stuck in the same crater should be showing signs of boredom. Imminent computer failure doesn't count.

    The sooner we get real people onto Mars, the sooner we start to really learn things about the planet.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Boredom

      > The sooner we get real people onto Mars

      Expecting this to happen anytime soon or result in more than "meh" from the based generation. Unless someone suicides while on tour or gets horribly mangled by radiation/incontinent airlocks/lithobraking.

      > the sooner we start to really learn things about the planet.

      Implying those robots are unsuitable to "learn things about the planet". At least they can stay longer than 48 hours.

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