Meanwhile
2km away a small Martian town echoing to the sounds of 'is that all they can come up with?' awaits discovery.
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 …
This post has been deleted by its author
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
"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"
"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.
> 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.