[cyclotic]

NASA must have a history of longer than expected lifespan. In December 1995, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite launched. It went live in May 1996, (the month and year one of my son’s was born) for a planned two-year solar study mission.

Last year, that same son joined their flight operations team as a college job. He actually said in the job interview “I was born for this job.”)

It’s almost 20 years past it’s scheduled life cycle.

[sparklite2]

A Mars Rover's Lament

All day I faced the Martian waste without the taste of water;
cool water.

At JPL the jerks at work sip Evian: I die for water;
cool clear water.

The nights are cold and I've been told each star's
a pool of water; cool water.

But with the dawn I'll switch back on
and MastCamBate for water; cool water.

Load an infra-scan; exploration is the plan;
you're a robot not a man and the broken rocks can stand for water; cool clear water.

MRO, can't you see that big green tree
where water's runnin' free and it's waiting there for

Error. Stack overflow.

[Flick Lives]

[CtBigPat]

Mars is a planet entirely populated by alien robots!