Posted on 09/19/2006 6:39:34 AM PDT by KevinDavis
Though it's not quite the outer space equivalent of the JFK assassination, a London researcher may have solved a Mars mystery that has vexed astronomers for decades.
Mariner 4, a U.S. spacecraft that captured the first pictures of Mars, was strafed 39 years ago today while coasting near the red planet -- but what did the damage has remained unknown.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnews.canoe.ca ...
Now if we could only clear up the Mysterious Face on Mars situation I could sleep nights...
"Meteor storm"? No - it was an Imperial Death Star.
I figured it was the Martian "Star Wars" system that went into a defensive mode when the Mariner never replied to it's IFF warnings.
The rest of the article is interesting in that the source says more protection for Mars probes is needed; also this brings to mind the Soviet-era probe which reached Martian orbit, turned on its camera, and briefly recorded the "something that shouldn't be there" pile of rock that smashed the probe. :') For that matter, another Russian probe stopped transmitting suddenly while on its way to Mars.
Historically, Mars has been a very "resistant" planet. The success rate of probes sent there has been low.
So far, the US has been the best at it, but we've also sent the most. :')
No, it was the PU36 Explosive Space Modulator.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.