[Central Scrutiniser]

Mark, for a first mission to mars by the Brits, they did a fantastic job. Their mission was funded on a shoestring and they were using untried tech. They were able to get an orbiter to mars and put it in a stabilized orbit and will be yielding valuable data. Science is not a zero sum game. I am estatic that both craft made it to mars, and hoping that Opportunity has a sucessful landing.

As for the anti american crowd, I hear ya, the kooks and blood dancers at the other site are so freaking loony that they are starting to look like a parody of themselves.

[McGavin999]

You are right, the Brits did a fabulous job and they'll learn from that mission and the next one will be successful. But it was important to us that this one of ours was a success, because of what NASA has been through, and because of all the nasty anti-Americanism over in europe.

[Mark Felton]

There's no doubt the Brits did a fine job and we all will learn much from their efforts.

Science and technology gain almost as much from the failures as the successes.

The US has learned from our previous failed Mars missions.