[lbryce]

Taking into consideration all that was involved in the success of Mars Opportunity Rover, you've really got to be absolutely staggered by its accomplishments, none the least of which, despite only planned for a 90 Martian day mission, it is now in its 2nd decade exploring Mars. That's an astounding achievement and NASA deserves all the accolades it can gather in celebration. Just comparing what we've accomplished to the very sorry record in which Russia has tried to make a go of it on Mars only to fail repeatedly time after time demonstrates the difficulties it involves. But, our successes have been very real, despite Russia's problems and we only have ourselves to congratulate.

[al baby]

How is all of this going to further Islamic outreach ?

[sean327]

Just think what could have been accomplished had we not wasted our time with that damn Space Shuttle. The shuttle program was the biggest boondoggle in the history of NASA. We flushed everything we gained from the Apollo program right down the crapper when we went all out for a giant friggin glider.

[ETL]

Wikipedia has since removed most of the content below. But you can find it easily elsewhere.

Sheila Jackson Lee
Member of the U.S. House
of Representatives
from Texas's 18th district

On a visit to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2005, Jackson Lee made embarrassing news by asking if the Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted there in 1969 by Neil Armstrong.[2]

Prior to the 110th Congress, Jackson Lee served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Jackson_Lee#Political_career

[GeronL]

These things were supposed to last a few months.

[GeronL]

A 90-day mission and they lasted this long. The rover-building unions must hate that.

[imardmd1]

outcrops of potential clay minerals

aluminohydrosilicates from igneous deposits? Outcrops of sedimentary materials? Potential based on what mechanism?

formed in liquid water

Water runs uphill to this promontory?

. . . life . . .

Life from non-life?

Whoa!

Was this a scientific project, or was it a religious exercise? The writer here has a very active imagination.

Give the facts without interpretation, please.