World awaits crash of failed Russian Mars probe [Sunday or Monday]

msnbc ^ | 1/13/2012 12:33:38 PM ET 2012-01-13T17:33:38 | Leonard David

[MaxMax]

We had one come down in 2008 and it missed my head so I had to vote.
I hope this one finds the target.

[Terry Mross]

We “know” to get to Mars we leave earth and move “out”. But where would we go if we started at the North Pole and went straight “up”? Or if we started at the South Pole and went straight “down”? And what does it look like?

[Bellflower]

Face it... Going to Mars is freaking HARD.

It's nearly a miracle that we have been able to do it. Really awesome.

[Thrownatbirth]

Alice Gorman, a lecturer in the School of Humanities, Department of Archaeology, at Flinders University in South Australia.

The best spokesperson on orbital re-entry physics those shrunken heads at MSNBC could find is a shrunken head expert.

[SunkenCiv]

• Russian Official Suggests Weapon Caused Exploration Spacecraft's Failure (Also Destroyed Kursk)

[bigheadfred]

Shit. Why didn’t I get the memo BEFORE???

[ThunderSleeps]

The fuel is reported to be hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide,

So, wasn't the chance of toxic hydrazine coming down the reason we shot down our errant satellite back in '08??? At first blush it would seem someone is lying. I mean, was the hydrazine really a danger then? Or are they downplaying the danger now?

The only explanation that comes to mind is that our satellite was "dead" and the heaters had shut down and the hydrazine had frozen. Maybe this bird is still semi-alive and the hydrazine is in liquid form and thus more likely to dissipate rather than crash land?

[WSGilcrest]

What’s the chances of it flaming out? That would put on a good show.

[ThunderSleeps]

That would be neat. I've seen a couple of big (relatively, but who knows?) meteors burn up on re-entry. One to the point of leaving a visible smoke trail. Really cool.

Hey, how about that as a really avante garde, expensive art form? Trying various chemicals/compounds/states at re-entry... I'd rather the NEA fund that than some idiot putting a cross in urine...

[Dryman]

My thoughts as well.

[Hotlanta Mike]

New NASA Probe on its Way to Mars

http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech-mainmenu-30/space/9961-new-nasa-probe-on-its-way-to-mars

[DuncanWaring]

I’m thinking there are a lot of possible answers, depending on your velocity leaving the pole.

[colorado tanker]

Grunt!