Disappointments last but briefly, while Mars waits forever. It’s time to let a little of the eternal cosmos sink in to relieve the sharp sense of loss that has descended on the Mars project. Silence from the Mars probes sent to the Red Planet have stirred the dust of failure back on Earth, with repercussions about money, planning and perhaps public enthusiasm for further exploration.
December 8th, 1999
Cast, Crew Deny Reports of Bad Blood on ‘Red Planet’
If stories making the rounds are true, the Mars adventure “Red Planet” being filmed in Australia might just as well be dubbed “Prima Donnas in Space.”
December 6th, 1999
Mars: Mission impossible?
The first mission to Mars was attempted by the former Soviet Union – it was a disaster. The Soviets, flushed with the success of their Moon missions, had turned their attentions towards the Red Planet. But in October 1960, two Mars probes failed to leave the Earth’s orbit.
December 5th, 1999
Future Mars Missions Face Scrutiny Yahoo! News
NASA’s ambitious campaign of Mars exploration could face uncertainty after the embarrassing loss of an orbiter in September and the growing likelihood that the Polar Lander may never be contacted. For a third day Sunday, the lander failed to signal Earth, although engineers believe it made a safe landing.
December 3rd, 1999
Blue Skies: The Mars of ‘Total Recall’
Hollywood has done pretty well by Philip K. Dick. In an industry where works of literature rarely make the leap to the big screen unscathed, Dick’s work has spawned not one but two impressive film adaptations — “Blade Runner” (1982) and “Total Recall” (1990) — and at least five other efforts are rumored or on the horizon.
December 1st, 1999
Little Green Men from a Red Planet: Mars on Film
In 1877, astronomer Giovanni Sciaparelli observed what he considered to be “canali” or channels criss-crossing the surface of Mars. Subsequent observation showed that lines on the Red Planet’s face weren’t artificially created, but it was too late — the martian invasion of our psyche had begun.
November 22nd, 1999
China’s launch for respect Christian Science Monitor
With Beijing’s first test flight of a spacecraft capable of sending astronauts into orbit, China is telling the West – as well as its home crowd – it should be treated as a great power on the world stage. Yuan Jiajun, a test flight official at the Chinese Academy of Space Technology says Beijing’s push to send its first astronaut into space is just the first step in a more ambitious program to help found human colonies on the moon and Mars, and then extend man’s reach beyond the solar system.
November 2nd, 1999
Richards student is stamp contest finalist Ledger-Enquirer Online
Ken Avila was among 120,000 participants in the U.S. Postal Service’s “Stompin’ the Future” art contest which asked students to submit designs for postage stamps based on their vision of the 21st Century. There were four winners and 110 finalists.
October 30th, 1999
JPL engineer loves coming home to Kansas The Wichita Eagle
Wichita native Todd Barber giving special presentation on Mars today at Cosmosphere.
October 24th, 1999
A Mars of earthly dilemmas The Record Online
Is it right, or even inevitable, that space-traveling humans change untouched planets and make them more like the world they left behind?