Why does NASA always land in craters on Mars?

a reply to: Xeven

Who gives a snip. It's a barren ball of rock. There's nothing we can learn from Mars that we can't learn on our own planet.

originally posted by: Xeven
Why does NASA always land in craters on Mars? This is a bit of a conspiracy to me.

They don't.

In fact they've typically stayed away from craters and landed in far more boring flat areas due to them being safe landing areas.

BTW: Craters on Mars often were once lakes.

Many lakes on Earth formed initially as craters of one type or another.

I encourage you, if you're actually interested in Mars to do some reading on the subject rather than just make up conspiracy theories without basis.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Xeven

Who gives a snip. It's a barren ball of rock. There's nothing we can learn from Mars that we can't learn on our own planet.

There is always something to learn from other planets. Often what we learn there tells us more about the Earth than studying it.

originally posted by: Ceeker63
I think they should simple carry a bunch of drones on the next landing. Once everything is settled down release all the drones and let them fly around, and drive around looking at everything. We could keep track of everyone of them from the mother lander. The drones would not have to be that big, they could be solar recharged and keep on going.

Can drones fly in the very tenous martian atmosphere?

originally posted by: wildespace

originally posted by: Ceeker63
I think they should simple carry a bunch of drones on the next landing. Once everything is settled down release all the drones and let them fly around, and drive around looking at everything. We could keep track of everyone of them from the mother lander. The drones would not have to be that big, they could be solar recharged and keep on going.

Can drones fly in the very tenous martian atmosphere?

Yes. There is even a proposed NASA mission to send one there called ARES.(Aerial Regional-Scale Environmental Survey)

Also known as the Mars Airplane or Marsplane.


Anyone going on about why NASA doesn't send drones to Mars should open up their wallet.

a reply to: JadeStar

Very good, but again the point I make on these thread is captured in your language 'plans to send one there'. Why only one (besides money)? If NASA would say "We have plans to send 75 there, so please fund those missions" congress may grumble and moan, and then fund 25. Maybe it takes large plans to obtain medium-size success.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: JadeStar

Very good, but again the point I make on these thread is captured in your language 'plans to send one there'. Why only one (besides money)? If NASA would say "We have plans to send 75 there, so please fund those missions" congress may grumble and moan, and then fund 25. Maybe it takes large plans to obtain medium-size success.

No they wouldn't.

The large plans which have been made including manned missions to Mars, a series of space telescopes to take pictures of nearby planets like Earth, etc all have failed to get funding.

Only by going small did missions like Curiosity and Kepler get funded.

Congress is not about funding big dreams. America stopped dreaming big about Space sometime in the Nixon administration.

a reply to: Xeven

Craters are the only area that they (locals) will allow to land in.