We found rocks on Mars!

It's just very funny to me that this seems to be getting more coverage on the television than the INVASION in Iraq. We're wasting money and time on going to mars for what, the fourth time? It's really stupid. And those questions are irrelevant, you twisted my words around.

 

so an unmanned mission to mars has no direct link to the occupaion of Iraq, earthquakes in China or sub sea level coastal cities. Agreed

 

If you were to chose a first safe place to land would you chose the inside of an active volcano or a nice open field? Yes we are finding rocks but the samples show us the existence of water one of the basic building blocks for life.

On a side note not all things we learn from going in space stay in space. Computers alone have come along way in an effort to combat the perils of space.

 

The probe isn't there to "find rocks". It's there to study Martian soil and ice. It's a mini-laboratory.

 

This mission was only 420 million.

 

While we're discussing NASA and dollars, NASA spent outlandish amounts of money trying to create a pen that writes in zero gravity.

The Russians used a pencil.

 

^hahaha yep. But rest assured, we're going to find something important. One of these centuries. It'll be worth it!