Another brilliant idea from the DWP

[TimberWolf]

Why would they do it and how exactly can they sabotage something about to land on Mars?

Ah, just checked and it was a Russian rocket, so maybe it wasn't the Yanks after all.

[AtW]

Ah, just checked and it was a Russian rocket, so maybe it wasn't the Yanks after all.

It failed to land correctly after getting close to Mars, wtf launching got to do with it?

Beagle 2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[minestrone]

Remember the bull about using open source they were spouting.

Dr Mark Thompson...

These new standards would enable large-scale IT projects to be split into small modular components, meaning that the UK government should never again need to sign an IT software contract worth over £100 million – so no more IT ‘white elephants’.

Osborne...

“We have led the debate on using open source software in government, and I’m delighted that Dr Mark Thompson has come forward with these detailed recommendations. These proposals aren’t just about saving money – they’re about modernising government, making the public sector more innovative and improving public services.”

http://www.conservatives.com/News/Ne..._software.aspx

3 years later they are singing up to another couple of doom projects.

[TimberWolf]

It failed to land correctly after getting close to Mars, wtf launching got to do with it?

Beagle 2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some pesky Rusky could have snipped its antenna. IIRC, we don't know that it failed to land.

[AtW]

Some pesky Rusky could have snipped its antenna. IIRC, we don't know that it failed to land.

Well, what we know is that it detached successfully from the mothership whilst being in orbit on Mars and then never was heard of

[TimberWolf]

Well, what we know is that it detached successfully from the mothership whilst being in orbit on Mars and then never was heard of

The reason I thought the Yanks is because they had a Mars mission on the go at the same time and I recalled Pillinger saying someone had let him down and I thought the Yanks were mentioned. It turns out the only Yank involvement is that Pillinger was going to phone them up, yes by using a phone, to ask them if they could please turn their receivers to the Beagle and see if it was calling home. All very sad. Pillinger blames ESA for something related to his mistake in not leaving the transmitter on permanently rather than after touchdown. Forget the details.

[tractor]

....

Practice makes perfect though - Even Werner von Braun's lot had quite a few mishaps

At least the Indians are trying. When was the last time the UK launched a satellite?

Yes, but we are funding it one way or another lol it doesn't matter if it goes up in smoke when you don't have to pay for it...

[bobspud]

Well, what we know is that it detached successfully from the mothership whilst being in orbit on Mars and then never was heard of

All I heard was a passing flippent comment from a then senior manager who had said we wrote something to handle x and they interfaced in to something else in Y. Was quite serious at the time. I think a few of the directors thought they were about to have to call in their insurers to pay for a whole satellite programme

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch