Originally Posted by
gemma-the-husky:
“that's what they want you to think.
”
The pictures l've seen were taken by the European Mars Express orbiter (not a US probe) and, close up, they are a bit like the worn mesas of Utah state and they are quite clearly geological in origin.
Originally Posted by gkec:
“I suspect that the $2.5 billion was for the whole mission whereas the $120 is just for Beagle and not the launch or orbiter. Interplanetary launches are VERY expensive”
True but the electronic turkey that was Beagle 2 actually hitched a last minute ride with the European Mars Express orbiter that already destined for Mars anyway so there was no real launch cost for Beagle 2 if you see what l mean. The former turned out to be a lamentable failure*
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4542174.stm whilst the latter was a stunning success
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Express.
*The Ghoul of Mars strikes again and I'm sure that it'll take an interest in the Mars Science Laboratory aka Curiosity that's now in its way to the Red Planet! (it's already dispatched Phobos-Grunt to an early demise)