I love the swooning rocket jockey below who is "flabbergasted" to find that "Opportunity has touched down in a bizarre alien landscape." Well, it *is* another planet; he was expecting maybe Kansas? More to the point -- if you've seen the photos -- Dr. Science here has pretty low standards for defining "bizarre."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/science/space/25MARS.html?hp
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Well yes, perhaps.
But to be fair, planetary scientists, well acquainted with the composition and characteristics of soil under conditions found on Earth, might notice truly bizarre aspects of Martian soil which are lost to the rest of us who think we're only looking at familiar formations of sand and rocks.
Trained eyes see more.
And, I think it's natural to be excited into hyperbole by the successful touchdown of the vehicle onto a bit of Mars never before seen at such close quarters.
There are many reasons to criticize and maintain a cool distance from the space program. Robotic probes however, are undeniably excellent achievements and not wholly unworthy of the excitement they generate.
DRM