View Full Version : Beagle II - is it me, or is this a historic event?
Pilotage
21st Dec 2003, 18:05
As I understand it, Beagle II lands on Mars shortly, specifically early in the morning on Christmas day (all going to plan anyhow).
Now, I may be allowing a little national pride to cloud my judgement, but I can't help feel that the first landing on Mars for about a decade, and the first British landing on another planet is a cause for mild celebration. By jove, we Brits might even allow our emotions to show briefly with a word of mild congratulation to the boffins who made it happen.
So why, with 7 BBC channels, umpteen independent channels, and quite a few national radio stations does (according to the listings section in the Sunday Times anyway) nobody in the broadcast media feel any urge to show a programme about it - possibly even a live broadcast from the control room?
Have the British media finally lost the plot completely?
P
Shaggy Sheep Driver
21st Dec 2003, 19:33
For the same reason that BBC didn't even mention Concorde's last ever flight Heathrow to Bristol last month in their main news bulletin at 10:00 pm, despite many thousands of people at Heathrow and blocking the streets of Bristol. Not even a mention!
Or, completely unbelieveably, giving NO coverage at all on the two main TV channels (BBC1 and BBC2) to clebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight last Wednesday. I wrote and complained to them about this, and recieved a reply pointing out all the relevant programs available on BBC4. I replied that this was precisely my point - this historic and highly relevant centenary was relegated, by our public service broacaster, to a fringe channel that few people can watch.
So the BBC is just another media company - a perveyor of soaps, sport, and trivia. So why do they enjoy the privaledge of funding through the licence fee if they completely ignore events like this? Isn't that what a public service broadcaster is supposed to do - bring such intrinsically important events to the viewing public?
Yes, they have lost the plot IMHO, and the licence fee should therefore be scrapped.
SSD
God forbid anything should interfere with the regular showing of Christmas EastEnders, another 'this really is the last ever, honest guv, would we lie to you' episode of Only Fools & Horses, the annual repeat of the 1973 Morecambe and Wise show or all the other tinsel-tinged crap...
Then again it could be worse. They could have a programme introduced by Clive Anderson who just sneers at it in that smug way he sneers at absolutely everything.
(I have NEVER forgiven the BBC for puttin him in charge of the programme they did on the Mars Pathfinder - when Anderson compared it to a tonka toy and Patrick Moore looked like he was ready to get up and thump him one.)
The media is full of people who are Media Studies graduates and thus have never had to use their brain.
We all hope it will work 'as advertised'and it will be a fantastic achievement for the UK, which willl put us back at the forefront of space technology. So far it has worked brilliantly - the team deserve a huge pat-on-the-back for that alone.
If you are reading, guys and girls, we are with you and have our digits crossed!
Smoketoomuch
22nd Dec 2003, 03:12
The BBC will not under any circumstances praise Britain, its traditions, history or accomplishments. Such dangerous thoughts have been expunged by the 'Diversity Department'.
Reporters have been banned from referring to Saddam as 'dictator / former dictator' [too judgmental] and are instructed to use 'president / former pres.]
It appears they might have banned Christmas too - I have only heard it referred to as the 'festive season'.
Torres
22nd Dec 2003, 14:45
Maybe it's because of British conservatism? After all, the idea for most good things in aviation, originated in the UK. :ok:
The Comet, Concorde, Barnes Wallis, the Wellington, Neville Norway, the Whittle engine, Britten Norman, the Vulcan etc etc.
(And I intentionally didn't include the Trislander in that list!) :{
airgage
22nd Dec 2003, 15:07
I feel you may be a little harsh judging the BBC programming before the "day" is out.
Is it not likely that we will see that Del and Rodney supplied the team with the parts for the Beagle II from bits that "Monkey Harris" had in a container from Russia along with some iffy Vodka?
Is it not likely too, that the BBC will report that the Beagle II will attempt to communicate with other intelligent lifeforms by transmitting the Christmas Morcambe and Wise show 1972?
This will all enable repeats of the event for many seasons to come.
I should imagine that on Sunday evening there will be a docudrama with "Grant Mitchell" as an ex -special services agent ensuring that the capitalist business plot to stop Beagle II going to mars and uncovering an environmental disater caused by dumping nuclear waste on mars in the 1960's......
I sometimes feel that we do not fully give the BBC the credit it shuold deserve, if you see what I mean.......
vintage ATCO
24th Dec 2003, 16:07
The Today programme has said the callsign of the craft is Beagle 2 . . . .
Who are they talking to on it?? :confused: :p
VA
treadigraph
24th Dec 2003, 16:09
You obviously don't read Mil Forum, Vintage ATCO. BEagle...:ok:
airgage
24th Dec 2003, 17:18
Well we all underated the BBC and the coverage they aim to give this topic. Starting last night and following through today their was a 20 second news item that the odds on Life On Mars had been shortened due to the imminent landing of Beagle II.
Rumour also has it that Ch4 scrapheap challenge programme will be doing a similar project in the new year.
RileyDove
25th Dec 2003, 01:53
I think once they have either proved or disproved intelligent life on Mars they should send it back into South Yorkshire to discover
if all young lads steal cars there and why the BBC commission's
programs about them!
PPRuNe Pop
25th Dec 2003, 05:57
BEags, I really hope you don't get bruised when you land, and everything works..............some trip eh? ;)
treadigraph
25th Dec 2003, 06:48
And if you discover any Vulcans up there, well now, that would be Spocky... I mean spooky...
airgage
25th Dec 2003, 17:35
Presumably the film will be called:
wait for it:
The (B)eagle has landed................
Merry Christmas
Woomera
26th Dec 2003, 05:02
Sadly, from the news it looks like Beagle didn't make it. A safe landing was probably always a bit of a long shot.
This may explain the problem? (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113319)
I guess one needs to be Dunnunda to appreciate the subtlety....
BEagle
28th Dec 2003, 06:07
Look, I'm sitting here listening to 9-tone Blur and it's driving me nuts! My little Martian chums (who, incidentally, look nothing like the tin robots in the old Cadbury's Smash commercials!) are also asking whether someone will please answer the ruddy phone as they too are getting fed up with the racket!
They do have one question though. Having seen that Earthlings had cracked the science of supersonic passenger transport, they can't understand why it's now been stopped - and wonder what sort of an idiot would make such a decision...
Iron City
29th Dec 2003, 22:24
BEagle:
Twasn't an idiot, it was a committee.
Pilotage
31st Dec 2003, 07:31
Link to today's Daily Telegraph website...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2003/12/31/matt.gif
P
treadigraph
31st Dec 2003, 15:36
Two good cartoons in the Sunday Telegraph this week... Not verbatim as I've binned the paper...
Princess Ann and disgraced Dottie are walking past a newspaper bill board: Beagle Missing! Says Ann, "I suppose you'll get the blame for that as well..." .
Small alien child howls with the mortal remains of Beagle II in his hands. Alien parent to other: "Typical! You get them a hi-tech present and they've broken it within five minutes".