Google’s built a beautiful galactic simulation. Go look at it. Oh, and private companies doing stuff like this, but on grand scales – is this the future of big, bold science?
When one of the U.S. Air Force’s top future strategy guys starts dorking out on how we’ve gotta at least begin considering what to do when a progressively decaying yet apocalyptically belligerent sun begins BBQing the earth, attention is payed.
Getting a 2000lb. (907KG) nuclear-powered super-sensitive rover the size of a Mini Cooper to Mars, in one piece, and then have it go about its science and report back… well, the effort alone is monumental, and its success will be entirely profound.