Bermuda Triangle of the Solar System: Mars

On one hand, I'm amazed we manage to get anything on the surface of Mars in working order. On the other hand, I'm amazed we've screwed up so many times.

I'm easily amazed.

Sorry, double post. How amazing is that?

We've sent a large number of them, there is more opportunities for things to go wrong. Also Mars' atmosphere is a problem, it isn't thick enough to slow things down much, but it is thick enough to complicate landing.

QuantumIguana said:

We've sent a large number of them, there is more opportunities for things to go wrong. Also Mars' atmosphere is a problem, it isn't thick enough to slow things down much, but it is thick enough to complicate landing.

Click to expand...

But what still bothers is the number of missions that never get near Mars despite being accurately aimed and programmed.

No, I'm not suggesting aliens. I'm suggesting things like Coronal Mass Ejections and flares causing bubbles of plasma floating out through the system that we can't see and don't spot the origin of. What happens when our craft zip through one on the way to Mars? Are the craft sufficiently shielded? Are there thin dust clouds left over from previous comet passages that they might pass through and pelt the craft to malfunctioning? I think we need to deploy satellites throughout the system to get a better handle on the system's terrain and conditions as it were.