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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Money on Mars

Posted by on Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 10:31 AM

Not much, but it's something...

685441main_pia16131-43_1024-768.jpg
  • NASA

As far as money goes, Mars is a penny richer than Venus.

 

Comments (11) RSS

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Will in Seattle 1
So that's why we took microbes to Mars, so we could kill off the natives and steal their stuff ...
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on September 11, 2012 at 10:57 AM
2
Abe's had a busy year, between this and all the movies.
Posted by jzimbert on September 11, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Theodore Gorath 3
Why did the hell did we have to send a solid copper wheatie to Mars, when we have tons of horrid alloy pennies just laying around down here?

But if we are going to talk about wealth on the planets, it should be noted that while it is only a penny, that particular penny is worth at least a buck. Any shots of the back so we can see if it is a VDB penny? The link does not seem to work on this computer.

Take that Venus.
Posted by Theodore Gorath on September 11, 2012 at 11:17 AM
4
@3: I think it is time we develop a sample return mission to get that penny and bring it back to Earth. There is no point in wasting a damn fine rare penny like that.
Posted by delirian on September 11, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Theodore Gorath 5
@4: Only if it is completely paid for using pennies minted after 1983.

Posted by Theodore Gorath on September 11, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Revenge! 6
Great. Now the aliens are gonna know that we "trust in God", see us as the bass-awkward beings that we are and turn us into pets. And steal our copper.
Posted by Revenge! on September 11, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Dougsf 7
I'm guessing that's some engineer's "lucky penny." I'm also guessing, given the intricate landing that thing stuck, he wouldn't mind having it back one day.
Posted by Dougsf on September 11, 2012 at 12:33 PM
long-time reader 8
The link works for me; their caption includes: "The specific coin, provided by MAHLI's principal investigator, Ken Edgett, is a 1909 "VDB" penny. That was the first year Lincoln pennies were minted and the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The VDB refers to the initials of the coin's designer, Victor D. Brenner, which are on the reverse side"

Are we sure they didn't include this coin to convince any aliens that our rocketry technology was 103 years ahead of reality? I mean, why not use a 2012 proof cent?
Posted by long-time reader on September 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Fenrox 9
I just threw a quarter at Saturn, really, really, REALLY hard. So, take that mars (in a couple million years)
Posted by Fenrox on September 11, 2012 at 2:04 PM
10
Is this a numismatic first?
Posted by Julian in Seattle on September 11, 2012 at 9:36 PM
Beetlecat 11
The 1909 was added since they though the lab was going to launch in 2009. Only missed by a few years. :D
Posted by Beetlecat on September 12, 2012 at 4:32 PM

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