re: Wow, guys, you sure are polite
Soc,
Thanks for the details.
My first impulse was just to express my admiration for the success of the talented staff. Such a brilliant accomplishment of good old straightforward rocket science is a real lift for the whole nation while the economy tanks.
I did fire off such a spark of rapture to a friend of mine in astrophysics at U of A.
I was curious about the lifetime of the lander; I think my clunky question was like an invasion of someone's elite cocktail party, or like stumbling into a primitive campfire circle and interrupting a key ritual (such an intrusion would merit death).
Oh well, thanks again for playing the diplomat so well.
JK