Operator: “AAA Roadside Service.”
NASA Director: “We’re going to need a tire repair.”
Operator: “Yes, sir. Can we start with your Triple A number?”
NASA Director: “Sure, it’s…Just a moment please. (Muffled voice) Linda, I’m looking at our AAA card, and I see I must have last year’s. Do you have the current card on file so I can give it to the operator?”
Linda (Muffled voice): “em em em em emm.”
NASA Director: “Operator, we don’t seem to have our current card. Don’t you have us on file?”
Operator: “Just give me your previous card number, sir.”
NASA Director: “Okay. It’s - - - - - - - - - -.”
Operator: “Sir, I’m showing that that number was not renewed. You don’t have coverage for roadside service at this time.”
NASA Director: “But I have a vehicle in a remote location, and it has a broken tire. The vehicle isn’t carrying a spare, and the vehicle operator is incapable of fixing it. If I don’t get it repaired, we can’t use the vehicle for our work.”
Operator: “The best I can do is to direct you to a tow truck operator in the vehicle’s area. Where is the vehicle at this time?”
NASA Director: “Uh, Mars.”
Operator: “Is that Mars, Pennsylvania? We have listings for both Mars, PA and for Moon Township, PA.”
NASA Director: “No, it’s Mars as in the Planet Mars.”
Operator: “Sorry, sir. We have no participating tow truck operators outside the USA. Could you call a local Chamber of Commerce for a listing?”
NASA Director: “@$#^^$&*%$#^& Linda, get in here. Now what are we going to do? She says we didn’t renew the AAA insurance.”
Crying in background.
So, NASA sent out a gajillion-dollar machine to a planet more than 30 million miles away and didn’t put a spare tire on the vehicle. Now, the rover’s camera, taking a Selfie, shows that one of its wheels has been damaged, and further damage will most likely end the long-running mission of exploration. So far, and yet…so far.
What we anticipate is rarely a problem. I’ve said it before. Here it is again: What we anticipate is rarely a problem. Get it? What we anticipate is rarely a problem.
* http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/wheel-damage-suggests-mars-rover-approaching-mid-life-crisis
NASA Director: “We’re going to need a tire repair.”
Operator: “Yes, sir. Can we start with your Triple A number?”
NASA Director: “Sure, it’s…Just a moment please. (Muffled voice) Linda, I’m looking at our AAA card, and I see I must have last year’s. Do you have the current card on file so I can give it to the operator?”
Linda (Muffled voice): “em em em em emm.”
NASA Director: “Operator, we don’t seem to have our current card. Don’t you have us on file?”
Operator: “Just give me your previous card number, sir.”
NASA Director: “Okay. It’s - - - - - - - - - -.”
Operator: “Sir, I’m showing that that number was not renewed. You don’t have coverage for roadside service at this time.”
NASA Director: “But I have a vehicle in a remote location, and it has a broken tire. The vehicle isn’t carrying a spare, and the vehicle operator is incapable of fixing it. If I don’t get it repaired, we can’t use the vehicle for our work.”
Operator: “The best I can do is to direct you to a tow truck operator in the vehicle’s area. Where is the vehicle at this time?”
NASA Director: “Uh, Mars.”
Operator: “Is that Mars, Pennsylvania? We have listings for both Mars, PA and for Moon Township, PA.”
NASA Director: “No, it’s Mars as in the Planet Mars.”
Operator: “Sorry, sir. We have no participating tow truck operators outside the USA. Could you call a local Chamber of Commerce for a listing?”
NASA Director: “@$#^^$&*%$#^& Linda, get in here. Now what are we going to do? She says we didn’t renew the AAA insurance.”
Crying in background.
So, NASA sent out a gajillion-dollar machine to a planet more than 30 million miles away and didn’t put a spare tire on the vehicle. Now, the rover’s camera, taking a Selfie, shows that one of its wheels has been damaged, and further damage will most likely end the long-running mission of exploration. So far, and yet…so far.
What we anticipate is rarely a problem. I’ve said it before. Here it is again: What we anticipate is rarely a problem. Get it? What we anticipate is rarely a problem.
* http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/wheel-damage-suggests-mars-rover-approaching-mid-life-crisis
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