SPB, New Horizons, LRO and SOHO All Advance!
I’m speechless. My bracket is trash, I am 0-4 when it comes to picking against SPB and no one at JPL will speak to me. I guess I will leave the analysis up to those who have some credibility left.
The good news is that the final contests are fairly simple to size up.
SPB vs New Horizons
LRO vs SOHO
I would give my predictions, but I DO NOT want to take the blame for sending a mission packing.
The Co-Host
Host,
I’m seeing SOHO over Viking, and I’ve refreshed a bunch of times. Are you sure its Viking?
Hmmm…ORION’s votes in the previous rounds were (1) 1924, (2) 3593, (3) 4751, and (4) 36,887. Gee, looks like multiple voting suddenly became popular.
SPB and their supporters RULE!
Is it just me, or does SOHO have more votes than the Vikes?
Hey !! we are at semifinals … good for you SPB!!
StratoCat – Proud member of the SPB’s Zombie Army
Here’s what I’m thinking. I think supporters of ORION and SPB are voting more than once. Has anyone else noticed this?
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Maybe NASA and America shouldnt of worried about leading the space race and getting man into space and onto the moon. Looks like no one was bothered anyway!!!!
Given past performance, the only reason you would pick against SPB would be if you knew the caching was disabled to slow voting down to give the larger groups an advantage. I realize NASA absolutely does not want SPB to win, but I would suggest being less obvious about it.
So NASA’s ‘greatest’ comes down to four missions…
LRO: Sounds great, hasn’t launched.
New Horizons: Great idea, launched successfully, but years from reaching Pluto.
SPB: Cool mission, looks really promising, but not quite yet operational.
SOHO: An overwhelming success with over 13yrs of ongoing revolutionary science, fundamentally changing our understanding of the Sun.
I admit to a little bias, and mean no offense to the other missions, but SOHO is the only one of the final four that can legitimately be considered one of NASA’s greatest ever missions. Not to say the others won’t be one day — but they’re not even close yet. But of course this is about popularity, not success…
A suggestion on the bracket layout:
When we set up computers at the old folks home and taught them to vote for SPB it was difficult for them to click on the tiny arrow. Putting SPB in Bold (or all programs if you must) with a bigger arrow.. or a one click to advance would be great. We could only get about 50 votes per person per hour with the current setup.
Ok, so I’m clutching at straws now. None of my predictions have made it to the semifinals. I do like New Horizons, we watched the launch live on NASA TV, and my kids are fascinated that it’s going to take so long to get there. A fine educational tool on just how darn BIG space is! So I’m going for New Horizons, but SOHO has a large fan base and I can see why. It’s pretty amazing what it’s been doing.
The other contest is a no-brainer for me, it’s LRO simply because I want to see the “Big Silver Pumpkin” deflated! (Without wanting to offend SPB supporters, some of whom can be very sensitive, I know!)
…………I have a very big pin……….!!!!!!
I promised on the SpaceVidCast site I’d take a bite out of a Post-It note if Orion lost, and I am a woman of my honor, so I’ll do it tomorrow.
Wood pulp will be easier to swallow than these results.
Go New Horizons!
Soldiers of SPB! Rise up once again and vanquish the enemy! ARRRGGGGGHHHHHH!
Colbert encouraged this flash mob deal, didn’t he? Didn’t he?! Fess up! I call shenanigans!
I’m really beginning to wonder about the fact that SPB has made it this far. I think the first round was a legitimate upset, possibly even the second round, but after that, how many people are now voting for it just to be cheeky and rile up the Great Pumpkin’s critics? Or because it’s the underdog and we all love a good rags-to-riches story?
In which case, I would just offer this bit of advice: root for the underdog in your heart, but vote with your head! Libert�, �galit�, fraternit�! Storm the Bastille! VIVE LE SOHO!
Oh why didn’t someone tell me? I am SO SLOW! It’s SPB vs New Horizons and LRO vs SOHO!
Oh stupid
I’ve voted in each of the previous brackets (holding my nose more frequently as it went along), but I find I can’t vote any more – I don’t want to give credence to ANY of these missions as a “great mission”. I think about a “great mission” as my kid saying, “Gee, Dad, do you remember when (X) flew?” And I maintain NOBODY (at least who didn’t work on one of the final four” could possibly say truthfully that ANY of these measure up to that criteria. I WAS there when Apollo 11 lifted off, and I refuse to give credence to any assertion that unflown missions or missions years short of encounter or big silver balloons or even a science mission with lots of data return are a “greater” mission than the first time a human set foot on another celestial body.
/rant off
guest #17
I agree entirely. You’re completely correct. None of the semifinalists were in my predictions. There’s no doubt that, to the general public, the Apollos or Shuttle missions would be “the greatest” this competition stopped being a contest to find the greatest mission of all time when SPB fans began voting. Shame really.
But… I just can’t stop playing. Not when SPB is 49% and New Horizons is 51%. I think some other missions may be involved, but I can’t remember them now.
My wife’s comment today: when does it finish? She’s as excited as me really, she just doesn’t show it!
Apparently SPB is also responsible for “climate change”, everything that was initially blamed on the Bush administration, bad hair days, teen acne, and the global financial crisis. You people are something else.
Typing with one finger