Re:what's the reason for crashing these things? (Score 1)

It was a question. Perhaps that's why I wasn't consulted. I wasn't necessarily talking about any mission in particular and I was thinking along the lines of a straight shot out of here in the direction of the next system. I have been led to believe by one of my professors who worked with the Apollo missions that when an object begins to move in the vacuum of space, there is no medium to act against its inertia so it needs no more power to keep it moving, only to alter its direction. The issue of power to sustain the camera and transmitter is a setback. Nevertheless, I think SETI would be in favor of a message in a bottle being sent out to sea versus having Columbus kill himself once he's found land. OK, I admit it. I'm a dreamer.