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TODAY’S MINDBLOWING DEVELOPMENT in space exploration had scientists across the world celebrating.
One NASA man, Jim Green, claimed the landing of a probe on a speeding comet was a significant step in our journey to Mars (as in, our journey to inhabit another planet).
He is adamant that the human race will not survive on just one planet alone and the European Space Agency’s “audacious” move to unlock the secrets of comets — primordial clusters of ice and dust that may have helped sow life on Earth – is just one of the things “we must do”.
So, how much did this enormous feat cost?
According to Scienceogram.org, a body that looks at the spending on science projects across the UK and Europe, it’s not that much, if you think about it.
Yes, the mission cost a massive €1.4 billion in European monies. But what does that equate to?
Less than the cost of a cinema ticket to Interstellar!
Here’s the math:
There was some bad news, however, to relay tonight.
During touchdown, the three-legged landing gear was meant to absorb the impact to prevent rebound, and an ice screw in each foot was supposed to drive into the surface.
Neither of these things have been confirmed yet.
“The conditions of landing – including whether or not the thruster performed – along with the exact location of Philae on the comet are being analysed,” according to the agency.
The ESA does not want to jump to bad conclusions, saying the probe is transmitting data and that it will know more tomorrow about its location.
It may have landed on a soft area of sand, according to the scientists.
Images have already been received and will be released in the next few hours.
The Philae lander’s journey from its mothership took seven hours today – a tense wait for those in the German control room who had decided last night to ‘go’ with the mission, one years in the making.
“Our ambitious Rosetta mission has secured a place in the history books: not only is it the first to rendezvous with and orbit a comet, but it is now also the first to deliver a lander to a comet’s surface,” noted Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s Director General.
With Rosetta we are opening a door to the origin of planet Earth and fostering a better understanding of our future. ESA and its Rosetta mission partners have achieved something extraordinary today.
Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004 and travelled 6.4 billion kilometres through the Solar System before arriving at the comet on 6 August 2014.
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So €20,000 is the price you pay for intentially attempting to ruin an innocent person’s life.
She should be facing jail time.
when a woman starts saying ‘no’ and ‘stop’ during sex, you should stop.
Filming yourself having sex and distributing it. Doesn’t sound very innocent to me.
Sorry I mean innocent of rape. These false accusations only belittle real rape claims and make victims worried about coming forward.
If her shouting ‘no’ and ‘stop’ in the context of what was going on at the time was actually an indication to stop having sex then he would have been found guilty of rape. I’m guessing there’s a lot more to the story.
Now there’s a novel thought Gunnarsahn. All your own work was it?
I have never understood how a woman who falsely accuses a man of rape is not brought before the courts herself, and is prosecuted for making false allegations. To wrongfully accuse a man of rape is easily one of the most heinous accusations that can be made against any man, not to mention destroying that man’s life. So while any man lawfully convicted of rape deserves everything he gets, likewise any girl proven to have made false allegations of rape deserves at the very least a custodial sentence.
she was…
>To wrongfully accuse a man of rape is easily one of the most heinous accusations that can be made against any man
Sure, but the rates of false accusation are so low, especially compared to the amount of rapes that do happen. Everyone gets so upset at the idea of someone being falsely accused of rape, but no one seems to get half as outraged at the act of rape itself, which is far more devastating.
The chap’s life is ruined either way as a result of the allegation. And there are many people who will believe a rape allegation regardless of verdict or evidence.
This topic is conversational nitroglycerine.
Anyone who tells you they know the stats about false rape accusations are talking through their hat. It’s simply not known. What is agreed however is that it significantly outweighs the false reporting of crime which floats at about 3%.
Rape is a very unique and in nature an especially heinous crime. These characteristics lend rape to being a very serious weapon against men or in the case of Section 4 Rape, everyone.
The motivational aspects to presenting authorities with an allegation of rape are numerous and what makes it especially dangerous is that a motivation is often personally emotional. Scorn and shame are often cited as reasons for false reporting.
As with all things, it is a double edged sword. Should false accusers be severely punished? Yes. Many say the prison term should equal the jeopardy they put their accused in, I tend to agree. The domino effect is, this puts true victims in a place of fear about reporting.
A basic tenet of criminal law is that we as a society should rather 10 guilty walk than one innocent be jailed.
On this note, many feminists, by virtue of their arguments concerning rape and the above mentioned domino effect, postulate that it’s better innocent men fry so as that at least a number of guilty will too. There is something very retributive in that and it’s a very dangerous train of thought to entertain.
Very very difficult subject. I think it requires a far more special place in our investigations and court systems.
If you say that the stats about false rape accusations are not known, how can you then state that they “significantly outweigh” the stats for false accusations of other crimes?
>What is agreed however is that it significantly outweighs the false reporting of crime which floats at about 3%.
Who agrees on that? As far as I’m aware the general consensus is that the rate of false rape accusation is the same as it is for other crimes.
>Many say the prison term should equal the jeopardy they put their accused in
Often amounting to a slap on the wrist in this country.
>The motivational aspects to presenting authorities with an allegation of rape are numerous
What on earth. It’s difficult enough for people (women AND men) who have been raped to go to the authorities because of attitudes like this. There are extremely few “benefits” to falsely accusing someone of rape, which is why the numbers are as low for this crime as they are for falsely reporting other crimes. Given the nature of the crime any allegations should of course be taken seriously, but everyone involved should remain anonymous until a final verdict is reached. No one’s life should be ruined because of a false accusation, but nobody should feel like they aren’t believe when they report being raped. 99 times out of 100 a person reporting a rape has been raped, and the amount of people who don’t report being raped is assumed to be staggeringly high, in part because they are afraid they won’t be believed, in part thanks to attitudes like yours.
So, to sum up: take the accusation seriously but keep all parties anonymous until the very end, so that in the unlikely event that the allegation is false, nobody’s name is ruined.
Veronica I can see you are impassioned and hopefully not personally affected by the atrocity of rape.
I’m not sure if you went to Law School but Criminal Law and Criminology, in particular Common Law Rape and Section 4 Rape were two areas I studied and wrote a great deal about which includes the study of rape in other Common Law and Civil Law jurisdictions. So I’m not just pulling this out of thin air.
Unlike your rebuttal which I believe may be entirely emotive assumption. Emotive evidence is as dangerous as a false allegation since it has no foundation but wide and damaging implications.
>99 times out of 100 a person reporting a rape has been raped.<
As stated before, everything is a double edged sword. The nature of rape from allegation to punishment lends itself to being used as a very convenient weapon. The main characteristics are that evidence is difficult to produce, testimony can be powerfully emotive for a jury and the circumstances of the incident are often unknown by the victim e.g a girl drinks to the point where she can't recall the night before and is feeling ashamed of a one night stand, the regret of which can be exacerbated by the chemical imbalance caused by alcohol and drugs, this is especially common for people in Ireland. The alleged victim may be scorned and seeking revenge, a common situation detailed (and I'm sorry to use the example but you won't love reading through case law) The Life of David Gale.
Any one of these factors combined or on their own, including many others make it a very unique example in law.
As for the output of a rape allegation, even if the accused is found to be innocent, he will be stigmatised due to the course of public prosecution. There are examples of accusers knowing their allegation will be found as fictitious but the desired pain inflicted on the previously accused far outweighs the leniency of their own punishment, if any at all.
I wanted to avoid being sarcastic about the leniency of sentencing in this country but you are indeed correct. It often amounts to a slap on the wrist.
An attitude like mine is one of truth. I have emphasised that rape is very unique and very difficult to handle and despite it's best efforts, jurisprudence has a long way to go on the matter. But without deep learning far greater than either of ours influencing legislators it causes more harm than good to the process.
@Sinead, for something to be agreed, it does not need to be known in fact. Expert opinion backed by methodical research and debate can be found as the basis for much of your everyday life. I don’t want to get into the science of it as lunch is nearly over but I urge you, do not let the tragedy and emotion surrounding this particular topic stop you from recognising that.
Assumptions without solid bases are very dangerous.
“The chap” are two guys. Plural. And they are far from ruined. Giving happily interviews on national television. She said “no” and said “stop”. There might have been not enough evidence for rape charges but to charge her?
It’s an emotive headline but we didn’t hear the evidence so we have to trust that the jury who did made the right call.
Germany does not use a jury of your peers, Maggie. It is closer to the Special Criminal Court. It’s a civil law country.
The guy she was having sex with should’ve stopped as soon as he heard those words and checked if she was okay. Has to be more to it .
There is more to it. This article ignores the specific reason that the German court decision was that the act was consensual and that the “no no no” related to the models disagreement with the filming of the act (a separate (& appalling) issue. Lazy or cynical journalism
Oh I don’t no about this one. How could you possibly make a distinction between what she was saying no too? There isn’t much in the article. I’m sure there was nore too it.
the poor wording of the previous offence in German criminal law
Yeah but what where the guys thinking? Even if it was the case she was saying no to filming. As soon as those words come out in that situation you stop and thats it.
> As soon as those words come out in that situation you stop and thats it.
Yes! Exactly!
Ridiculous. If someone consents to sex it’s obviously fine to withdraw that consent as soon as the other party starts doing something they don’t like.
#FreeChedEvans
They already did
Bout time.
He’s still appealing the conviction though isn’t he ?
German laws on sex are bizarre, age of consent is a bewildering 14 (albeit with conditions!), and you have to show you resisted to have any hope of a rape conviction. Medieval and archaic are our German friends who are always very keen to point out everyone’s else’s shortcomings.
“I’m guessing there’s more to the story.” Say the lads. I’m guessing she got raped and is now being prosecuted for it due to a loophole in German law.
But Germany still allows a consenting 21 year old to have sex with a consenting 14 year old, no matter what the 14 year old’s parents think, Google it if you dont believe it. Took me by surprise while checking for a friend who’s daughter (German) was in a “relationship” with a 21 year old (German). Shocking stuff.
Yeah its disgusting. A 25 year old I knew had a 14 year old Gf. She looked and acted 11. Disturbing to say the least.
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