Wow, they’re so common and worthless that even Mars is covered in them! I mean, otherwise, the odds of a single penny being found on a surface the size of a planet… 😉
Well OK, still wondering why they used a _1909_ penny and not just some brand new 21st-century one. The older one is heavier and harder to come by in good condition…
The decision to use a 1909 penny rather than a more recent coin was influenced by the timing of the rover’s launch. Originally planned for 2009, the launch was delayed, and the 1909 penny was chosen because it was readily available and relevant to the mission’s historical context. Ken Edgett, the principal investigator for MAHLI, noted that using a 1911 penny would have required additional explanation, making the 1909 coin a more straightforward choice.
Why did NASA use such an old penny, over 100 years old?
There was me thinking that it was left there by one of those off planet types that Gary McKinnon found out about.
Wow, they’re so common and worthless that even Mars is covered in them! I mean, otherwise, the odds of a single penny being found on a surface the size of a planet… 😉
Well OK, still wondering why they used a _1909_ penny and not just some brand new 21st-century one. The older one is heavier and harder to come by in good condition…
The decision to use a 1909 penny rather than a more recent coin was influenced by the timing of the rover’s launch. Originally planned for 2009, the launch was delayed, and the 1909 penny was chosen because it was readily available and relevant to the mission’s historical context. Ken Edgett, the principal investigator for MAHLI, noted that using a 1911 penny would have required additional explanation, making the 1909 coin a more straightforward choice.