Rovers Are Internet Superstars Options

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I trid to post this news story in the News section but it wouldn't work for some reason, so im posting it here, hope thats OK.

http://www.floridatoday.com/news/space/sto...104roverweb.htm

Mars rovers reel in NASA Web-site hits

BY TODD HALVORSON
FLORIDA TODAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's twin Mars rovers are Internet superstars, having generated 6.53 billion hits on two agency Web sites -- a number that's greater than the world's population.

NASA is billing the huge traffic surge as "the biggest government event in the history of the Internet."

And the rovers may end up drawing more traffic than any event -- government or otherwise -- by the time they complete their planned 90-day missions.

"I would think that the only thing that could compare would be the World Cup, when you have people following online solidly for a month, as popular as soccer is around the world," NASA Internet Services Manager Brian Dunbar said.

NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars on Jan. 4, drawing a record 225 million hits to the Web sites within 24 hours.

The Opportunity spacecraft arrived Jan. 25. The NASA hit count passed 6.3 billion -- the U.S. Census estimate for world population -- on Thursday.

Most of the traffic, four-fifths in all, has come from within the United States. A full fourth has come from elementary and secondary school students and teachers.

The numbers surpass peak traffic at the IRS Web site during typical past tax seasons.

Contact Halvorson at 639-0576 or thalvorson@flatoday.net