@angelzero: While I am all about practicality, "useful" may be subjective here. Little Ulysses may go on to be an Ambassador for Earth, or maybe just space junk. While we may not be able to collect data from him now, who knows what the future holds. Some day, somewhere, he may turn up on Antiques Roadshow - the Mars Edition, and I bet he brings a pretty penny (or many bars of latinum) then!
@TendoMentis: It's not anthropomorphizing at all. Many of our ittle wittle space probes get just as weepy thinking about you and everyone else on Earth they miss sooooooooo much. :(
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