In its seven-minute descent, the Curiosity craft must brake from 13, 200 miles per hour to a gentle stop on the Martian surface.

WSJ: NASA's Robot Lab Curiosity Nears Mars

Currently, the most advanced technology available is being used to try and stop a leak that is more than 5, 000 feet under the surface.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on NYC Incident and BP Oil Spill in Louisiana | The White House

The report came after a Cuadrilla site in Lancashire had to stop test fracking in 2011 after two small earthquakes were felt at the surface.

BBC: Shale will free US from oil imports, says ex-BP boss

If they treat Surface the same way they treat Windows Phone, which is to stop support when a new model comes out (see Windows Phone 6), consumers could backlash and sales could be hurt.

FORBES: Why Google's Nexus 7 And Microsoft's Surface Tablets Will Beat The iPad

Whether this will give the Surface time to play catch-up - or whether some iPad users will stop using Office - remains to be seen.

BBC: Interview: The man behind the PowerPoint presentations

The fact that the source of the leak is a mile under the surface, where no human being can go, has made it enormously difficult to stop.

WHITEHOUSE: Deepwater BP Oil Spill: Presidential Press Conference