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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
"The day after Thanksgiving may be “Black Friday” for American stores
and shoppers, but this year, it’s a red letter day for scientists in Pasadena, as Saturday is blast-off for the next Mars rover, called “Curiosity.”" See: http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/11/22/...friday-launch/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Record Crowds Expected at NASA Mars Rover Launch: http://www.space.com/13720-nasa-mars...pectators.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New NASA Rover May Climb 3-Mile-High Martian Mountain: http://www.space.com/13723-nasa-rove...le-crater.html |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
Can't wait until it lands. Just last week, the Opportunity gave this spectacular view from the edge of 14 mile wide Endeavour crater on Mars. It should be just a tease of what's to come with the MSL. Are those sand dunes at the bottom of the crater surrounding the central bulge ..a beach? How long ago could an ice-covered lake, fed from melting underground water ice, existed? http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/272...5L6L6.jpg.html http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/277...5L5L6.jpg.html http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/274...5L5L6.jpg.html http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/272...5L6L6.jpg.html Mars dry and dead for a billion years plus? I don't think so. I think there was an ice-covered lake at the bottom of that crater thousands of years ago. Not billions. Click below...this doesn't look like geologic time scales to me, more like ice-age scales. http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/267...5L7L7.jpg.html s |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
And I forgot to mention, look at the dark soil outcrops on the central bulge, that's looks like the very same..clay-like soil seen all over Meridiani. Clay means water. What's clay (still) doing there? What other explanation could be except for ice just below the surface? Which could melt out as ice-ages wax and wane, even to this day. http://areo.info/mer/opportunity/272...5L6L6.jpg.html I suspect that the loss of the atmophere simply drove any existing biosphere a few meters under the surface. Where it's been sitting, on ice so to speak, ever since. s |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
how many here believe curosity will really land safely and work?
any takers? the design apears overly complex with too many failure paths, plus nasa only is sending one, so theres no 2nd chance |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
In article 1daeaf6d-f9cd-47f3-9074-c3dea31142a5
@c18g2000yqj.googlegroups.com, says... how many here believe curosity will really land safely and work? any takers? the design apears overly complex with too many failure paths, plus nasa only is sending one, so theres no 2nd chance If there's a low-stakes pool I'd bet on it succeeding, simply because the payoff should be pretty high. On the other hand, if the stakes were my life, I'd certainly not bet on it succeeding. |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
"The Kraken" wrote in message ... bob haller wrote: how many here believe curosity will really land safely and work? any takers? the design apears overly complex with too many failure paths, plus nasa only is sending one, so theres no 2nd chance I agree that the whole idea of the lander being "lowered" on cables from a hovering rocket that will have to detach and blast out of range just seems ridiculously complicated. The idea of the skycrane was to lower the complexity of the system and increase reliability for a bunch of reasons. An airbag lander is much simpler and more reliable. But that would greatly reduce the size of the rover. And a legged lander would be the most complicated of all, and also greatly reduce the size of the lander since the total weight landing on Mars would be much higher. A skycrane allows the larger rover, and it's simpler and more reliable for many reasons. It doesn't have to deal with the interaction between the thrusters and the ground. And it can land on places with a far wider range of terrain than a legged lander. Which would have to be far more concerned with the exact landing site in terms of rocks, and especially slope. And a legged lander needs to shut off the thrusters at the exact moment of landing, so the skycrane makes for a more stable landing without having to have very complicated active hazard detection and avoidance systems. The skycrane also greatly reduces the total weight landing on Mars, allowing for a larger rover, higher landing speed, and increased landing stability. And with either an airbag or legged lander the MSL would have to drive off the lander which was a problem for the current rovers when the airbags got in the way of the ramp. The skycrane is a good way of minimizing risk, while maximizing the size of the rover. Jonathan s |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
"Sylvia Else" wrote in message ... If you go to http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html and view MSL Spacecraft Mars Bound you see the operation where the spacecraft is given a spin, and then separated from the launcher. What puzzles me is that the launcher appears then to despin. Given that by that time it's space junk, I have to wonder why. I noticed that too. I figured they had to fire thrusters to get more seperation, and that stopped the spin. Sylvia. |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
bob haller wrote:
how many here believe curosity will really land safely and work? any takers? the design apears overly complex with too many failure paths, plus nasa only is sending one, so theres no 2nd chance I agree that the whole idea of the lander being "lowered" on cables from a hovering rocket that will have to detach and blast out of range just seems ridiculously complicated. |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
The skycrane is a good way of minimizing risk, while maximizing the size of the rover. Jonathan skycrane to me looks like a complex solution to a simple problem. viking landed on mars so long ago, and the same sort of system regular lower stage has been used since the beginning of space travel in the case of curosity it could drive itself off the lander stage, and go exploring........ with drill issues, skycrane, and a prototype RTG thats degrading before launch. has any us probe ever launched with so many issues?????? its normal to develop troubles along the way, but launching with them is far different |
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Mars rover Curiosity set for Saturday launch
Jonathan wrote:
The idea of the skycrane was to lower the complexity of the system and increase reliability for a bunch of reasons. .... [etc.] good analysis IMHO follows. Agreed. Noted also: no cross postings to alt.philosophy.... Dave |
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