Keep going and going...... like that Eveready's rabbit!

They where designed to last up to 3 months on Mars, but they have proven to
have been better built than hoped for, the designers had figured the dust on
mars would cover the solar cells and that would run down the batterys and
kill the machine. Only the winds on Mars have helped by blowing the dust off
the cells which have kept the batterys going. They could die at any time,
but as it is, they will keep them going as long as they can.

They main trouble they had early on was a software glitch and that was
cleared up and it has not been repeated.

Check out the Jan. 2006 Astronomy magazine, in their top 10 events is the
mars rovers and a good write up on them.


--

The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
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wrote in message
oups.com...
I wonder what are the technical explanations from the science community
about the two Mars rovers, which will be 2 years (24 months) since they
landed in Mars around January 2004?.

Did NASA predict that their life expectancy is only 3 months? How many
percent of the instruments in those two rovers still work completely
100%? Will people believe if those machines can live forever? I
recalled that the machines experiences some early troubles after they
landed on Mars. Suddenly, everything works very well and keep going and
going and going...... WOW!
When does NASA now expect that the life of those two machines will be
over? soon... or never? Anyone ever asks the questions or challenge
this?

It changes my perception of the business of "warranty" and "insurance"
in this earth. My things usually break down the day after the warranty
is over! Perhaps human can build things to last if they really want
to...... or more sinistically, perhaps the whole thing is just a show ?
Or, perhaps in space, everything is suddenly become eternal? ... just
like when you die... the "time" dimension suddenly disappear. Once you
go beyond the boundary of the living earth... everything will become
timeless and eternal? Serious thoughts? or maybe I am just crazy!

Starlord wrote:
They where designed to last up to 3 months on Mars, but they have proven to
have been better built than hoped for,


Did the union punish them for that?


the designers had figured the dust on
mars would cover the solar cells and that would run down the batterys and
kill the machine.


Except that the helpful little Martians kept coming by and dusting them
off!


Only the winds on Mars have helped by blowing the dust off
the cells which have kept the batterys going. They could die at any time,
but as it is, they will keep them going as long as they can.

They main trouble they had early on was a software glitch and that was
cleared up and it has not been repeated.

Check out the Jan. 2006 Astronomy magazine, in their top 10 events is the
mars rovers and a good write up on them.


--

The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Astronomy Net Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/astronomy_net
In Garden Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/ingarden
Blast Off Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/starlords




wrote in message
oups.com...
I wonder what are the technical explanations from the science community
about the two Mars rovers, which will be 2 years (24 months) since they
landed in Mars around January 2004?.

Did NASA predict that their life expectancy is only 3 months? How many
percent of the instruments in those two rovers still work completely
100%? Will people believe if those machines can live forever? I
recalled that the machines experiences some early troubles after they
landed on Mars. Suddenly, everything works very well and keep going and
going and going...... WOW!
When does NASA now expect that the life of those two machines will be
over? soon... or never? Anyone ever asks the questions or challenge
this?

It changes my perception of the business of "warranty" and "insurance"
in this earth. My things usually break down the day after the warranty
is over! Perhaps human can build things to last if they really want
to...... or more sinistically, perhaps the whole thing is just a show ?
Or, perhaps in space, everything is suddenly become eternal? ... just
like when you die... the "time" dimension suddenly disappear. Once you
go beyond the boundary of the living earth... everything will become
timeless and eternal? Serious thoughts? or maybe I am just crazy!



What's sci.astro.am, Starlord?

Doubole-A