4th Rock from the Sun.

[wanamingo]

In case you havent heard the Rover Curiosity landed successfully on Mars today. Awesome!

 

[johnsonma]

Did you hear how they landed that sucker? Was pretty damn impressive, then they proceded to bash all the people that said NASA was dead.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Whats funny is, tjose that did the bashing werent the ones to see NASA whittled down to its presnt form.
It was previous persons who diverted monies elsewheres that must be the happiest today

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASA

Ask not what the government can do for you, but what you can do for it.
He would be crying if alive today

 

[fazers_on_stun]

Space is cool! Indeed awesome.

That being said, it's 2012 NASA!!! B&W pictures?? Really??

I have a 8mp color camera in my phone for crying out loud!

Think those are the collision detector cameras, which don't need to be hi-res or in color - just be able to keep them wheels off rocks and outta sandtraps (which is what killed Spirit a couple years ago, IIRC).

The main camera is on a big moveable boom - quite impressive looking.

 

[wanamingo]

I know, I just can't fathom why they would release a B&W instead of a hi-res panoramic in color.

Youve inspired me to do some looking around and I found out that they will eventually be releasing hi-res color photos. These are more of a geological thumbnail camera, make sure everything is working fine and the landscape around the rover is what they were hoping for. This was also taken through a heavy dust lens, they want to make sure its not a very dusty / windy day when the better cameras come online.

I guess it takes a very long time to get data off planet, these are small enough that they can get them off in minutes, were Ive heard on the web full color photos can take hours to days to fully upload off planet.

 

[wanamingo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_rover#Mast_Camera_.28MastCam.29

Get ready for some new wallpaper pics in the next few weeks.

We are currently only seeing the view from these cams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_rover#Hazard_avoidance_cameras_.28Hazcams.29

 

[johnsonma]

Whats funny is, tjose that did the bashing werent the ones to see NASA whittled down to its presnt form.
It was previous persons who diverted monies elsewheres that must be the happiest today

In terms of constant dollars its higher now than it was in the 70's or 80's. About half what it was in 1966 but we are in a recession. They have to prioritize their budget and I think landing a car sized mobile laboratory is damn near as good as a human.

When are they going to land one near the ice caps and get a sample of that stuff? I am guessing the climate is much more volatile there but it would be damn cool to get a piece of that ice.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Thing is, I was around in those days, voting age, and saw what they did and who did it, and why.

 

[dogman_1234]

I would vote for an increase of NASA funding...if I knew it went to good programs like this one. Also, the private sector can invest in this as well to cover any extra the gov't cannot pay.

Back on topic. I wonder if we will see Marvin and Bugs at it. Will we find the explosive space modulator? Does big foot have a portal to the red planet? why am I in a dress? Questions we will find out.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

Youve inspired me to do some looking around and I found out that they will eventually be releasing hi-res color photos. These are more of a geological thumbnail camera, make sure everything is working fine and the landscape around the rover is what they were hoping for. This was also taken through a heavy dust lens, they want to make sure its not a very dusty / windy day when the better cameras come online.

I guess it takes a very long time to get data off planet, these are small enough that they can get them off in minutes, were Ive heard on the web full color photos can take hours to days to fully upload off planet.

According to a special on the Sci channel last night, JPL says they have a programmed sequence of powering up and testing all the electronics such as the main cameras that were deactivated for safety reasons until after the landing. Will take a month to fully activate all systems, in the meantime Curi will be rolling to its first target shortly.

PS - gotta find out the name of that sexy brown-haired woman cohosting the special last night - she made me curious ..

 

[fazers_on_stun]

I agree. They have got to explore those underground ice sheets. Imagine what could be frozen in there.

Personally I'd like to see a permanent base established on the moon, near the south pole where they have already discovered water ice, and then a permanent base on Mars also near a pole for the same reason. While you can get water out of quite a few rocks, easier to just process ice that is already there..

But there should also be some financial incentive to colonize the moon and/or Mars, such as mining. Otherwise the colony would be subject to the vagaries of funding and political whim.

 

[Reynod]

I give NASA a gold medal for this one ... the landing complexity was just mind boggling.

Awesome result.

Yank engineering is still in number one place ... even with the budget cuts.

If it had have been a Russian mission the thing probably would have missed the planet or spiked in at 13000 kph and left an impact crater like Oprah's ass.

 

[dogman_1234]

If it had have been a Russian mission the thing probably would have missed the planet or spiked in at 13000 kph and left an impact crater like Oprah's ass.

 

[Reynod]

Ok ... slightly smaller crater then?

My apologies to our Rusky friends ...

 

[chumly]

I agree. They have got to explore those underground ice sheets. Imagine what could be frozen in there.

Dirt. Red dirt.

 

[Pyree]

I would really like to see how the data they collect influence future exploration on Mars. I mean, it is only natural that these type of operation will in the future become private commercial + funded research exploration with the intention to make a profit and research result. Possibly mining operation + spacecraft building complex for extrasolar spacecraft.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

^ My guess is that a highly successful mission (i.e., discovers to a certainty that Mars once had life) would be a strong motivation to send a manned mission eventually.

 

[Reynod]

An ideal place to send the B Ark ...

 

[fazers_on_stun]

Maybe the US should get a move on colonizing Mars then. I've heard rumors that China wants to claim the moon for itself if and when it lands people there. I don't know if they ever signed the international space treaty that forbids any country from claiming a moon or planet..

 

[dogman_1234]

Just like the New World. It was up for grabs. Anyone in your way...just shoo them out!

 

[riser]

I don't understand why there is so much fuss about wanting mining operations on these planets. You people watched too much Total Recall.
Unless we find something that we don't have on earth, it wouldn't make sense to mine it there for a long time.

Establishing a colony? For what point or purpose?

Teraforming it would cool. Give it a few thousand years after establishing that process and we might have a second home living underground or in domes.

 

[johnsonma]

When our solar system was forming there was the sun and then a giant cloud of dust. I doubt that the dust a little further back from the dust that created earth contained different metals and such. The only beneficial reason I could see having a colony on mars is for doing experiments secretly.

 

[johnsonma]

How can they create different compounds when the volcanoes operate under the same forces as ours? With the same base materials?

 

[johnsonma]

How can you be sure the same exact materials make up all the bodies in our solar system? Isn't it possible different raw materials formed the outer planets as compared to the materials that make up the Earth?

Not when they all come from the same place, the same star going supernova.