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Author
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Topic: [Discuss] NASA's MSL Curiosity on Mars
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Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1698
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 08-04-2012 02:45 PM
   
quote:
Originally posted by bwhite1976:
Once the skycrane delivers Curiosity and blasts away will it just fall and crash land somewhere or was there thought as to what area it might be directed to? Will there be any attempt to video its own landing with onboard cameras on the skycrane itself? Just curious.
When the descent stage (skycrane is the name of the concept, not the hardware) flies off, it is no longer controlled, the guidance system and avionics are in the rover. Once the cables (which include communication lines) are cut, the descent stage has a simple controller that just commands the thruster to full power and to fly off at an angle. There is no active control, much like jamming the accelerator on car and the driver jumping out. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 1105
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-05-2012 07:58 PM
Here's hoping for an "all systems nominal" callout and a happy landing for Curiosity. |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 08-05-2012 08:13 PM
Got my small bag of peanuts (they didn't have a jar) for tonight and I plan to have a bowl of popcorn next to me. Also if this works I am using it for my persuasive speech on why we need to give NASA more funding. Coincidentally the speech is due exactly 10 hours after the landing of the rover.  |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1349
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-05-2012 11:39 PM
One hour to go. |
David Carey
Member Posts: 925
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 08-05-2012 11:41 PM
Best wishes for success tonight to all of the folks involved. It'll be quite a feat if all the pieces fall (in a controlled fashion of course) into place.Certainly fits the bill as a "go big or go home" effort.... |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 08-06-2012 12:35 AM
Congratulations, JPL! And THANK YOU! |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 12:35 AM
YES!!!!! IMAGES!!! |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1349
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-06-2012 12:36 AM
Holy crap, it worked.
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dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 760
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 08-06-2012 12:38 AM
Holy cow!! What an achievement JPL! You did it. Can't wait for the work to begin. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 1105
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-06-2012 12:38 AM
Wheels down safe and sound. Waiting for the dust to clear.Beautiful images! |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1349
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-06-2012 12:43 AM
We are the Martians now! |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 12:50 AM
Did I hear the presidential science advisor right in saying the U.S. was the only country to land surface landers on other planets? He forgot about the Soviet Venera probes (but yes, the U.S. is the only country to put landers on Mars). |
Michael Ritter
Member Posts: 48
From: Long Island, NY USA
Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 12:51 AM
Congrats JPL and welcome to Mars!! |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 08-06-2012 12:52 AM
You know, tonight, I can just almost forgive manned planetary exploration inactivity since that night in July, 1969.That second image tonight of the shadow of Curiosity on the surface is so very similar to those of a lunar module. Those teams at the JPL just never seem to disappoint us! God Bless each and every one of them! And, you know... on the west coast, where Neil Armstrong likely is, this is still his birthday! What a present! |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1591
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 08-06-2012 12:56 AM
A lot of people have every right to feel incredibly proud of their achievements. Well done JPL!!! A sensational effort. I feel like a DVD special is already overdue. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2769
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 08-06-2012 01:01 AM
What an amazing ride to the surface! A wonderful day for NASA and specifically JPL, congratulations! |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 01:07 AM
Okay, guess I'll have to go scouring the shops next month looking for a Hot Wheels Curiousity rover (knowing now that the real thing made it down safe).  Whew, I am surprised my PC's live NASA feed worked all through that without dying when the websites began crashing. A most impressive engineering feat to be certain. |
DChudwin
Member Posts: 1117
From: Lincolnshire IL USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 08-06-2012 01:14 AM
Congratulations to JPL and NASA in soft landing Curiosity on Mars. Personally, I had been pessimistic about their chance of success, but I am pleased to be wrong. If the mission continues, the rover should return some great science about the history of Mars and its ability to support life. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 1105
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-06-2012 01:20 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
Whew, I am surprised my PC's live NASA feed worked all through that without dying when the websites began crashing.
Oh yeah! News conferences available here. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1785
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 08-06-2012 01:20 AM
Congrats to NASA and JPL. They pulled it off flawlessly.
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Philip
Member Posts: 6118
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 08-06-2012 04:14 AM
Indeed congrats to everybody involved! Curious to see if Curiosity will rewrite the 1976 Viking landers' bio-experiments results!NASA-JPL engineers started to eat "Good luck" peanuts during the Ranger 7 lunar mission in July 1964. As the Ranger 7 mission performed flawlessly, a tradition was started! During all unmanned launches, engineers were seen eating peanuts (as seen on Viking and Voyager era NASA photos) but since the 1990s they also started eating peanuts during critical mission mile stones such as orbit insertions, flybys and landings. There are even pindas in this gigapan taken during the MSL Curiosity mission. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3396
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-06-2012 05:23 AM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
Holy crap, it worked.
I couldn't put it more eloquently - absolutely wonderful news! Gold medal to NASA. |
arjuna
unregistered
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posted 08-06-2012 05:30 AM
Amazing. Those peanuts worked. |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 2069
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 05:36 AM
What an exciting event the live coverage from JPL was. Congratulations to the entire team for pulling this off.Watching the reporter scrum in the auditorium I noticed Robert Pearlman. He's lower left in this image of my TV.  |
Gilbert
Member Posts: 1427
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 08-06-2012 06:32 AM
Fantastic effort, JPL and NASA and USA! |
Gilbert
Member Posts: 1427
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 08-06-2012 08:05 AM
Not to be negative but it's beginning to irritate me at how often the major media outlets are throwing the words "geek" and "nerd" into their reports. Really...in this age of a faltering education system do we need to cast inspirational/successful science and engineering projects in an uncool light? There is also an over-emphasis placed on the mission's cost to taxpayers. Is it me or am I just looking for something to gripe about? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 47717
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 08-06-2012 11:14 AM
Just in... |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2769
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 08-06-2012 11:25 AM
WOW, there are no words to use to describe just what an amazing photo this is! |
issman1
Member Posts: 1082
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 08-06-2012 11:30 AM
In these troubled times on our planet, the triumph of Curiosity on the red planet makes space exploration our last, best hope.Just one question though - why no microphone to hear what Mars sounds like? |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3413
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-06-2012 12:06 PM
Not quite as cool as the MRO photo of Phoenix descending, but still a remarkable feat. |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 08-06-2012 12:40 PM
Has anyone seen the Oylmpic memes about Curiosity? My favorite is the computer graphic of it on Mars with the caption saying 'Sticks the Landing. No Olympic Medal" |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1349
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-06-2012 01:18 PM
quote:
Originally posted by arjuna:
Amazing. Those peanuts worked.
Funny thing is, I was nibbling on peanuts the whole time, and I had no idea about that "tradition."  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 47717
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 08-06-2012 02:09 PM
Oreo paid tribute to Curiosity's landing... |
David Carey
Member Posts: 925
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 08-06-2012 02:33 PM
Awesome.I'd hoped Google might make Curiosity the Doodle of the Day.... |
Gonzo
Member Posts: 598
From: Holland, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 08-06-2012 02:33 PM
Thank you to the wonderful engineers at JPL and NASA! What a marvelous accomplishment! Absolutely beautiful! Now the science REALLY starts...And I WON'T call them nerds. Geeks maybe, but not nerds. There's a difference. Geek is good... Nerd, not so much. The Oreo is too funny. Wait! Where can collectors get those? (LOL) |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 47717
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 08-06-2012 03:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by David Carey:
I'd hoped Google might make Curiosity the Doodle of the Day...
They did, after the fact, by revising their current doodle... |
rjb1elec
Member Posts: 300
From: Merseyside, England
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 08-06-2012 03:43 PM
Congratulations JPL and NASA you have astounded the blue planet yet again. Given us hope and something good to look forward to in these very hard times. Send us some postcards soon curiosity. |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2339
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 08-06-2012 04:04 PM
I was at the Museum of Flight in Seattle with about 600 other people. Great fun!!
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Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 08-06-2012 04:54 PM
Somebody mentioned the sky crane. There will probably be shots of it from orbit, but Curiosity will not go driving up to it since the thing is now a toxic dump with leaky hydrazine fuel at the point of impact. You don't want to send a rover to that because the fuel residue could contaminate the sensors.You know, I just had a weird thought. With this method of entry and landing, NASA seemingly did a virgin spacecraft sacrifice to the Martian Gods. Sure, Curiosity got down safe, but the sky crane ended up in a crash as the "sacrifice". |
Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 08-06-2012 05:51 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Gilbert:
Not to be negative but it's beginning to irritate me at how often the major media outlets are throwing the words "geek" and "nerd" into their reports.
It is a sign of the times. For it is easier to tear down those who succeed and do well then it is to actually put the work in yourself. This methodology helps those who fall short to feel better about themselves. Look at how the rich are portrayed by example. First you dehumanize them, and then look out for what happens next.I did see a lady interviewed at Planetfest last night by the local news proclaim how cool the engineers are now with mohawks and earrings versus white shirts and plastic pocket protectors of yesteryear. |
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