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Old 31 July 2012, 09:30 AM   #1
joeychitwood
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The Mars rover Curiosity set to land on August 6th

Launched in November, 2011, the Mars rover Curiosity is approaching the planet, scheduled for a landing at 0130 EDT (US) on August 6th. The landing will be more complex than any previously attempted. It will be incredible if successful, but a lot of things can go wrong during the procedure. The entry into the thin Martian atmosphere and landing will take seven minutes. It takes 14 minutes for radio signals to reach Curiosity from NASA Mission Control. Therefore, there is no chance of making any flight adjustments during the landing.

Click the first photo to see a video of the complex landing plan:





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Old 31 July 2012, 10:40 AM   #2
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Thank you for sharing!
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Old 31 July 2012, 10:46 AM   #3
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I can't wait, I love this stuff! So cool. Even if it is a giant rock, the ability to do this and control it from so far away is amazing!
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Old 31 July 2012, 10:49 AM   #4
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Cool tread.
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Old 31 July 2012, 11:02 AM   #5
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Old 31 July 2012, 11:09 AM   #6
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Joey, isn't this the one that is really designed to find out if there was water on Mars' surface in the past? I suppose I could look it up, but something about heavy use of platinum components too?
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Old 31 July 2012, 11:18 AM   #7
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WOW...that one is truly ROCKET SCIENCE! Same link Joey has posted:

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Old 1 August 2012, 12:45 AM   #8
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I love this stuff too

They should have planned better and had it land on July 4th

I'll be on the Mars Rover site everyday hoping one day I see a little green guy run by and wave
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Old 1 August 2012, 01:40 AM   #9
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Very cool!
Thanks for sharing it
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Old 1 August 2012, 11:39 PM   #10
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Awesome post... Love the cosmos!
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Old 2 August 2012, 12:03 AM   #11
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Makes me miss my NASA days.
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Old 2 August 2012, 01:30 AM   #12
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Awesome post. Thanks x1000 for sharing!
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Old 2 August 2012, 06:33 AM   #13
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Makes me miss my NASA days.
What did you do at NASA?
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Old 2 August 2012, 07:13 AM   #14
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when the sky crane drops the lander the sky crane shoots off into space. I assume it becomes space debris?
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Old 2 August 2012, 07:14 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joeychitwood View Post
Launched in November, 2011, the Mars rover Curiosity is approaching the planet, scheduled for a landing at 0130 EDT (US) on August 6th. The landing will be more complex than any previously attempted. It will be incredible if successful, but a lot of things can go wrong during the procedure. The entry into the thin Martian atmosphere and landing will take seven minutes. It takes 14 minutes for radio signals to reach Curiosity from NASA Mission Control. Therefore, there is no chance of making any flight adjustments during the landing.

Click the first photo to see a video of the complex landing plan:





Thx! I'm in!!!
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Old 2 August 2012, 07:54 AM   #16
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when the sky crane drops the lander the sky crane shoots off into space. I assume it becomes space debris?
It is designed to crash back onto the Martian surface well clear of the rover.
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Old 2 August 2012, 03:20 PM   #17
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What did you do at NASA?
Let's just say I worked on TDRSS.
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Old 6 August 2012, 05:53 AM   #18
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The rover lands (hopefully) tonight at 0131 EDT US (0531 GMT.) After a nine month flight, the complex landing will occur with the rover behind the planet. However, information from the Curiosity rover will be relayed to Earth via the Mars Odyssey Orbiter, which is going to try to photograph the landing.
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Old 6 August 2012, 06:03 AM   #19
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Indeed very exciting.
The rover will collect unprecedented amounts of data, unlocking a new, deeper understanding of our nearest planet neighbour Mars, which, without too much doubt, we will be the first colonists of one day.

Go NASA! and remember - it's all in the timing!

Makes me proud to be wearing an Omega!
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Old 6 August 2012, 06:16 AM   #20
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Cool stuff, its nuclear powered and it will last for like 8 years. That is some engineering
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Old 6 August 2012, 08:02 AM   #21
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Cool stuff, its nuclear powered and it will last for like 8 years. That is some engineering
Technically, it's a radioisotope thermoelectric generator and not nuclear power like our power plants. It uses Pu-238 as the heat source to create a temperature gradient with the Martian environment across thermoelectric materials to generate electricity.
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Old 6 August 2012, 08:11 AM   #22
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Technically, it's a radioisotope thermoelectric generator and not nuclear power like our power plants. It uses Pu-238 as the heat source to create a temperature gradient with the Martian environment across thermoelectric materials to generate electricity.
Ooops . . . . can't this be used to power our Rolex ?

Anyway I am ready to see the landing ;-)

HAGOne

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Old 6 August 2012, 10:31 AM   #23
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Live coverage, for those interested:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57...rover-landing/
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Old 6 August 2012, 10:47 AM   #24
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I really, really hope they're able to pull this off but I have my doubts. To me it just seems that there are too many thing that can go wrong. Maybe I'm just a cynic.

If they can do it though, it'll be the biggest success for the U.S. space program since July of 1969!
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Old 6 August 2012, 12:30 PM   #25
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Wish I could stay up to watch...but tomorrow is a "school' day!
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Old 6 August 2012, 12:38 PM   #26
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I must say that as I've seen it described in articles and videos, this is really a blind crap-shoot, except for the science and experience that underpins the effort.

The thing will land on the "dark-side" in a canyon or ravine, so that it will not be visible at anytime and the first affirmation that it has landed safely could take as long as three days.

That's a lot of anticipation.

Then there's the possibility that the thing will not be able to communicate with Odyssey at all due to an unfavorable attitude of the lander.

I sure hope it does all go well. Besides the billions of dollars, there's really a lot at stake here.

It all reminds me of Clarke's three laws, especially the third:

Clarke's Three Laws are three "laws" of prediction formulated by the British writer and scientist Arthur C. Clarke. They are:


1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.


2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke%27s_three_laws
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Old 6 August 2012, 01:42 PM   #27
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Quote:
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Live coverage, for those interested:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57...rover-landing/
Thanks for the link
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Old 6 August 2012, 02:37 PM   #28
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I might play hookie....have to admit, listening to the live feed just now reminds me of being 10 when Apollo 11 went for it, and the all the NASA calls were on national TV and short wave radio....of course, no lives at stake this time.
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Old 6 August 2012, 02:51 PM   #29
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45 minutes to go, all is nominal..."GO"....
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Old 6 August 2012, 03:02 PM   #30
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45 minutes to go, all is nominal..."GO"....
Yep...watching and listening to it in the background!!
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