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NASA's Mars Science Laboratory |OT| 2,000 Pounds of Science!
- Thread starter DrForester
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It's too bad none of us will live to see this happen. Mortality sucks.
Sigh...and I believe we are so close to biological immortality. FUUUUUCK
Even if biological immortality is created in 2030-2040... it will probably cost something like a million per person at best.
But imagine the return on taxes...a person paying taxes forever.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
TheAtlantic has a great set of photos.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/08/curiosity-just-days-away-from-mars/100346/#
A closeup of Curiosity's "head" atop the remote sensing mast. Instruments on the mast include two science instruments for studying the rover's surroundings and two stereo navigation cameras for use in driving the rover and planning rover activities. This photo was taken April 4, 2011, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, For scale, the width of the white box at the top is about 0.4 meter (16 inches). The circle in the white box is the laser and telescope of an instrument named Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam. The instrument can pulse its laser at a rock up to about 7 meters (23 feet) away and determine the rock's composition by examining the resulting spark with the telescope and spectrometers. Just below that circle is the square opening for a wide-angle camera that is paired with a telephoto camera (the smaller square opening to the left) in the rover's Mast Camera, or Mastcam, which can take high-definition, full-color video with both "eyes." Each of the two Mastcam camera heads has a wheel of filters that can be used for studying geological targets at specific visible-light and infrared wavelengths. Farther outward from each of the Mastcam cameras are circular lens openings for the rover's stereo navigation camera and its backup twin. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
I mean damn....smart doesn't even begin to describe the people behind this.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/08/curiosity-just-days-away-from-mars/100346/#
A closeup of Curiosity's "head" atop the remote sensing mast. Instruments on the mast include two science instruments for studying the rover's surroundings and two stereo navigation cameras for use in driving the rover and planning rover activities. This photo was taken April 4, 2011, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, For scale, the width of the white box at the top is about 0.4 meter (16 inches). The circle in the white box is the laser and telescope of an instrument named Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam. The instrument can pulse its laser at a rock up to about 7 meters (23 feet) away and determine the rock's composition by examining the resulting spark with the telescope and spectrometers. Just below that circle is the square opening for a wide-angle camera that is paired with a telephoto camera (the smaller square opening to the left) in the rover's Mast Camera, or Mastcam, which can take high-definition, full-color video with both "eyes." Each of the two Mastcam camera heads has a wheel of filters that can be used for studying geological targets at specific visible-light and infrared wavelengths. Farther outward from each of the Mastcam cameras are circular lens openings for the rover's stereo navigation camera and its backup twin. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
I mean damn....smart doesn't even begin to describe the people behind this.
TheAtlantic has a great set of photos.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/08/curiosity-just-days-away-from-mars/100346/#
A closeup of Curiosity's "head" atop the remote sensing mast. Instruments on the mast include two science instruments for studying the rover's surroundings and two stereo navigation cameras for use in driving the rover and planning rover activities. This photo was taken April 4, 2011, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, For scale, the width of the white box at the top is about 0.4 meter (16 inches). The circle in the white box is the laser and telescope of an instrument named Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam. The instrument can pulse its laser at a rock up to about 7 meters (23 feet) away and determine the rock's composition by examining the resulting spark with the telescope and spectrometers. Just below that circle is the square opening for a wide-angle camera that is paired with a telephoto camera (the smaller square opening to the left) in the rover's Mast Camera, or Mastcam, which can take high-definition, full-color video with both "eyes." Each of the two Mastcam camera heads has a wheel of filters that can be used for studying geological targets at specific visible-light and infrared wavelengths. Farther outward from each of the Mastcam cameras are circular lens openings for the rover's stereo navigation camera and its backup twin. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
I mean damn....smart doesn't even begin to describe the people behind this.
No disassemble.
timetokill
Banned
Easily. It's his job to be a leader. Fucking LEAD, instead of holding a finger to the wind.
It's his job to set an example and a tone for the American people.
Something like this, perhaps?
"I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals:
First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Mars."
Does not hurt that this thing looks like it has a "face". Like Wall-E on steroids.
The people don't demand it, why should he demand it? The voters that want to double NASA's budget are not even a vocal minority. They are nonexistent.
Yeah
indigo-cyclops
Member
It's absolutely fascinating to watch the mission control video and the announcement of successful landing. You can just feel the passion and excitement from everyone that worked on that project. Fuck, this is the beginning, at least I hope it is.
Also a few of those dudes looked like NASA rock stars. Especially one of the main comm guys with the pompadour cut.
I wish I knew more about the technical aspects of it, but this is amazing.
Now if people would get their heads on straight and realize just how important the success of this mission was/is.
Also a few of those dudes looked like NASA rock stars. Especially one of the main comm guys with the pompadour cut.
I wish I knew more about the technical aspects of it, but this is amazing.
Now if people would get their heads on straight and realize just how important the success of this mission was/is.
I mean, imagine these people around during the Apollo missions or something. The lack of scientific curiosity from the general public sometimes is amazing.Yeah
I just don't understand how people don't like, or aren't remotely interested in, what NASA does. I understand the shuttle program was a big let down for people. Even I thought it was a snoozer. But missions to other planets are amazing. No one cares. No one looks up at the sky at night and thinks twice about it. NDT would say "we stopped dreaming".
Karma Kramer
Banned
Exactly, politics... I mean perhaps its naive to think Presidents should grasp whats important on their own accord these days... but idk when you have senators and congressman calling Obama a foreigner and news media grabbing onto that story like there is any truth behind it, you'd think you would come to terms with the fact that the America public lacks the equivalent balance of progressive leadership and therefore needs someone to speak up about important matters. This is why I find both parties to largely be apart of the same body... our political system has been basically boiled down to Pepsi vs. Coke...
Our generation has an opportunity to derail this scam, the first step being is ending the Electoral college. I believe that it is mainly this old fashioned process that keeps the ignorant voting and the educated from voting because California is always gonna be a blue state, or Texas will always be a red state etc... and if you are in a swing state, don't you dare think about voting third party because do you want to take votes away from the lesser of two evils and potentially end up with the worse option.
timetokill
Banned
That was why I presented a modified JFK quote. Presidents used to at least try and lead.
BruiserBear
Banned
If you think you've seen this mission before, you're not paying attention to this mission.
Did you know that there are some people predicting this rover will confirm life once existed on Mars? Some are saying this could happen in a matter of months. That would be arguably the biggest scientific discovery in decades.
This mission is a very big deal if you know what's possible.
You'd be surprised how many people fear science, and so it's easy to complain about the financial costs as a cover. People often fear what they don't understand, and unfortunately a lot of people don't understand science these days.
Obama is perfectly happy getting checks from lobiests and selling america down the river.
indigo-cyclops
Member
America and it's scientific curiosity remind me of the very true skit from Mr. Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csj7vMKy4EI
Please watch it people. This is the absurdity of so many people. Something they can get behind perhaps?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csj7vMKy4EI
Please watch it people. This is the absurdity of so many people. Something they can get behind perhaps?
I don't wanna be a dick about this, guys, but I really think we should cut out the politics from this thread. It's just cluttering it up with heated opinions, and that never ends well.
lol. Nice.
Phoenix
Member
Which river, the Mississippi?
Fenderputty
Banned
It is what it is, but I tend to think money ruins things. Like we need super rich people laying claim to the solar system.yeah.
but in the end though, i don't care how it gets done, as long as we truly start exploring stuff thoroughly. (Europa's vast oceans.. someone GET TO WORK, NOW!)
and despite my skepticism i totally welcome any eccentric billionaire investing their wealth into space-related projects
I'll tak what I can get though. I would just rather we do it without private assistence.
I just found this out of a venture by a Dutch entrepreneur and while its goals are admirable, I believe that it may just be underestimating the challenge of getting to Mars.
I want humans to eventually walk on Mars, but I also believe in doing it the right way and this "Mars One" project just seems like I said, underestimating the whole thing.
http://mars-one.com/en/
For one thing, they expect the cost to be 6 billion dollars and I balk at that figure since I clearly know that's it's so grossly small. Way too small a budget for this kind of undertaking.
I want humans to eventually walk on Mars, but I also believe in doing it the right way and this "Mars One" project just seems like I said, underestimating the whole thing.
http://mars-one.com/en/
For one thing, they expect the cost to be 6 billion dollars and I balk at that figure since I clearly know that's it's so grossly small. Way too small a budget for this kind of undertaking.
I guarantee you, this will not ever happen. And I hope it doesn't. I don't want the first people on Mars to be a reality show.
Yeah I'm with you on this.
Even with NASA's meager budget, it still is a national space agency and it comes upon challenge after challenge in regards to a manned mission to Mars.
A mission to Mars is one that will be very different to the Apollo missions to the moon. That should be clear.
Private space ventures will never be able to take on national space agencies in terms of exploring the solar system and beyond. Especially one that has no previous experience of space exploration.
It says that planning started in 2011. An undertaking of this magnitude takes more than just a "few years." Hell, the current Curiosity Mission took 8 years to come to fruition and finally touchdown.
And like you said, it makes me shudder to think of a Mars venture turning out to be a reality TV show. They also said that the astronauts going there would be picked by the public and I balked at that. Suggesting such a thing...
Said astronauts would likely not fair well in space or beyond. The training for Nasa is no joke - there's a ton of pilots in the Air Force, but only a select few that can really be astronauts. You can't just pick your favorite celebrity and send them to mars. Well, you could, but I don't think that would end well.
Unless, of course, they picked Justin Bieber and the space craft just... never made it back. Just saying.
just signed the petition for pennyfornasa. I urge everyone here to sign it.
http://www.penny4nasa.org/
On another note, here is some of the support and opposition this is getting.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/x35/report#nation
One quote struck me of its ignorance. I cannot believe that such views actually exist.
"I believe the taxpayers of our nation have wasted more than enough of their resources on NASA for far too little a return and therefore would call for the dissolution of NASA and a reduction of taxes in accordance with the elimination of that pseudo-governmental organization."
http://www.penny4nasa.org/
On another note, here is some of the support and opposition this is getting.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/x35/report#nation
One quote struck me of its ignorance. I cannot believe that such views actually exist.
"I believe the taxpayers of our nation have wasted more than enough of their resources on NASA for far too little a return and therefore would call for the dissolution of NASA and a reduction of taxes in accordance with the elimination of that pseudo-governmental organization."
These cameras are for navigation.
Once it's up and running it'll be sending back beautiful high resolution images.
They have one, it takes pics in super high res and therefore will take longer to transmit. It's also not deployed yet, so all of it's pictures would be out of focus and sideways.
Apparently one of the NASA guys had a bad interview on Fox News. Someone made this in response (saw it on SA):
That doesn't really matter (to them). Dumb people see "This rover cost billions of dollars" and instantly think it's a gigantic waste. It's like a switch flips in their heads - "Duurrr, biiig numberrrrr."
That doesn't really matter (to them). Dumb people see "This rover cost billions of dollars" and instantly think it's a gigantic waste. It's like a switch flips in their heads - "Duurrr, biiig numberrrrr."
Apparently one of the NASA guys had a bad interview on Fox News. Someone made this in response (saw it on SA):
That doesn't really matter (to them). Dumb people see "This rover cost billions of dollars" and instantly think it's a gigantic waste. It's like a switch flips in their heads - "Duurrr, biiig numberrrrr."
lol That picture is way too funny.
Yeah, but all that was born out of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin, when the world [read US] trembled at the sound of Russian rockets. I think once China starts making some real noise, then the pendulum of general interest will probably start to swing back the other way for NASA... hope so anyway. :\
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Rich people "laying claim" to parts of space worries you? I think we've moved past 15th century notions of exploration, but I really doubt they'd be laying "claim" to anything other than their names in the history books. Besides, they'd need some kind of government authority to recognize their claim, if any, and enforce its existence.
In the case that all of the earth governments are incompetent, incapable, or unwilling to support a private citizen's space exploration, then fuck it, that billionaire visionary deserves his/her space playground.
Regardless, I don't really see how money in this case is somehow going to spoil the endeavor. It's not like the motivations for government exploration are somehow any more noble. They both do it for their own self interest, in whatever potential forms it can take. "Private assistance", enabled by the protections of government, has been a driving force in our advancement throughout history. A lot of the modern conveniences you enjoy today wouldn't be possible without "private assistance".
I believe they do this because the impact of what created the crater will have done most of the digging for us, exposing rock that would have originally been under the surface, etc
Phoenix
Member
Definitely makes sense, but it seems that the impact would have killed/incinerated any life/trace life in the immediate vicinity and thrown any "surface life" far away from the crater itself.
British Monsoon
Member
I just use GIMP with the GAP extension, really easy. However, the video of the landing is over 1000 frames, so the resulting .gif is HUGE;
Curiosity landing in .gif form - 14.8mb
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2012/08/05/curiosity-targets-gale-crater/
Scientific American said:
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
The rover is not necessarily looking for life existing right now. It's looking for signs of life ever existing at some point in time in the past. There can be particular patterns of mineral deposits or certain chemical traces that support the argument that life once existed there that aren't so easily erased by a meteor impact.
I would imagine anyone would need an iron sack just going to space. I would love to do it don't get me wrong, but pretty much anytime from T minus ZERO your life is on the line.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Not just yours, yours and most likely everyone in the ship with you. Space is unforgiving.
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