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Big rover, big-deal landing.
Mars should soon have a new resident. On August 6th, NASA’s latest rover, Curiosity, is scheduled to arrive. Curiosity is the size of a compact car, and it’s fully loaded—with an unprecedented collection of science instruments.
But before those instruments get put to work comes Curiosity’s descent and landing process sequence—what’s being called the “seven minutes of terror.” It includes parachutes, landing rockets and a hovering sky crane to lower the rover to the surface.
At a July 16th news conference, NASA’s Doug McCuistion tackled the obvious question: “Is it crazy? Well, Not so much. Once you understand it, it’s not a crazy concept. It works. Is it risky? Landing on Mars is always risky. There are hundreds of discrete events that occur, from release of the cruise stage to parachute deployments to heat shield deployments. All of these are unique, and any one could cause problems. We go from 13,000 miles an hour to zero in seven minutes. That’s quite a challenge in itself. And then there’s the unknown, there’s Mars. Mars throws things at you: dust storms, atmospheric density changes, wind. So it’s a very unique and a very challenging environement.”
If all those challenges are met, the rover should help settle the question of whether Mars once had conditions favorable for life. Thus satisfying Curiosity.
—John Matson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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10 Comments
Add CommentGood luck Curiosity!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOpinion
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMyself and additionally many colleagues would like to ask a question of NASA, a question which has been obstructed or ignored for decades, why are all of the images from Mars air brushed? NASA applies a red coat of paint to obscure any details that could be picked up by the academics or science populace using advanced enlargement/enhancement procedures.
NASA images are not selected fortuitously but for the most vague of detail and the void of content possible photos, you spend billions to get Curiosity to Mars and yet we must look at tire tracks or a distance horizon? Please, we pay the bill, we all know our government is corrupt and keeps us in the dark but have you no shame? Why not just black out the entire image if you don't want anyone to see what's on Mars, NASA has become a den of lies and half truths? Don't turn the Mars mission into what the Moon has become, there is not one close up photo of the Apollo landing sites by satellite or Telescope, all of Apollo's images lost, you wonder why a large group feel we never went to the Moon.
Heh, pretty kooky, Ronnie. You can see raw images from Opportunity at NASA's marsrover page:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity.html
Or, like I did this winter, you can go to Jet Propulsion Laboratory and see live data.
13 000 miles to zero in 7 minutes, that's about 14g *average* deceleration, isn't it?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInquiringConstructivist, your inexorability is fruitless http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity.html are all most certainly colored... Some of us are authorities in photography and once you analyze the photos your head spins with the question why? Why corrupt the images, is it so consequential to keep any details from being disinterred? Please spread your adulterated images some where else I have seen quite enough thank you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI Challenge you to prove other wise!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere is the latest picture from Mars Rover, Dunes-580x435.jpg Polar ice cliffs Northern dunes gullied, I have identifying it as a touched up image.
Under 400% enlargement it can be determined that air brushing was added over the entire image, with 800% you can see it clearly was touched up. The Cave openings were air brushed so no details could be ascertained but several intriguing images were seen under enlargement in front of the openings, most noticable was the center dune. I have a re-enhanced the image from the original 499x375 pixels to a new total of 1050x 825 pixels showing some very interesting artifacts in the image, I have also used a light filter and several other processes. Can you please tell me why the image was air brushed? Please enlarge even if your not photogenically inclined and make a layman observation.
InquiringConstructivist, not that kooky any more is it?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis photo of 'Greeley Panorama' from Opportunity's Fifth Martian Winter panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is 418x144 pixels and has been retouched using an air brush so as to remove any details from image. Don't take my word for it, you seem like a smart guy, figure it out. Just one question, why?
@Ronnie, facts don't cure paranoid delusions but here goes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Some of us are authorities in photography and once you analyze the photos your head spins with the question why?" wow, you have claimed to be an authority so that must be true and everything you say must be true because you are an authority. Regardless of how much of an authority you are, you still need to provide evidence.
"I Challenge you to prove other wise!" no, you are making the claim. The onus is on YOU to prove your claim. It is not on everyone else to prove you wrong.
The cameras on opportunity are not like your consumer cameras. There may be artifacts caused by the camera, the transmission process or the stitching process. These are just artifacts and not a conspiracy to cover up whatever. You need to take your meds.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLike a sick slobbering green archfiend from a B movie you castigate and defile any and all proof, I offered up two sets of images for inspection that a class of 101 photography freshman acquiesced where air brushed. Whilst the evidence as provided in the images does not reveal enough for you than please by all means accept it for what it is, a forgery.
A class of academics looked at the images and suggested we start air brushing our work and teaching our students to master the art of concealment by deception. A grade should be given based on the body of lies concealed within an image rather than the details exposed.
So, please blow your fairy dust around someone else I have little time for a nincompoop.
As I stated before this photo in my opinion has been air brushed..under enlargement the colors do not match and the over spray was simply sloppy workmanship.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Polar ice cliffs Northern dunes gullied" taken by the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/96270/latest-from-mars-massive-polar-ice-cliffs-northern-dunes-gullied-craters/#ixzz210rrZffi
Your lack of knowledge in photography overwhelms me with amusing laughter, if you only knew. Your identity was also revield in your writing, your a company man, probably called in by the moderator to defend the process, your a dead give-a-way.... I wish they would have picked someone brighter who could have offer a real defense of the image with logic and scientific fact. You should be about retirement age and should consider taking it early.... Anyone who has an enlargement program please look closly at the image, you will be shocked!