Mars Rover to launch this weekend.

[Growler]

Still no colour images???

[Growler]

theres so much other places it could go!

The giant crevice that is your mommas ass, I don't think nasa wants to go there....

ah ah ahahahahah

ok I will leave now

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Still no colour images???

There are a few, but bandwidth it limited. Data can only be transmitted back when the Rover is within line of sight to Earth, or when an orbiter is in position to relay the signal.

[Kopfjaeger]

once they extend the mast they will have direct comms with earth

[Pyromanik]

http://www.panoramas.dk/mars/greeley-haven.html

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater

[Growler]

When will it pop its erection?

[Scunner]

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7460[/ATTACH]

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Wall of Gale Crater

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120811.html

[Growler]

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

The Sand People are easily startled but they'll soon be back, and in greater numbers.

[Aloysius]

Im surprised this hasn't been asked yet: Where is all this being filmed?


Will they be carrying out any experiments with the rover? Or is it all just 'splorin' 'n' samplin'?

[Black Heart]

Hmm I wonder if the dust on those solar? panels was expected to build up so quick. Looks to me like the gritty shit gets into everything, 2 years seems a long time to keep that thing running. I guess the previous lander kept going for ages though.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Hmm I wonder if the dust on those solar? panels was expected to build up so quick. Looks to me like the gritty shit gets into everything, 2 years seems a long time to keep that thing running. I guess the previous lander kept going for ages though.

Curiosity doesn't have solar panels , it's nuclear powered. An advantage of that is it can operate during winter (the previous rovers had to park up for the winter)

Curiosity is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.
Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) are generators that produce electricity from the natural decay of plutonium-238, which is a non-fissile isotope of plutonium. Heat given off by the natural decay of this isotope is converted into electricity, providing constant power during all seasons and through the day and night, and waste heat can be used via pipes to warm systems, freeing electrical power for the operation of the vehicle and instruments.

[Black Heart]

Yea I added the ? cos I wasn't sure what they were, they just looked like solar panels... what are those panel looking things?

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

There are no panel looking things.



Those other pictures with solar panel looking things, were from the two previous rovers, which had solar panels.

[Speakman]

I just can't stop seeing it:

[Black Heart]

Oh I thought the http://www.panoramas.dk/mars/greeley-haven.html was from the new rover, well that explains a lot about all the dust on it too.

[Growler]

Curiosity is nuclear powered aint it?

[Bounty Hunter]

Oh I thought the http://www.panoramas.dk/mars/greeley-haven.html was from the new rover, well that explains a lot about all the dust on it too.

That pic is from opportunity which has solar pannels, I gather the fact it can move around stops dust from building up too much, as its twin (spirit) got stuck and had to shut down once too much dust built up on it.

interestingly opportunity is still roaming around up there 30x longer than expected, spirit functioned 23x longer than expected.

at the press conference after curiosity landed they said that curiosity's components were tested to 3 lifetimes, but not to failure, the power source has a minimum life of 14 years.

if curiosity were to get stuck it might stay active for 20 years!

when I get to mars, first thing I'm going to do is go ride curiosity.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Oh I thought the http://www.panoramas.dk/mars/greeley-haven.html was from the new rover, well that explains a lot about all the dust on it too.

It's amazing that the Opportunity rover is still going, it's been on Mars for 8 years, It's solar panels are at 50% capacity atm due to the dust on them.

They thought after 90 days, ther rovers would stop working due to dust on the panels.

The reason it's lastest so long is because from time to time, dust devils come along and wipe up all the dust, leaving the solar panels clean again.


Spirt Rover October 2007


Spirt Rover November 2008

[BerG]

Funny how Curiosity actually does look like a gentleman with a monocle.



Noob scientists just need to add a small air compressor component to blast dust off the panels. Or give Curiosity a rag and go wipe them up.

[Bounty Hunter]

Funny how Curiosity actually does look like a gentleman with a monocle.



Noob scientists just need to add a small air compressor component to blast dust off the panels. Or give Curiosity a rag and go wipe them up.

~$3k per kg to mars.

Plus I dunno if it's worth compressing co2 using electrical energy from a solar pannel to blow dust off the same solar pannel, I think it's on the wrong side of the conservation of energy law....

or a rag? ok now I know you're taking the piss...

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

Opportunity proved they clearly don't need to do anything regarding dust on the solar panels. The rover's still operating after 8 years.

I'd imagine the death of Opportunity will come about due to one of the wheels failing, like what happend with Spirt. A failed wheel increases the chance it'll get stuck, and if it gets stuck and can't position it's solar panel towards the sun during winter, then it's doomed.