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Rover Ready To Roll Onto Martian Surface (Spirit)
AP/Yahoo ^
| 1-11-2004
| Andrew Bridges
Posted on 01/11/2004 7:34:23 AM PST by blam
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1
posted on
01/11/2004 7:34:24 AM PST
by
blam
To: RightWhale
2
posted on
01/11/2004 7:37:28 AM PST
by
blam
To: All
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3
posted on
01/11/2004 7:38:11 AM PST
by
Support Free Republic
(Freepers post from sun to sun, but a fundraiser bot's work is never done.)
To: blam
Like all of the press, Mr Bridges insists on a life of certainty. No deviation from a plan is permitted without peril. An alternate route is a chance to dis.
4
posted on
01/11/2004 7:45:08 AM PST
by
bert
(Have you offended a liberal today?)
To: blam
Oh my god! I don`t believe it! There`s rocks on Mars! Just like the last time! What`s the chances of that happening? WHOA! We better send men to Mars just to make sure!
5
posted on
01/11/2004 7:46:28 AM PST
by
metalboy
(I`m still waiting for the protests against Saddam and Al Qaida)
To: blam
They don't call it "the Red Planet"
for nothing.
P.S. No sarcasm - I like this stuff!
To: blam
Bring it on!! Start it rolling. I'm getting hungry... ;)
7
posted on
01/11/2004 7:55:15 AM PST
by
martian_22
(Probes - It's what's for dinner...the other white meat...etc...)
To: blam
I have been thinking about what we have already learned from Spirit.
1- We learned that we can have a successful mission (and Spirit is successful already) on a fairly tight NASA budget.
2- We learned that precise landing on Mars is possible. Spirit rests within 600 feet of where it was supposed to.
3- We have learned that mars is a diverse planet. Just the discovery of rocks is significant, because not all rocks are the same to the geologist. In one of the press briefings, the scientists were speculating about the wear on the rocks, whether it was erosion caused by Martian wind or water.
I haven't even started speculating on what we will learn when Spirit starts roaming around. If all goes well, Spirit will prove that computers actually can think on a rudimentary level regarding research.
This list is open to anybody who wishes to add to the list of accomplishments of Spirit.
8
posted on
01/11/2004 8:06:55 AM PST
by
Lokibob
To: blam
I'm glad these people are more patient than I-- I would have digitally kicked off its darn platform days ago. Get to work!
9
posted on
01/11/2004 8:10:59 AM PST
by
metalcor
To: Lokibob
And we have learned that we don't have to send carbon-based life forms to Mars in order to explore it.
To: Lokibob
Good post. This exciting program is about to get even more exciting.
11
posted on
01/11/2004 10:39:38 AM PST
by
dagnabbit
(Tell Bush what to do with his Mexico Merger - Write in Tancredo in your State's primary)
To: Lessismore
we don't have to send carbon-based life forms to Mars in order to explore it. We aren't exploring Mars just for fun. We're going to have settlements there. If we weren't interested in living there, there wouldn't be any interest in exploring with robots or people.
12
posted on
01/11/2004 10:41:04 AM PST
by
RightWhale
(How many technological objections will be raised?)
To: RightWhale
This one of the few sites worth the time.
http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/status.html SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2004, 1725 GMT (12:25 p.m. EST)
On the just-completed Sol 8 workday for Spirit, the two middle wheels were released from the lander as planned and the science arm was unlocked from its launch location and moved to the "drive" position for the upcoming roll to the surface.
Sol 9 that begins tonight (Earth time) will be dedicated to science activities.
On Monday night, the final cable between the lander and rover -- a power and communications umbilical -- will be cut. Spirit then will perform the first of three turns on the lander to reach an alternate driveway. This first turn will be about 45 degrees as the rover moves from a southward heading to the lander egress path facing northwest. The south path is partially blocked by an airbag that prevents a straight drive to the surface.
Tuesday night will see two more turns on the lander -- to 95 degrees and then to the final 115-120 degree position. After every turn the rover's hazard cameras will snap views to ensure there are no problems before continuing.
Spirit's drive off the lander has been pushed back one day to Wednesday night/Thursday morning -- Sol 12. This is a delay to the schedule announced yesterday. Officials caution that activities could be postponed further depending on how well the turns go and the outcome of engineering testing on Earth.
At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's landing site mockup, a dress rehearsal is planned today to practice the procedures that Spirit will use.
13
posted on
01/11/2004 10:48:47 AM PST
by
RightWhale
(How many technological objections will be raised?)
To: shaggy eel
Hey shaggy! Did you see this picture ?!!
WHERE'S OUR STUFF ?!!!!
You can see where we left it, over there on the right !
They even took your barbecue equipment in the distance, on the left.
Oh man...er...fish...whatever...after all the losses we've had lately..now this. Sometimes I think Bert is right...resistance is futile.
14
posted on
01/11/2004 10:50:29 AM PST
by
PoorMuttly
("No jockey was ever ruled "Off" for trying." - W. C. Fields)
To: PoorMuttly
They even took your barbecue equipment in the distance, on the left. ,,, damn it Muttly! That wasn't a BBQ, it was a drilling rig. There's oil on M'ars.
To: blam
Let's Roll!
16
posted on
01/11/2004 11:32:23 AM PST
by
DoctorMichael
(Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.)
To: shaggy eel
Hmmm...I wondered why you kept bringing my bags of marshmallows back to the pile on the right...
..but let's see...oil...money...food...
SAME THING !
17
posted on
01/11/2004 11:33:45 AM PST
by
PoorMuttly
("No jockey was ever ruled "Off" for trying." - W. C. Fields)
To: blam
Thanks for posting this. It is so interesting to me and yet is getting very little news coverage. I hope that changes once Spirit start roving and taking more pictures.
To: PoorMuttly
,,, see ya money and raise ya three marshmallows.
To: Lokibob
the scientists were speculating about the wear on the rocks, whether it was erosion caused by Martian wind or water. Anyone who's spent much time in the field prospecting, especially for Wyoming jade, can see that most of the exposed Martian rocks are wind-eroded dreikanters. That's the German term for 3-faced rocks that are carved into that shape by wind-blown sand.
Now that doesn't mean the rocks weren't originally water-worn before they were exposed to the winds and blowing sands. If you go to Hoaglund's tinfoil site Interesting Rocks, and blow up the picture on the lower right, however, you get something truly interesting IMHO. That baby wasn't shaped by wind erosion, nor was the one above it IMO. Both appear either water-worn or as primary volcanic ejecta. Can't wait for Spirit to start returning more/better data!
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