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I'm curious about the use of a wireless camera to photograph the lander and the rover. It seems like extra weight and complexity for purely PR reasons. Yes, y

I'm curious about the use of a wireless camera to photograph the lander and the rover. It seems like extra weight and complexity for purely PR reasons. Yes, you need to inspect each vehicle, but the rover can clearly examine the lander and move around it, while the lander needs only one camera, possibly an existing descent one, to inspect the rover. Is Earth in an ideology war again?

DiogenesKynikos 5y ago
It may be scientifically worthless, but the public pays for these missions and the public likes pretty pictures. JunoCam on NASA's Jupiter orbiter, Juno, was added in order to give the public pretty pictures of Jupiter.[1] I personally think that's really cool. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JunoCam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JunoCam
iso1631 5y ago
> It seems like extra weight and complexity for purely PR reasons. And that's the thing that gets a public supportive of your space program and thus the resources keep flowing. Drop the PR and you drop the funding.
- erdos4d 5y ago
  This is a democratic model you are assuming, I don't think CCP needs the Chinese people to "support" anything they do, it really just boils down to whether the CCP leaders support it.
  - melling 5y ago
    National pride is very important in either model.
    - sidlls 5y ago
      Yes, but the people with the pride differ. In the genocidal dictatorship of China only the pride of the CCP matters very much. It can be coerced or ignored in other groups.
      - shigawire 5y ago
        I don't agree. They still need to assert their legitimately through successful governance and projects.
  - dr-detroit 5y ago
    I dont know any average people who support the western system of oppressive wealth consolidation.
  - dang 5y ago
    Please don't take HN threads on generic ideological tangents. Those lead to highly repetitive discussion, which is tedious and usually turns nasty — therefore not what we want here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=generic%20ideolog%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor... https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=mind%20amuse%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...
luma 5y ago
Possibly a technology test? I don't think it's any more or less silly than a helicopter that also doesn't actually do any science other than testing out the concept for future missions.
- alpha_squared 5y ago
  > ...a helicopter that also doesn't actually do any science other than testing out the concept for future missions. Isn't that scientific? Testing out the hypothesis of aerial maneuverability in Martian airpsace?
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    It's more so engineering than science. We were absolutely certain that it was possible for a long time.
- aardvarkr 5y ago
  That’s pretty close to the definition of science… form a hypothesis and test it then report your results. Not every test has to be microbiological or geological in origin to be considered “science”. They’re also getting to test the resiliency of consumer grade computers and electronics in the Martian atmosphere and probably many many other experimental ideas that aren’t public knowledge.
aga98mtl 5y ago
Space exploration is a prestige game among world powers since the very beginning. China needs good PR pictures to show they can do just as well as NASA. If we are lucky they will try to one up each other for decades to come.
marcodiego 5y ago
These missions usually have scientific AND engineering objectives. Having a spare camera that the hover put anywhere may not be very valuable scientifically, but it validates the engineering of all communication, power and mechanical systems involved. That will allow more advanced scientific objectives in the future.
CMay 5y ago
Something could go wrong with any of those and cameras can be pretty light these days since we put them in doorbells, so I doubt they're sweating it when there are multiple potential benefits to having it there. :) Curiosity weighed almost 2000 lbs, so it's not like rovers on Mars are afraid to weigh anything which is not to say they don't run the numbers.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
3pt14159 5y ago
It's useful for future historians. We're not just exploring space, we're leaving something behind for the future of humanity.
phendrenad2 5y ago
Are people taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower involved in ideological war? Let scientists have a win without injecting politics.

DiogenesKynikos 5y ago

It may be scientifically worthless, but the public pays for these missions and the public likes pretty pictures. JunoCam on NASA's Jupiter orbiter, Juno, was added in order to give the public pretty pictures of Jupiter.[1] I personally think that's really cool. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JunoCam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JunoCam

iso1631 5y ago

> It seems like extra weight and complexity for purely PR reasons. And that's the thing that gets a public supportive of your space program and thus the resources keep flowing. Drop the PR and you drop the funding.

erdos4d 5y ago
This is a democratic model you are assuming, I don't think CCP needs the Chinese people to "support" anything they do, it really just boils down to whether the CCP leaders support it.
- melling 5y ago
  National pride is very important in either model.
  - sidlls 5y ago
    Yes, but the people with the pride differ. In the genocidal dictatorship of China only the pride of the CCP matters very much. It can be coerced or ignored in other groups.
    - shigawire 5y ago
      I don't agree. They still need to assert their legitimately through successful governance and projects.
- dr-detroit 5y ago
  I dont know any average people who support the western system of oppressive wealth consolidation.
- dang 5y ago
  Please don't take HN threads on generic ideological tangents. Those lead to highly repetitive discussion, which is tedious and usually turns nasty — therefore not what we want here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=generic%20ideolog%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor... https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=mind%20amuse%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor...

luma 5y ago

Possibly a technology test? I don't think it's any more or less silly than a helicopter that also doesn't actually do any science other than testing out the concept for future missions.

alpha_squared 5y ago
> ...a helicopter that also doesn't actually do any science other than testing out the concept for future missions. Isn't that scientific? Testing out the hypothesis of aerial maneuverability in Martian airpsace?
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It's more so engineering than science. We were absolutely certain that it was possible for a long time.
aardvarkr 5y ago
That’s pretty close to the definition of science… form a hypothesis and test it then report your results. Not every test has to be microbiological or geological in origin to be considered “science”. They’re also getting to test the resiliency of consumer grade computers and electronics in the Martian atmosphere and probably many many other experimental ideas that aren’t public knowledge.

aga98mtl 5y ago

Space exploration is a prestige game among world powers since the very beginning. China needs good PR pictures to show they can do just as well as NASA. If we are lucky they will try to one up each other for decades to come.

marcodiego 5y ago

These missions usually have scientific AND engineering objectives. Having a spare camera that the hover put anywhere may not be very valuable scientifically, but it validates the engineering of all communication, power and mechanical systems involved. That will allow more advanced scientific objectives in the future.

CMay 5y ago

Something could go wrong with any of those and cameras can be pretty light these days since we put them in doorbells, so I doubt they're sweating it when there are multiple potential benefits to having it there. :) Curiosity weighed almost 2000 lbs, so it's not like rovers on Mars are afraid to weigh anything which is not to say they don't run the numbers.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

3pt14159 5y ago

It's useful for future historians. We're not just exploring space, we're leaving something behind for the future of humanity.

phendrenad2 5y ago

Are people taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower involved in ideological war? Let scientists have a win without injecting politics.