7 ms·

Mars rover Curiosity lands today

125 points by LVB 14y ago

swatkat 14y ago
Been waiting for this since its launch. NASA's livestream page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
gibybo 14y ago
At the top of the article, it says "Date: 05 August 2012 Time: 12:31 AM ET", lower in the article it says "Aug. 5; 1:31 a.m. EDT" but both of those seem to be mistakes since those times have already passed and nasa.gov says "Aug 6, 2012 1:31 a.m. Eastern". Sorry if this is pedantic, but I think the time is pretty important here.
- opminion 14y ago
  I suspect the BBC radio news announced the wrong date, for that reason.
- redwood 14y ago
  What they meant was 10:30 PM pacific time on Aug. 05. For US East Coast and all areas east (Europe, Asia etc) this means Aug. 06. They posted the article early in the morning on Aug. 05 so they could have it up and relevant for a full 24 hours I guess!
nodrama 14y ago
they say "Watch Curiosity's Landing!". What exactly will we see?
glimcat 14y ago
I'm still very nervous about the landing system. It's ambitious, to say the least. But if it works - oh, if it works! This really is the most exciting project in exogeology since men brought rocks back from the moon. (Table of localized landing times: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Curiosity+Mars+Rover+Landing&iso=20120805T2230&p1=137 http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Cu...)
- robryan 14y ago
  Yeah, nervous about any landing on Mars really. A failure would be a disaster for a cash strapped NASA and set back the program years.
- piffey 14y ago
  Our 3/10 track record isn't too great on Mars landing successes either. Here's to hoping!
  - jimktrains2 14y ago
    3/10 includes a lot of older missions and non-us missions. The US has quite a good track record for Mars missions. As time goes on we get better and better. More info here: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xnoog/30_success_rate_landing_on_mars_is_anyone_else/ http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xnoog/30_success_ra...
waterlesscloud 14y ago
One way or the other.
avar 14y ago
Here's some good resources on the landing: * An overview on CosmoQuoest.org: http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2012/08/curiosity-landing-remember-to-breath/ http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2012/08/curiosity-landing-remembe... * A Google+ hangout that'll be covering the landing: https://plus.google.com/events/c7c2fbd2gil25fjimln1jnr1134/110701307803962595019 https://plus.google.com/events/c7c2fbd2gil25fjimln1jnr1134/1... * Conversion of the landing time into various time zones: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Curiosity+Mars+Rover+Landing&iso=20120805T2230&p1=137 http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Cu...
- karpathy 14y ago
  Here are some more I've collected: Awesome 3D live in-browser visualization of Curiosity's journey: http://eyes.nasa.gov/ http://eyes.nasa.gov/ [doesn't work on ubuntu :( ] There are Curiosity landing parties going on around the world, see map: http://bit.ly/NFwMTk http://bit.ly/NFwMTk Curiosity Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity NASA TV will stream landing live at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html Picture of the 3 generations of rovers next to people for size comparison: http://bit.ly/NZBKb3 http://bit.ly/NZBKb3 A well-produced video of 7 minutes of terror, if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090
  - avar 14y ago
    Here's another one: NASA TV again, but in HD: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html
    - tch 14y ago
      Link to the JPL site http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
- vibrunazo 14y ago
  That's Fraser Cain's Hangout. There's also the official SETI Hangout going on earlier than that. Then they'll join Fraser Cain later on. https://plus.google.com/events/c5otcpguo0im3qmgblsf1fadeqs/108759765804984663877 https://plus.google.com/events/c5otcpguo0im3qmgblsf1fadeqs/1...
jsmcgd 14y ago
Can someone explain to me why it isn't possible to steer the capsule with the heat shield such that it can be used to deplete virtually all of its speed? I can imagine a system where the capsule pitches up near the end of its run so that it starts gaining altitude and then deploys a parachute for landing once it has reached its apogee. I appreciate that their system probably is the best design as they are a smart bunch, however I haven't heard the reason's why some of the more conventional mechanisms weren't used. Another thing is the crane mechanism, which is to protect the rover from the debris kicked up from the rocket motors. I was wondering why the rover couldn't just be encased in a simple lightweight protective box and then placed directly on the deck? Does anyone have any links to the other designs that were considered and rejected?
- gus_massa 14y ago
  I think that to do that maneuver you must have wings, and the atmosphere of Mars is thin, so you need bigger wings, and the structure to hold the wings in place give them enough strength. So I think it's easier to use a parachute.
- Sharlin 14y ago
  I don't think the capsule has the right aerodynamic properties to allow it to work as a proper lifting body in the 0.01 ATM Martian atmosphere. We don't really have any experience about lifting bodies on Mars, even less than we have about huge supersonic parachutes. You can't land on Mars with just a parachute anyway, not with a 900 kg payload. The main problem with Mars is that its atmosphere is just dense enough that it complicates things but not dense enough that it's really helpful.
  - jsmcgd 14y ago
    Apparently according to this video [1] (about half way through) the capsule is a lifting body however I was thinking of something like a simple guided arrow, perhaps some fins that are extended on a telescopic shaft. You could possibly then put a tractor rocket at the end of this shaft to slow descent and keep the rocket plumes away from the main body and the ground. Regarding parachutes, is it not the case that if you need more performance, that you simply increase their size? [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SwXe_X4UKoM http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S...
ck2 14y ago
So they completely beta tested this landing system on earth right? Any videos? Sure hope they did more than this with just a "lab test" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YfPWTpWN0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YfPWTpWN0 I'd be testing it by throwing it out of a plane and see if it can land intact? ps. not a drop test but still interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGpnLrX-_g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGpnLrX-_g
- Achshar 14y ago
  > So they completely beta tested this landing system on earth right? That is not possible. Some things like gravity and atmospheric pressure/density cannot be replicated in the scale required to test here on earth. They have to rely on testing in parts and in some cases on calculations and data from previous visits and landings.
  - ck2 14y ago
    Mars has LESS pressure. So the landing would be easier here, so it should have been tested? I find it impossible to believe it wasn't tested all together as a unit and just connecting individually tested parts. Kind of strange they would not share such a video, which if made by a government entity is public domain anyway.
    - maaku 14y ago
      No. Mars having less atmosphere is exactly the point. Such an entry system hitting Earth's atmosphere would be like slamming into a brick wall--it wouldn't survive. And the greater density air on Earth would make the sky crane segment completely unstable. Not to mention that Earth's gravity is simply too large--components of the system would be crushed under their own weight. Believe it, because it's true.
      - AngryParsley 14y ago
        I don't know about most of your points, but the components being crushed under their own weight doesn't seem right. The probe was built in Earth gravity and had to undergo 4-5G of acceleration during launch. Also, it's going to experience 13G of deceleration when entering the Martian atmosphere.
DanielBMarkham 14y ago
I have been waiting for this for quite a while. Very excited about the potential for new discoveries. Having said that, it still looks like the craziest Rube Goldberg set of hacked together systems I've ever seen for landing on a planet. Here's hoping it all comes off without a hitch. I have a feeling it'll become an object lesson in engineering whether it works or not.
- bane 14y ago
  "it still looks like the craziest Rube Goldberg set of hacked together systems I've ever seen for landing on a planet" It almost makes slamming into the planet and bouncing around in a giant airbag look like a perfectly reasonable and drama-free landing approach.
- dugmartin 14y ago
  It reminds me of the results of my highschool art class project 25 years ago. We were given a sheet of construction paper, a few straws, some glue and a couple of rubber bands. The challenge was to build something that would keep a light bulb from breaking when dropped from the top of a ten foot ladder. I spent a week of class periods building what looked like a replica of the Lunar Module with fins - the legs were springs to absorb the impact. It worked great when I tested it but failed on the testing day because the teacher was holding it upside down when he dropped it. My friend, who goofed off the whole week drawing comics in class spent 5 minutes wrapping his bulb in straws, then crumpled up the paper, uncrumpled it and then wrapped that around the straws. A couple of loops of tape and he made a landing "vehicle" that worked every time.
- avar 14y ago
  The team directly addressed that crazy landing system v.s. the alternatives in a press conference just a few days ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXe_X4UKoM#t=30m16s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXe_X4UKoM#t=30m16s
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  One of the things that came out of discussion with NASA scientists was a deliberate 'science of disaster' sort of thinking. There are a number of sensors in the landing shell, in curiosity, and in the sky crane, that start transmitting as soon as they can. Further the goal of having the Mars Odyssey in position was so that as much data could be collected as possible. Basically you have to ask the question "What science can I do at this stage?" so that during every possible outcome you extract the most data you can. I find that a fascinating way to structure your thinking about a project.
guscost 14y ago
I love how the old media fears robotic spacecraft. A great day!

125 points by LVB 14y ago

Been waiting for this since its launch. NASA's livestream page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

gibybo 14y ago

At the top of the article, it says "Date: 05 August 2012 Time: 12:31 AM ET", lower in the article it says "Aug. 5; 1:31 a.m. EDT" but both of those seem to be mistakes since those times have already passed and nasa.gov says "Aug 6, 2012 1:31 a.m. Eastern". Sorry if this is pedantic, but I think the time is pretty important here.

opminion 14y ago
I suspect the BBC radio news announced the wrong date, for that reason.
redwood 14y ago
What they meant was 10:30 PM pacific time on Aug. 05. For US East Coast and all areas east (Europe, Asia etc) this means Aug. 06. They posted the article early in the morning on Aug. 05 so they could have it up and relevant for a full 24 hours I guess!

nodrama 14y ago

they say "Watch Curiosity's Landing!". What exactly will we see?

glimcat 14y ago

I'm still very nervous about the landing system. It's ambitious, to say the least. But if it works - oh, if it works! This really is the most exciting project in exogeology since men brought rocks back from the moon. (Table of localized landing times: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Curiosity+Mars+Rover+Landing&iso=20120805T2230&p1=137 http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Cu...)

robryan 14y ago
Yeah, nervous about any landing on Mars really. A failure would be a disaster for a cash strapped NASA and set back the program years.
piffey 14y ago
Our 3/10 track record isn't too great on Mars landing successes either. Here's to hoping!
- jimktrains2 14y ago
  3/10 includes a lot of older missions and non-us missions. The US has quite a good track record for Mars missions. As time goes on we get better and better. More info here: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xnoog/30_success_rate_landing_on_mars_is_anyone_else/ http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xnoog/30_success_ra...

waterlesscloud 14y ago

One way or the other.

avar 14y ago

Here's some good resources on the landing: * An overview on CosmoQuoest.org: http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2012/08/curiosity-landing-remember-to-breath/ http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2012/08/curiosity-landing-remembe... * A Google+ hangout that'll be covering the landing: https://plus.google.com/events/c7c2fbd2gil25fjimln1jnr1134/110701307803962595019 https://plus.google.com/events/c7c2fbd2gil25fjimln1jnr1134/1... * Conversion of the landing time into various time zones: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Curiosity+Mars+Rover+Landing&iso=20120805T2230&p1=137 http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=NASA+Cu...

karpathy 14y ago
Here are some more I've collected: Awesome 3D live in-browser visualization of Curiosity's journey: http://eyes.nasa.gov/ http://eyes.nasa.gov/ [doesn't work on ubuntu :( ] There are Curiosity landing parties going on around the world, see map: http://bit.ly/NFwMTk http://bit.ly/NFwMTk Curiosity Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity NASA TV will stream landing live at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html Picture of the 3 generations of rovers next to people for size comparison: http://bit.ly/NZBKb3 http://bit.ly/NZBKb3 A well-produced video of 7 minutes of terror, if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090
- avar 14y ago
  Here's another one: NASA TV again, but in HD: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html
  - tch 14y ago
    Link to the JPL site http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
vibrunazo 14y ago
That's Fraser Cain's Hangout. There's also the official SETI Hangout going on earlier than that. Then they'll join Fraser Cain later on. https://plus.google.com/events/c5otcpguo0im3qmgblsf1fadeqs/108759765804984663877 https://plus.google.com/events/c5otcpguo0im3qmgblsf1fadeqs/1...

jsmcgd 14y ago

Can someone explain to me why it isn't possible to steer the capsule with the heat shield such that it can be used to deplete virtually all of its speed? I can imagine a system where the capsule pitches up near the end of its run so that it starts gaining altitude and then deploys a parachute for landing once it has reached its apogee. I appreciate that their system probably is the best design as they are a smart bunch, however I haven't heard the reason's why some of the more conventional mechanisms weren't used. Another thing is the crane mechanism, which is to protect the rover from the debris kicked up from the rocket motors. I was wondering why the rover couldn't just be encased in a simple lightweight protective box and then placed directly on the deck? Does anyone have any links to the other designs that were considered and rejected?

gus_massa 14y ago
I think that to do that maneuver you must have wings, and the atmosphere of Mars is thin, so you need bigger wings, and the structure to hold the wings in place give them enough strength. So I think it's easier to use a parachute.
Sharlin 14y ago
I don't think the capsule has the right aerodynamic properties to allow it to work as a proper lifting body in the 0.01 ATM Martian atmosphere. We don't really have any experience about lifting bodies on Mars, even less than we have about huge supersonic parachutes. You can't land on Mars with just a parachute anyway, not with a 900 kg payload. The main problem with Mars is that its atmosphere is just dense enough that it complicates things but not dense enough that it's really helpful.
- jsmcgd 14y ago
  Apparently according to this video [1] (about half way through) the capsule is a lifting body however I was thinking of something like a simple guided arrow, perhaps some fins that are extended on a telescopic shaft. You could possibly then put a tractor rocket at the end of this shaft to slow descent and keep the rocket plumes away from the main body and the ground. Regarding parachutes, is it not the case that if you need more performance, that you simply increase their size? [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SwXe_X4UKoM http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S...

ck2 14y ago

So they completely beta tested this landing system on earth right? Any videos? Sure hope they did more than this with just a "lab test" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YfPWTpWN0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YfPWTpWN0 I'd be testing it by throwing it out of a plane and see if it can land intact? ps. not a drop test but still interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGpnLrX-_g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGpnLrX-_g

Achshar 14y ago
> So they completely beta tested this landing system on earth right? That is not possible. Some things like gravity and atmospheric pressure/density cannot be replicated in the scale required to test here on earth. They have to rely on testing in parts and in some cases on calculations and data from previous visits and landings.
- ck2 14y ago
  Mars has LESS pressure. So the landing would be easier here, so it should have been tested? I find it impossible to believe it wasn't tested all together as a unit and just connecting individually tested parts. Kind of strange they would not share such a video, which if made by a government entity is public domain anyway.
  - maaku 14y ago
    No. Mars having less atmosphere is exactly the point. Such an entry system hitting Earth's atmosphere would be like slamming into a brick wall--it wouldn't survive. And the greater density air on Earth would make the sky crane segment completely unstable. Not to mention that Earth's gravity is simply too large--components of the system would be crushed under their own weight. Believe it, because it's true.
    - AngryParsley 14y ago
      I don't know about most of your points, but the components being crushed under their own weight doesn't seem right. The probe was built in Earth gravity and had to undergo 4-5G of acceleration during launch. Also, it's going to experience 13G of deceleration when entering the Martian atmosphere.

DanielBMarkham 14y ago

I have been waiting for this for quite a while. Very excited about the potential for new discoveries. Having said that, it still looks like the craziest Rube Goldberg set of hacked together systems I've ever seen for landing on a planet. Here's hoping it all comes off without a hitch. I have a feeling it'll become an object lesson in engineering whether it works or not.

bane 14y ago
"it still looks like the craziest Rube Goldberg set of hacked together systems I've ever seen for landing on a planet" It almost makes slamming into the planet and bouncing around in a giant airbag look like a perfectly reasonable and drama-free landing approach.
dugmartin 14y ago
It reminds me of the results of my highschool art class project 25 years ago. We were given a sheet of construction paper, a few straws, some glue and a couple of rubber bands. The challenge was to build something that would keep a light bulb from breaking when dropped from the top of a ten foot ladder. I spent a week of class periods building what looked like a replica of the Lunar Module with fins - the legs were springs to absorb the impact. It worked great when I tested it but failed on the testing day because the teacher was holding it upside down when he dropped it. My friend, who goofed off the whole week drawing comics in class spent 5 minutes wrapping his bulb in straws, then crumpled up the paper, uncrumpled it and then wrapped that around the straws. A couple of loops of tape and he made a landing "vehicle" that worked every time.
avar 14y ago
The team directly addressed that crazy landing system v.s. the alternatives in a press conference just a few days ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXe_X4UKoM#t=30m16s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXe_X4UKoM#t=30m16s
ChuckMcM 14y ago
One of the things that came out of discussion with NASA scientists was a deliberate 'science of disaster' sort of thinking. There are a number of sensors in the landing shell, in curiosity, and in the sky crane, that start transmitting as soon as they can. Further the goal of having the Mars Odyssey in position was so that as much data could be collected as possible. Basically you have to ask the question "What science can I do at this stage?" so that during every possible outcome you extract the most data you can. I find that a fascinating way to structure your thinking about a project.

guscost 14y ago

I love how the old media fears robotic spacecraft. A great day!