4 ms·

NASA's Curiosity picks up new skills

160 points by Bluestein 1y ago

shmeeed 1y ago
Go Curiosity!
- accrual 1y ago
  I hope one day Curiosity will be an exhibit in one of the first Martian exploration museums established on the red planet. The rover can stand proudly in warm, cozy structure after decades of research on the brutal surface.
  - Bluestein 1y ago
    What was that movie (one of many I am sure) ... ... were our imperiled heroes save their 'hinds by locating and jerryrigging a defunct piece of hardware that was left behind from a previous mission?
    - tetha 1y ago
      I think that's The Martian, where the Pathfinder is used as a communication device.
      - Bluestein 1y ago
        Bingo.-
        mk_stjames 1y ago
        This was also a plot point used much before The Martian; in the 2000 Val Kilmer film Red Planet- stranded astronauts make their way to the spot where Pathfinder's 'Sojourner' rover rests, in order to pull it's radio and use it to communicate an SOS with the orbiting station. It's been a long time since I've seen that (widely panned as not-very-good) movie, but I feel I remember a line about the little rover using an 'off the shelf computer modem' - this is actually true, the little rover communicated back to the Pathfinder base station with a straight up off-the-shelf RS232 9600bps wireless transparent modem link. [0] [1] I remember that detail as it showed that, even though the movie itself was... uhhh... interesting, science-wise, it clearly had someone in an advisory role that knew something about real JPL hardware on Mars at the time. [0] https://urgentcomm.com/public-safety/data-communications-from-pathfinder-to-public-safety https://urgentcomm.com/public-safety/data-communications-fro... [1] http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mpfmirror/rovercom/itworks.html#rover-radio http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mpfmirror/rovercom/itworks.html#rover...
        Bluestein 1y ago
        > Val Kilmer film Red Planet- Actually this is the one I was thinking of ... ... the one were the guy ludicrously jumps between orbiting crafts at the last minute, and, thus, makes it back to Earth.- Gotta say I found it entertaining.-
        kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 1y ago
        It also has this gem of a line: This is it. That moment they told us in high school where one day, algebra would save our lives.
        vachina 1y ago
        I watched that as a kid and absolutely loved it. Not sure what warranted the bad reviews. It’s very sci-fi but felt “grounded”.
        burstoflight 1y ago
        [dead]
  - _Algernon_ 1y ago
    The happy ending: https://imgur.com/he-did-good-job-VbKV9DF https://imgur.com/he-did-good-job-VbKV9DF
    - shmeeed 1y ago
      Damn you for making my eyes well up
svdr 1y ago
When images of Mars are shown on social media, there always is a flood of 'Devon island, Canada' comments, so depressing!
- simpaticoder 1y ago
  One of the most curious aspects of the internet is how it creates the illusion of providing insight into public opinion. There is a strong desire to understand not only what is happening in the world but also how people are responding to it. In the absence of more reliable indicators, we tend to rely on whatever signals the internet offers. Even when, as internet- and media-saavy technologists, we know very well how personal behavior is distorted by anonymity, the desire for attention and clout, and the lack of accountability. Why do we all (and I include myself) so easily and often forget this simple truth, and fall into the trap of believing the world population consists mostly of the ignorant and malicious people that haunt public comment sections?
  - kevinventullo 1y ago
    If only there was some kind of major indicator of overall public sentiment, conducted nationally, say every four years, which might allow one to draw conclusions about the portion of the population who is either ignorant or malicious. Surely the data would show the vast majority of my countrymen are rational, thoughtful people.
    - simpaticoder 1y ago
      Great point. The internet is both a skewed reflection of us AND it influences us. Similar to the well-known reflexivity of legacy media but much greater scale and shorter time-frame. To bolster your point even further, I'd say that no human can bifurcate their life, their thoughts, their values, as "real" versus "online". It's just too hard, so they inevitably converge - giving lie to the constant refrain that it's "just trolling" or "just online bullying" etc. It seems the internet has profound structural issues that undermine the forces that traditionally retarded and punished ignorance and malice. If it's true that society will inexorably evolve in the direction of the internet, and if we are all helpless to stop, or even slow, this evolution, then we are well and truly fucked.
johnklos 1y ago
It's a little bit nitpicky, but I really wish technical people wouldn't generalize incorrectly: "...maximizing the life of the MMRTG for more science and exploration down the road" Will the MMRTG's plutonium decay more slowly if more electricity is used? No. So where's the value in generalizing poorly?
- Bluestein 1y ago
  Good point- I guess in a way less overall consumption might prolong life? (heat, wear on the electronics ...)
  - justinrubek 1y ago
    It could be that it prolongs the useful life by reducing the power needs such that it can be used for longer
    - Bluestein 1y ago
      This - we want the poor lonely thing to make it at least until we get there ourselves :)
- hnuser123456 1y ago
  Yeah, sloppy writing. They're maximizing how quickly they can complete tasks by multi-tasking and enter sleep mode sooner, reducing recharge time and reducing the amount of energy wasted on systems that are in active standby. They rediscovered race to idle.
  - imoverclocked 1y ago
    I think "rediscovered" is a bit dismissive. Upgrading software on a computer whose capabilities are akin to the state-of-the-art in the late 1990s and is 12-13 light minutes away is non-trivial. Also, no pressure because losing contact means the end of a whole team. I'm pretty sure they know a lot of things they could do but don't because the risk/reward ratio is too high... all without "rediscovering" it.
Intralexical 1y ago
> For example, Curiosity’s radio regularly sends data and images to a passing orbiter, which relays them to Earth. Could the rover talk to an orbiter while driving, moving its robotic arm, or snapping images? Love the imagery this conjures. One man band Curiosity, patting its head and rubbing its stomach at the same time!
russellbeattie 1y ago
Over the next year, Curiosity and other exploration programs will most likely be shut down as a waste of taxpayer money. The administration has proposed a 50% cut to NASA's budget for the next fiscal year, but Congress pushed back and it looks like it'll "only" be a ~25% cut. Still a total bloodbath. It's incredibly sad that we're seeing the dismantling of American science by leaders who have no understanding nor respect for it. The damage being done to our country right now is incalculable.
- colechristensen 1y ago
  I'm sick of people blaming leaders. The people voted for this. The entire country is in a bad place, we are not being held hostage by our elected leaders, we created this monster through our actions and inactions.
  - Cthulhu_ 1y ago
    Some Republican voters are still doing mental gymnastics and saying the Democrats should've done something to stop the Republicans, or it's their own fault for not having a better candiate, or other such things themselves. The whole system / society is broken by people and leaders who refuse to take responsibility, on both sides of the aisle. And it's intentional.
    - colechristensen 1y ago
      I bet a lot of republicans wish democrats had fielded a better candidate so that their primary field would have had to demonstrate that they could beat the democrat. Instead it was a doddering old man who originally was only there to make Obama seem more conservative. Democrats have been useless and ineffective for a couple of decades now and that has in no small part helped the republican party turn towards the fascism of idiots. I'm a democrat and I blame my own party more than republicans for the situation we're in. You can't just phone it in for decades and expect to win because you're so sure you're right. The republic needs to be and has needed to be actively defended and the people who were supposed to be doing that have been cowards.
potato3732842 1y ago
Whenever I hear about them doing cool new things with the various space probes and rovers I can't help but think the situation was along the lines of "now that we're done with the core mission stuff and Sauron's gaze has averted (i.e. management has a new shiny to care about) we can really play cowboy putting it through its paces".
- Bluestein 1y ago
  I would not discard this is oft where a lot - if not most of the actual discovery happens ... ... pushing the envelope.-
thread_id 1y ago
Does anyone consider the possibiity that this site and content are neither NASA nor JPL? The URL is suspicious and certificate is not trusted. Update: It's actually my Safari Browser which is giving me this message. Works fine on google.
- slater 1y ago
  It's JPL's site, under NASA.gov. It's legitimate, and the certificate works for me.

160 points by Bluestein 1y ago

shmeeed 1y ago

Go Curiosity!

accrual 1y ago
I hope one day Curiosity will be an exhibit in one of the first Martian exploration museums established on the red planet. The rover can stand proudly in warm, cozy structure after decades of research on the brutal surface.
- Bluestein 1y ago
  What was that movie (one of many I am sure) ... ... were our imperiled heroes save their 'hinds by locating and jerryrigging a defunct piece of hardware that was left behind from a previous mission?
  - tetha 1y ago
    I think that's The Martian, where the Pathfinder is used as a communication device.
    - Bluestein 1y ago
      Bingo.-
      - mk_stjames 1y ago
        This was also a plot point used much before The Martian; in the 2000 Val Kilmer film Red Planet- stranded astronauts make their way to the spot where Pathfinder's 'Sojourner' rover rests, in order to pull it's radio and use it to communicate an SOS with the orbiting station. It's been a long time since I've seen that (widely panned as not-very-good) movie, but I feel I remember a line about the little rover using an 'off the shelf computer modem' - this is actually true, the little rover communicated back to the Pathfinder base station with a straight up off-the-shelf RS232 9600bps wireless transparent modem link. [0] [1] I remember that detail as it showed that, even though the movie itself was... uhhh... interesting, science-wise, it clearly had someone in an advisory role that knew something about real JPL hardware on Mars at the time. [0] https://urgentcomm.com/public-safety/data-communications-from-pathfinder-to-public-safety https://urgentcomm.com/public-safety/data-communications-fro... [1] http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mpfmirror/rovercom/itworks.html#rover-radio http://www.iki.rssi.ru/mpfmirror/rovercom/itworks.html#rover...
        Bluestein 1y ago
        > Val Kilmer film Red Planet- Actually this is the one I was thinking of ... ... the one were the guy ludicrously jumps between orbiting crafts at the last minute, and, thus, makes it back to Earth.- Gotta say I found it entertaining.-
        kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 1y ago
        It also has this gem of a line: This is it. That moment they told us in high school where one day, algebra would save our lives.
        vachina 1y ago
        I watched that as a kid and absolutely loved it. Not sure what warranted the bad reviews. It’s very sci-fi but felt “grounded”.
        burstoflight 1y ago
        [dead]
- _Algernon_ 1y ago
  The happy ending: https://imgur.com/he-did-good-job-VbKV9DF https://imgur.com/he-did-good-job-VbKV9DF
  - shmeeed 1y ago
    Damn you for making my eyes well up

svdr 1y ago

When images of Mars are shown on social media, there always is a flood of 'Devon island, Canada' comments, so depressing!

simpaticoder 1y ago
One of the most curious aspects of the internet is how it creates the illusion of providing insight into public opinion. There is a strong desire to understand not only what is happening in the world but also how people are responding to it. In the absence of more reliable indicators, we tend to rely on whatever signals the internet offers. Even when, as internet- and media-saavy technologists, we know very well how personal behavior is distorted by anonymity, the desire for attention and clout, and the lack of accountability. Why do we all (and I include myself) so easily and often forget this simple truth, and fall into the trap of believing the world population consists mostly of the ignorant and malicious people that haunt public comment sections?
- kevinventullo 1y ago
  If only there was some kind of major indicator of overall public sentiment, conducted nationally, say every four years, which might allow one to draw conclusions about the portion of the population who is either ignorant or malicious. Surely the data would show the vast majority of my countrymen are rational, thoughtful people.
  - simpaticoder 1y ago
    Great point. The internet is both a skewed reflection of us AND it influences us. Similar to the well-known reflexivity of legacy media but much greater scale and shorter time-frame. To bolster your point even further, I'd say that no human can bifurcate their life, their thoughts, their values, as "real" versus "online". It's just too hard, so they inevitably converge - giving lie to the constant refrain that it's "just trolling" or "just online bullying" etc. It seems the internet has profound structural issues that undermine the forces that traditionally retarded and punished ignorance and malice. If it's true that society will inexorably evolve in the direction of the internet, and if we are all helpless to stop, or even slow, this evolution, then we are well and truly fucked.

johnklos 1y ago

It's a little bit nitpicky, but I really wish technical people wouldn't generalize incorrectly: "...maximizing the life of the MMRTG for more science and exploration down the road" Will the MMRTG's plutonium decay more slowly if more electricity is used? No. So where's the value in generalizing poorly?

Bluestein 1y ago
Good point- I guess in a way less overall consumption might prolong life? (heat, wear on the electronics ...)
- justinrubek 1y ago
  It could be that it prolongs the useful life by reducing the power needs such that it can be used for longer
  - Bluestein 1y ago
    This - we want the poor lonely thing to make it at least until we get there ourselves :)
hnuser123456 1y ago
Yeah, sloppy writing. They're maximizing how quickly they can complete tasks by multi-tasking and enter sleep mode sooner, reducing recharge time and reducing the amount of energy wasted on systems that are in active standby. They rediscovered race to idle.
- imoverclocked 1y ago
  I think "rediscovered" is a bit dismissive. Upgrading software on a computer whose capabilities are akin to the state-of-the-art in the late 1990s and is 12-13 light minutes away is non-trivial. Also, no pressure because losing contact means the end of a whole team. I'm pretty sure they know a lot of things they could do but don't because the risk/reward ratio is too high... all without "rediscovering" it.

Intralexical 1y ago

> For example, Curiosity’s radio regularly sends data and images to a passing orbiter, which relays them to Earth. Could the rover talk to an orbiter while driving, moving its robotic arm, or snapping images? Love the imagery this conjures. One man band Curiosity, patting its head and rubbing its stomach at the same time!

russellbeattie 1y ago

Over the next year, Curiosity and other exploration programs will most likely be shut down as a waste of taxpayer money. The administration has proposed a 50% cut to NASA's budget for the next fiscal year, but Congress pushed back and it looks like it'll "only" be a ~25% cut. Still a total bloodbath. It's incredibly sad that we're seeing the dismantling of American science by leaders who have no understanding nor respect for it. The damage being done to our country right now is incalculable.

colechristensen 1y ago
I'm sick of people blaming leaders. The people voted for this. The entire country is in a bad place, we are not being held hostage by our elected leaders, we created this monster through our actions and inactions.
- Cthulhu_ 1y ago
  Some Republican voters are still doing mental gymnastics and saying the Democrats should've done something to stop the Republicans, or it's their own fault for not having a better candiate, or other such things themselves. The whole system / society is broken by people and leaders who refuse to take responsibility, on both sides of the aisle. And it's intentional.
  - colechristensen 1y ago
    I bet a lot of republicans wish democrats had fielded a better candidate so that their primary field would have had to demonstrate that they could beat the democrat. Instead it was a doddering old man who originally was only there to make Obama seem more conservative. Democrats have been useless and ineffective for a couple of decades now and that has in no small part helped the republican party turn towards the fascism of idiots. I'm a democrat and I blame my own party more than republicans for the situation we're in. You can't just phone it in for decades and expect to win because you're so sure you're right. The republic needs to be and has needed to be actively defended and the people who were supposed to be doing that have been cowards.

potato3732842 1y ago

Whenever I hear about them doing cool new things with the various space probes and rovers I can't help but think the situation was along the lines of "now that we're done with the core mission stuff and Sauron's gaze has averted (i.e. management has a new shiny to care about) we can really play cowboy putting it through its paces".

Bluestein 1y ago
I would not discard this is oft where a lot - if not most of the actual discovery happens ... ... pushing the envelope.-

thread_id 1y ago

Does anyone consider the possibiity that this site and content are neither NASA nor JPL? The URL is suspicious and certificate is not trusted. Update: It's actually my Safari Browser which is giving me this message. Works fine on google.

slater 1y ago
It's JPL's site, under NASA.gov. It's legitimate, and the certificate works for me.