MARS rovers still going...

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HomeBrewerDude

HomeBrewerDude

Lifer
Jan 18, 2001
14,465
1
0
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...eleases/20071015a.html

NASA Extends Operations for Its Long-Lived Mars Rovers

WASHINGTON - NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers.

"We are extremely happy to be able to further the exploration of Mars. The rovers are amazing machines, and they continue to produce amazing scientific results operating far beyond their design life," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

The twin rovers landed on Mars in January 2004, 45 months ago, on missions originally planned to last 90 days. In September, Opportunity began descending into Victoria Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. At approximately 800 meters wide (half a mile) and 70 meters deep (230 feet), it is the largest crater the rover has visited. Spirit climbed onto a volcanic plateau in a range of hills that were on the distant horizon from its landing site.

"After more than three-and-a-half years, Spirit and Opportunity are showing some signs of aging, but they are in good health and capable of conducting great science," said John Callas, rover project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The rovers each carry a suite of sophisticated instruments to examine the geology of Mars for information about past environmental conditions. Opportunity has returned dramatic evidence that its area of Mars stayed wet for an extended period of time long ago, with conditions that could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life. Spirit has found evidence in the region it is exploring that water in some form has altered the mineral composition of some soils and rocks.

To date, Spirit has driven 7.26 kilometers (4.51 miles) and has returned more than 102,000 images. Opportunity has driven 11.57 kilometers (7.19 miles) and has returned more than 94,000 images.

Among the rovers' many other accomplishments:

- Opportunity has analyzed a series of exposed rock layers recording how environmental conditions changed during the times when the layers were deposited and later modified. Wind-blown dunes came and went. The water table fluctuated.

- Spirit has recorded dust devils forming and moving. The images were made into movie clips, providing new insight into the interaction of Mars' atmosphere and surface.

- Both rovers have found metallic meteorites on Mars. Opportunity discovered one rock with a composition similar to a meteorite that reached Earth from Mars.
Click to expand...


:beer:

Amazing performance...
 
M

michaels

Banned
Nov 30, 2005
4,329
0
0
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
 
T

tasmanian

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 2006
3,811
1
0
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: michaels
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
Click to expand...

cut they shit?

do you mean cut their shit ?
Click to expand...

I think he means stop lieing about the aliens in area 51.
 
Beev

Beev

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2006
7,775
0
0
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: michaels
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
Click to expand...

cut they shit?

do you mean cut their shit ?
Click to expand...

"Man, I wish NASA would cut dey sheeit, dey kno dey's sum life out der in dat universe place, dawg." is what I think he was going for :p
 
mugs

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: tasmanian
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: michaels
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
Click to expand...

cut they shit?

do you mean cut their shit ?
Click to expand...

I think he means stop lieing about the aliens in area 51.
Click to expand...

Or the giant alien robot under Hoover Dam.
 
L

LegendKiller

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
86
Originally posted by: michaels
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
Click to expand...

WTF? Alien? How can you even opine on a topic if you can't form a coherent sentence?
 
A

Agentbolt

Diamond Member
Jul 9, 2004
3,340
1
0
Although NASA is still a bloated, inefficient monstrosity, those two rovers are REALLY really cool. I like keeping up on what Voyager II is up to these days as well.
 
So

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: michaels
Get your panties out of a wad, I am a shitty typer.
Click to expand...

No, you seem to simple be an awful writer in general. And firefox has built in spell check now. You have no excuse. Except not caring about the quality of your writing. But I wouldn't call that an "excuse."
 
So

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: tasmanian
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: michaels
I wish Nasa would cut they shit, they know therer is life or signs of life out there somewhere in the Universe.
Click to expand...

cut they shit?

do you mean cut their shit ?
Click to expand...

I think he means stop lieing about the aliens in area 51.
Click to expand...

Nuh uh. They've been hiding the ghost of Abraham Lincoln there for about three score years.
 
JEDI

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
2,738
126
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...eleases/20071015a.html

NASA Extends Operations for Its Long-Lived Mars Rovers

WASHINGTON - NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers.

"We are extremely happy to be able to further the exploration of Mars. The rovers are amazing machines, and they continue to produce amazing scientific results operating far beyond their design life," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

The twin rovers landed on Mars in January 2004, 45 months ago, on missions originally planned to last 90 days. In September, Opportunity began descending into Victoria Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. At approximately 800 meters wide (half a mile) and 70 meters deep (230 feet), it is the largest crater the rover has visited. Spirit climbed onto a volcanic plateau in a range of hills that were on the distant horizon from its landing site.

"After more than three-and-a-half years, Spirit and Opportunity are showing some signs of aging, but they are in good health and capable of conducting great science," said John Callas, rover project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The rovers each carry a suite of sophisticated instruments to examine the geology of Mars for information about past environmental conditions. Opportunity has returned dramatic evidence that its area of Mars stayed wet for an extended period of time long ago, with conditions that could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life. Spirit has found evidence in the region it is exploring that water in some form has altered the mineral composition of some soils and rocks.

To date, Spirit has driven 7.26 kilometers (4.51 miles) and has returned more than 102,000 images. Opportunity has driven 11.57 kilometers (7.19 miles) and has returned more than 94,000 images.

Among the rovers' many other accomplishments:

- Opportunity has analyzed a series of exposed rock layers recording how environmental conditions changed during the times when the layers were deposited and later modified. Wind-blown dunes came and went. The water table fluctuated.

- Spirit has recorded dust devils forming and moving. The images were made into movie clips, providing new insight into the interaction of Mars' atmosphere and surface.

- Both rovers have found metallic meteorites on Mars. Opportunity discovered one rock with a composition similar to a meteorite that reached Earth from Mars.
Click to expand...


:beer:

Amazing performance...
Click to expand...

geez.. their 90day battery has lasted 5yrs?!

why dont we have this in our hybrids?
 
So

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: JEDI
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...eleases/20071015a.html

NASA Extends Operations for Its Long-Lived Mars Rovers

WASHINGTON - NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers.

"We are extremely happy to be able to further the exploration of Mars. The rovers are amazing machines, and they continue to produce amazing scientific results operating far beyond their design life," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

The twin rovers landed on Mars in January 2004, 45 months ago, on missions originally planned to last 90 days. In September, Opportunity began descending into Victoria Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region. At approximately 800 meters wide (half a mile) and 70 meters deep (230 feet), it is the largest crater the rover has visited. Spirit climbed onto a volcanic plateau in a range of hills that were on the distant horizon from its landing site.

"After more than three-and-a-half years, Spirit and Opportunity are showing some signs of aging, but they are in good health and capable of conducting great science," said John Callas, rover project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The rovers each carry a suite of sophisticated instruments to examine the geology of Mars for information about past environmental conditions. Opportunity has returned dramatic evidence that its area of Mars stayed wet for an extended period of time long ago, with conditions that could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life. Spirit has found evidence in the region it is exploring that water in some form has altered the mineral composition of some soils and rocks.

To date, Spirit has driven 7.26 kilometers (4.51 miles) and has returned more than 102,000 images. Opportunity has driven 11.57 kilometers (7.19 miles) and has returned more than 94,000 images.

Among the rovers' many other accomplishments:

- Opportunity has analyzed a series of exposed rock layers recording how environmental conditions changed during the times when the layers were deposited and later modified. Wind-blown dunes came and went. The water table fluctuated.

- Spirit has recorded dust devils forming and moving. The images were made into movie clips, providing new insight into the interaction of Mars' atmosphere and surface.

- Both rovers have found metallic meteorites on Mars. Opportunity discovered one rock with a composition similar to a meteorite that reached Earth from Mars.
Click to expand...


:beer:

Amazing performance...
Click to expand...

geez.. their 90day battery has lasted 5yrs?!

why dont we have this in our hybrids?
Click to expand...

Not a battery. 90 day mission MISSION. They have solar panels. They just wanted to set a conservative target.
 
M

Mr Incognito

Golden Member
Feb 20, 2007
1,035
0
0
My astronomy teacher last semester highlighted this fact. It's amazing how they just keep on rolling.
 
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