NASA Mars Landing...US still on bleeding edge in technology

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,265
126
He said that Obama gutted NASA, which I said was wrong, and wondered where he got that from. You respond with "more like the truth" maybe I just didn't understand what you were trying to say with that. Clearly you agree with what I had said. Seems like you should have responded to him showing that NASA isn't being gutted.

Perhaps I worded it poorly. I was amplifying and providing some specifics backing you up.


Anyway, it's great to see another scientific and technical achievement. I think that we talk about funding science more than we want to support it. There are few things i'd willingly pay more for in taxes considering todays political climate, but I'd be glad to support greatly increased spending especially if the benefits are released in the public domain. It seems business is more concerned with suing over IP than R&D.
 

tydas

Golden Member
Mar 10, 2000
1,284
0
76
The first nuclear powered vehicle to be successfully landed on a distant planet. Nioce.

Guess I should read more, had no idea it was nuclear powered...what an outstanding achievement...

Maybe NASA should start a Kickstarter for manned mars mission!!
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
I am surprised that convoluted landing worked, especially the cable dropping from the hovering part of the craft.

I'm not surprised that the smart folks at JPL had a better idea of what would and would not work than you did.
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
0
0
I am surprised that convoluted landing worked, especially the cable dropping from the hovering part of the craft.

Sounds like we sent a Harrier to another planet.


The reason they used that method was because they were worried that the massive amount of dust stirred up by placing thrusters on the rover itself would get into the equipment and damage it. Also, they did not use the airbag landing style because the rover is too heavy.
 

Matt1970

Lifer
Mar 19, 2007
12,320
3
0
Here is another pic.

255240_504332439596214_1147023620_n.jpg
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
The first nuclear powered vehicle to be successfully landed on a distant planet. Nioce.

heh... its technically nuclear power... but really its just a radioactive heater that produces electricity from the differential of heat between it and the martian air.
 

Magusigne

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2007
1,550
0
76
Let us know what crow tastes like, genius.

I'm more than happy to taste crow:) I wanted it to land, but knowing that the Metric system is lost on some nasa engineers ( Mars Climate Orbiter ), I figured this one was more than doomed.

Kudos to Nasa!
 

spacejamz

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
10,781
1,386
126
With that out of the way, NASA needs a large budget boost.

Where is this money going to come from? Reduce some entitlement programs? Increase taxes? Borrow from China?

In any event, congrats to NASA!!!
 

bfdd

Lifer
Feb 3, 2007
13,312
1
0
Just think of all the money we could be pumping into NASA if we didn't have our current wars, current occupations around the world or our huge huge entitlement debt. We'd already have bases on the Moon.
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
0
0
We would not be putting any more money into NASA, sadly...and we already missed 1999 as the year where we lose the Moon.
 

a777pilot

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2011
4,261
21
81
I would like to thank the genius of the muslims for the great leap forward last night.

If it hadn't been for Barack, Muhammad's winged horse, and the flight from Mecca to Jerusalem, mankind would never have ventured into the skys and beyond.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
I would like to thank the genius of the muslims for the great leap forward last night.

If it hadn't been for Barack, Muhammad's winged horse, and the flight from Mecca to Jerusalem, mankind would never have ventured into the skys and beyond.

Words cannot adequately describe what an idiot you are.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
And thats how things work.

Eh, I might have to disagree with you. The largest contributor to budget creep that I've seen has to be adding new features. The worst part is when the new feature or requirement is added later in the program and requires massive rework to even make it feasible.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,606
166
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I'm more than happy to taste crow:) I wanted it to land, but knowing that the Metric system is lost on some nasa engineers ( Mars Climate Orbiter ), I figured this one was more than doomed.

Kudos to Nasa!

Unless I'm mistaken, NASA had the metric system correct. It was Lockheed Martin that didn't use the metric system.