[LiquidTurbo]

Challenges of Getting to Mars: Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror - YouTube

How does it work?

When I read that the UFO-looking Mars Science Laboratory's aeroshell would use a floating crane—called Sky Crane by NASA—to softly land the rover on Mars, I couldn't believe it.

It's the most awesome idea I can possibly imagine for a landing of a rover. In fact, looking at the video and NASA's hyperrealistic simulation showing how the mechanism actually floats, lowers the rover, and then flies away, I still can't believe it. Hell, even the engineers seem to have their moments of "WTF did we do?"

Just think about the process:

1. First, the rockets of the aeroshell—a protective armor that will protect the MSL and guide it through its descent—will fire to steer the capsule towards the desired angle.

2. When this is achieved, a long parachute will open to slow down the Mars Science Laboratory as it zooms down the Martian atmosphere.

3. Then, as soon as the capsule slows down, the heat shield will eject, leaving the rover exposed inside the aeroshell, attached to the floating crane mechanism.

4. That's when the whole landing process gets cray cray: The floating crane's rockets will fire up, further slowing the descent.

5. The top part of the aeroshell will then detach completely, leaving the sky crane alone holding the MSL rover, slowly descending towards the planet's surface.

6. A few hundred meters above the terrain, the floating sky crane will start lowering the rover down using "a trio of bridles and one umbilical cord" until it touches down.

7. At that time, the sky crane will detach from the rover and fly away to crash far from the landing site.

If you really think about it, seven minutes of terror is an understatement.

[Lomac]

:mindblown:

That's a freakin' neat idea. Perhaps a little too complex for necessity sake, but awesome nonetheless.

I think the music made it even better though...:lol

[LiquidTurbo]

Well they highlighted the technical difficulties they had to overcome.. it might seem extravagant but how else could they do it? In previous rover missions they'd used a gigantic tumbling inflating pillows, but they needed higher accuracy this time and the rover is the size of a car, so the tumbling pillow idea might not have been feasible. Either way, some incredible engineering to actually pull all of it off.

[BossFrancis]

The precision of this project is completely astonishing. I was extremely surprised at the temperate the heat shield was able to withstand, I wonder what was used to forge such a thing.

[Manic!]

Awesome. Will find out August 5th if it works.

[RacePace]

That's when the whole landing process gets cray cray

:rukidding:

[!e.lo_]

The precision of this project is completely astonishing. I was extremely surprised at the temperate the heat shield was able to withstand, I wonder what was used to forge such a thing.

1600F which is about 871C

Space Shuttle thermal protection system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_thermal_protection_system)

[LiquidTurbo]

They successfully pulled off the landing to this thing.

NASA rover Curiosity lands on Mars, beams back images - Technology & Science - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/08/06/mars-curiosity-nasa.html)

[MG1]

With all the shit that is happening right now, shootings, violence, etcetera, it's good to see humans actually pulling together to accomplish such amazing things. There are times I have little faith in mankind, but shit like this keeps me thinking it's going to be OK. We need more Zefrem Chochranes of the world.

[LiquidTurbo]

With all the shit that is happening right now, shootings, violence, etcetera, it's good to see humans actually pulling together to accomplish such amazing things. There are times I have little faith in mankind, but shit like this keeps me thinking it's going to be OK. We need more Zefrem Chochranes of the world.

http://i.imgur.com/Z4UEC.jpg

[LiquidTurbo]

Curiosity lands on Mars. FIRST PHOTOS - YouTube

[Akinari]

inb4 everyone in JPL is now hungover

[twitchyzero]

so besides the new landing approach...does this new rover have much more advanced tools/tech than previous mars rovers that landed successfully?

[LiquidTurbo]

so besides the new landing approach...does this new rover have much more advanced tools/tech than previous mars rovers that landed successfully?

Yes. The old rovers were sized like shopping carts. This one is as large as a car.

http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/MARS_CURIOSITY_20919227.JPG

[MG1]

Definitely "thinking out of the box" design. Corner wheels not just dual articulating, but nice suspension as well. I wonder how the joints are designed and what lubrication they use. Lots of heat, but little to no water on Mars. Thanks for the info, LiquidTurbo. Cool technology for sure.

[c3m]

Picture of Curiosity landing taken from nearby satellite
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/673734main_PIA15978-43_516-387.jpg

First Image from Curiosity
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/673967main_PIA15993-43_800-600.jpg

[Ch28]

That's awesome and all, but can you imagine if this thing snaps a picture of extra terrestrial life?! :o

[Vansterdam]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4OYGjUrdllo/Smty53tm4oI/AAAAAAAAZeU/tIwntR8q_WM/s400/mars-attacks-3rd-teaser_r1.jpg

lol movie sucked so bad that it was good

[pinn3r]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4OYGjUrdllo/Smty53tm4oI/AAAAAAAAZeU/tIwntR8q_WM/s400/mars-attacks-3rd-teaser_r1.jpg

lol movie sucked so bad that it was good

i remember watching that when i was like 4 or 5
fuckin terrifying :fuckthatshit:

[MG1]

Apparently, it did scare the shit out of kids. I laughed pretty hard during the movie. Tom Jones, FTW!

[dangonay]

Picture of Curiosity landing taken from nearby satellite
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/673734main_PIA15978-43_516-387.jpg
This reminds me of a recent story about the US flags the Apollo missions planted on the moon. All but one are still standing. How do they know this?

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been taking pictures of the moon's surface, and they have been over all the landing sites. They've spotted the landers, flags, equipment and even trails left by the astronauts that show the path they took.

I think it's funny because I know that just like the nutjobs who claim the moon landings were faked, there are idiots out there thinking some desert studio is where all of Curiosity's "pictures" are being taken.


Good job, NASA.

[c3m]

360 view of Mars from Curiosity point of view

Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2 (http://www.360cities.net/image/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2)

[jepho]

That's awesome and all, but can you imagine if this thing snaps a picture of extra terrestrial life?! :o


we would never see the pictures even if that did happen.
So who knows maybe they did.

Unless it was maybe very primitive life forms

[twitchyzero]

thanks for putting it into perspective, liquidturbo

everytime i think of a nasa rover i think it's like the one outta Armageddon :lol

[bing]

On a related note, a thoughtful reply to the justification of space exploration instead of using the funds to help starving kids.

In 1970, a Zambia-based nun named Sister Mary Jucunda wrote to Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, then-associate director of science at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in response to his ongoing research into a piloted mission to Mars. Specifically, she asked how he could suggest spending billions of dollars on such a project at a time when so many children were starving on Earth.

Stuhlinger soon sent the following letter of explanation to Sister Jucunda, along with a copy of "Earthrise," the iconic photograph of Earth taken in 1968 by astronaut William Anders, from the Moon (also embedded in the transcript). His thoughtful reply was later published by NASA, and titled, "Why Explore Space?"

Letters of Note: Why Explore Space? (http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html)

[Excelsis]

isn't it in human nature to explore..?

[bing]

isn't it in human nature to explore..?

I rephrased my original sentence, seems like it was a bit confusing.

[EndLeSS8]

One of my friend's father from California is an engineer who worked in it. He posted photos on Facebook. His dad literally is a rocket scientist.