65 replies to this topic 1 votes

[neoadorable]

loving the photos that are coming in, but want more! as for looking like New Mexico/Arizona, yeah we've known that at least since Viking sent back images in 1976...most of Mars is basically one big cold desert, or a cold version of the Mojave.

and i'm with the baron on this, i also don't like this being referred to as an American achievement. first of all the team and Curio herself are decidedly multi-national. second of all, space exploration is in the interest of humaniy. To their credit, both Bolden and Garver said that during the live broadcast, they said this is going to benefit all of humanity, even if they did say it was an American achievement in the same sentence!

EDIT: Ice Blue!!! Carl would indeed be so proud and happy it's terrible he's not here with us to celebrate this after all his hard work and love. you are perfectly right, the world is our world and there is only one humanity, don't worry, time will show this. space expansion and settlement will bring us together.

[+Jdawg683]

DocM, on 06 August 2012 - 06:09, said:

There is a lot of talk about consolidating NASA centers because, frankly, there are too many of them, but JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Draper Labs need not only to be left alone but expanded. Those folks know their sh*t and should be the models for any consolidated centers.

I work at NASA Glenn, and while this center is considered small, it still does vital work for aeronautics. Glenn used to have thousands of employees, but now has <2000. So even though the center is still functioning, it certainly has been consolidated over the years

btw, DocM, are you in the field or is space and aeronautics just a hobby for you?

[DocM]

Longtime hobby rocketeer & large model aircraft builder with very good industry sources. Right now trying to track down rumors of a hydrolox or methane Merlin 1D based upper stage engine.

[DocM]

The megawatt class laser works

http://www.spaceflig...sl/120819laser/

Quote

Zap! Mars rover uses rock for laser-shooting practice

The Curiosity rover successfully test fired a powerful laser at a nearby rock Sunday, blasting it with rapid-fire million-watt pulses that vaporized the outer layers for spectroscopic analysis.
>

This composite image, with magnified insets, depicts the first laser test by the Chemistry and Camera, or ChemCam, instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

[FloatingFatMan]

Xenosion, on 09 August 2012 - 17:31, said:

You might want to tell that to your Prime Minister for even he assumes great credit for Britain over the discoveries had at the LHC and it isn't even located in the same country and not to mention Britain isn't the largest contributor to the organization.

On the other hand, NASA is federally funded and if any international scientists were on board, they were working for the US. NASA and this mission are US created, funded, and we should be able to have a bit of pride over it if we so choose. I feel it's the lack of pride and awe that has lead to the decline in our space endeavors.

I'd gladly tell it to his face. David Cameron is a butthead and doesn't speak for the UK populate as a whole; just the parts that voted for him. All of these big teams, CERN, NASA, whatever, are primarily international in nature and deserve all the praise possible for their achievements; just appropriately credited.

And the decline in space exploration has nothing to do with the decline in pride. It's purely financial.

[neoadorable]

wouldn't say it's declining at all, Baron, quite the opposite! i think this is a ramping up stage. on the one hand it's been made clear the folly of programs like Apollo should not be repeated. i mean i love Apollo and everything we got out of it, but they were basically politcally motivated outings/daytrips to the friggin moon that cost way more than they needed to cost cause the tech was immature. now we're getting to the point where things are much more affordable and doable. ironically, much of it is thanks to Apollo and those space race programs. i believe in the next decade space will reveal itself as the ultimate growth industry it's always been waiting to become.

as for Curio, finally she's moving and getting ready to actually drive somewhere. i like the gradual testing of instruments and the daily updates. just hope we get some video or something, like proper video.

EDIT: just look at InSight, that mission came out of nowhere, approved in seconds due to Curio's success. things are heating up, not cooling down.