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if there were no need for 'engineers from the quantum plenum' then we should not have any unanswered scientific questions.

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Mars Curiosity Thread.

Started by Tank, August 05, 2012, 08:05:20 PM

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Recusant

#45
A NASA briefing on the Perseverance mission. The slick video intro isn't useful; skip forward to about 1:30 to start the actual briefing.

"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Tank

Interesting piece on the BBC about this today.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Tank

It's off the ground and heading to orbit!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Randy

And I missed it. I forgot about it for some reason. Today is also chemo day so maybe that was on my mind. I can't wait for the landing in February. :)
"Maybe it's just a bunch of stuff that happens." -- Homer Simpson
"Some people focus on the destination. Atheists focus on the journey." -- Barry Goldberg

Recusant

Curiosity has worn wheels. Not that surprising after eight years of what definitely qualifies as extreme off-road use. This story is about special zip-ties though.

"This Photo of Curiosity Is Real! Here's Why NASA Uses Zip Ties on Mars Rovers" | ScienceAlert

Quote

Image Credit: NASA




Have you heard the one about NASA spending millions to develop a pen that would write in space, while the Soviet Union used pencils?

Well, that story is a big fat myth, but the refrain 'simple is best' isn't wrong. For example, to secure any loose cables, pipes, or even equipment on Mars rovers, NASA does indeed use zip ties - quite similar to the ones you can buy at the hardware store.

This fact recently bemused our Instagram fans, with many deciding that the photo of Curiosity's worn-down wheels we recently published was fake - due to some zip ties clearly visible in the shot.

This isn't the first time the internet has been enthralled with NASA's use of zip ties, either. Back when Perseverance landed on the red planet in February, there was a similar wave of surprise sloshing across social media.

[. . .]

If you're wondering how plastic can survive a 560-million-kilometer (350-million-mile) journey, a 1,300 C (2,370 F) fall to the surface, and - in Curiosity's case - almost nine years of ultraviolet radiation (UV) and harsh Martian conditions, you've come to the right place.

NASA can assure all amateur cable tie enthusiasts that space engineers thought of this before sending their expensive equipment to another planet.

The zip ties intended for extraterrestrial use are made of Tefzel ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene) resins designed for extreme temperatures, high UV levels, and 2,000 times more radiation than what you'd find in the standard plastic nylon version.

[Continues . . .]
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dark Lightning

We didn't use those fauncy NASA style Zip-ties, but regular ones are used extensively to hold the electrical wiring in place on spacecraft. As is lacing tape, which is just nylon braid that looks like a thin shoelace. It's all about keeping the weight to a minimum while restraining the parts. They could have made special brackets, but those would be 10s of thousands of dollars in design and production, on top of the weight.

Randy

Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 13, 2021, 03:09:29 PM
We didn't use those fauncy NASA style Zip-ties, but regular ones are used extensively to hold the electrical wiring in place on spacecraft. As is lacing tape, which is just nylon braid that looks like a thin shoelace. It's all about keeping the weight to a minimum while restraining the parts. They could have made special brackets, but those would be 10s of thousands of dollars in design and production, on top of the weight.
Billy Rubin knows all about zip-lock ties. :grin:
"Maybe it's just a bunch of stuff that happens." -- Homer Simpson
"Some people focus on the destination. Atheists focus on the journey." -- Barry Goldberg

Magdalena

Quote from: Randy on April 14, 2021, 04:25:12 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 13, 2021, 03:09:29 PM
We didn't use those fauncy NASA style Zip-ties, but regular ones are used extensively to hold the electrical wiring in place on spacecraft. As is lacing tape, which is just nylon braid that looks like a thin shoelace. It's all about keeping the weight to a minimum while restraining the parts. They could have made special brackets, but those would be 10s of thousands of dollars in design and production, on top of the weight.
Billy Rubin knows all about zip-lock ties. :grin:
His lovely wife knows a lot more about zip-lock ties than he does.  :grin:

"I've had several "spiritual" or numinous experiences over the years, but never felt that they were the product of anything but the workings of my own mind in reaction to the universe." ~Recusant

Recusant

#54
Still truckin' 

An unusual formation imaged last month by Curiosity.



"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Icarus

That thing looks like an Orca.  What the hell are killer whales doing out there in near space?

Tank

Ten years on and still going strong.

10 Years Since Landing, NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Still Has Drive

"Despite signs of wear, the intrepid spacecraft is about to start an exciting new chapter of its mission as it climbs a Martian mountain.

Ten years ago today, a jetpack lowered NASA's Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorer's pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life.

Since then, Curiosity has driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascended 2,050 feet (625 meters) as it explores Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it. The rover has analyzed 41 rock and soil samples, relying on a suite of science instruments to learn what they reveal about Earth's rocky sibling. And it's pushed a team of engineers to devise ways to minimize wear and tear and keep the rover rolling: In fact, Curiosity's mission was recently extended for another three years, allowing it to continue among NASA's fleet of important astrobiological missions."

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Recusant

A postcard from Curiosity:


Image Credit: NASA/JPL


"NASA's Curiosity Captures Martian Morning, Afternoon in New 'Postcard'" | JPL/NASA

QuoteAfter completing a major software update in April, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took a last look at "Marker Band Valley" before leaving it behind, capturing a "postcard" of the scene.

The postcard is an artistic interpretation of the landscape, with color added over two black-and-white panoramas captured by Curiosity's navigation cameras. The views were taken on April 8 at 9:20 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. local Mars time, providing dramatically different lighting that, when combined, makes details in the scene stand out. Blue was added to parts of the postcard captured in the morning and yellow to parts taken in the afternoon, just as with a similar postcard taken by Curiosity in November 2021.

The resulting image is striking. Curiosity is in the foothills of Mount Sharp, which stands 3 miles (5 kilometers) high within Gale Crater, where the rover has been exploring since landing in 2012. In the distance beyond its tracks is Marker Band Valley, a winding area in the "sulfate-bearing region" within which the rover discovered unexpected signs of an ancient lake. Farther below (at center and just to the right) are two hills – "Bolívar" and "Deepdale" – that Curiosity drove between while exploring "Paraitepuy Pass."

[Continues . . .]
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken