Mars Curiosity Landing

[pschmerg]

Seriously. I'm disappoint!
They better have some high res, color images tomorrow morning

Hell Venera 9 had better image quality in 1975

There is no high speed internet between mars and earth. The rover will first send back optimized low quality images -- followed by the high resolution versions. It takes a long time for the data to trickle in though.

[Surf Green]

It's the 21st century. They couldn't have duct tapped an iphone on there to take better color pictures?

Of the 17 camera on the rover, I think they remembered to make at least one of them color. Maybe more, but you never know with those NASA guys.

[Rob Cote]

There is no high speed internet between mars and earth. The rover will first send back optimized low quality images -- followed by the high resolution versions. It takes a long time for the data to trickle in though.

This.

They send a few quick pictures to show that it landed right side up and whatnot, then the rover performs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is operational. THEN, it starts collecting data. The battery on the rover should last several years if they don't get too over-zealous at the controls. You'll get pictures, be patient.

This is an amazing feat. Respect.

[feels_road]

Dust cover off - still some dust visible when looking right into the sun:



Also, looks like nice gravel to park a car on, or to play football on.

[Surf Green]

They send a few quick pictures to show that it landed right side up and whatnot,

Looks like the first shots are from the fixed obstacle avoidance cams. Not surprising that those would be B&W for increased processing speed, and low light capability.

[Rob Cote]

Looks like the first shots are from the fixed obstacle avoidance cams. Not surprising that those would be B&W for increased processing speed, and low light capability.

Exactly!

[cruizer34]

This is good. Anyone know why they picked that spot? I wanted to watch but had to get up early for work.

[A.Wilder]

This is good. Anyone know why they picked that spot? I wanted to watch but had to get up early for work.

it's a crater with a mountain in the middle, they are hoping that the mountain is exposing billions of years of geological activity similar to how you see layers in walls of the Grand Canyon.

[A.Wilder]

no one posted this?



edit: nm, it wasn't loading in the first post.

[feels_road]

no one posted this? [7-minutes-of-terror-video]

What could go wrong?

I have to say, when I watched the life coverage, I did get a bit nervous for a couple of seconds when the background announcer exclaimed a remaining height of 40 meters and the skycrane rockets still had not fired, or so it appeared.

[rich!]

This.

They send a few quick pictures to show that it landed right side up and whatnot, then the rover performs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is operational. THEN, it starts collecting data. The battery on the rover should last several years if they don't get too over-zealous at the controls. You'll get pictures, be patient.

This is an amazing feat. Respect.

IIRC - 12-14 years shelf life for power output (MMRTG)

camera 1600×1200
10 FPS at 720p (1280×720)

[A.Wilder]

12-13 min video describing the mission

[peoples_car]

They send a few quick pictures to show that it landed right side up and whatnot, then the rover performs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is operational. THEN, it starts collecting data. The battery on the rover should last several years if they don't get too over-zealous at the controls. You'll get pictures, be patient.

Buuuuut I need it NOW NOW NOWNOWNOW NOW NOW NOW NOWNOWNOW give it to me NOW NOWNOWNOW NOW the internet NOWNOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW OMG everything should be instant NOWNOWNOW NOWNOWNOW NOW #thissucksbecauseitsnotinstant NOW NOWNOWNOWNOW

[atomicalex]

I love this!!

Soo excited that this is working. I hope lots of kids were watching, too. Maybe even a few got bit by the space bug. I hope....

[DISI 2.3T]

So where did the "drop-ship/lander" go? How much earth trash is on Mars now anyways?

Anyways, this is cool and an awesome feat.

[n0rdicalex.]

early report i saw was, around 11.4 million people had viewed the feed. however, no real solid source of that yet though. most of all the sites streaming did end up crashing right after landing though, but were quickly brought back up.

in approximately a week, the rover will start moving around doing some really neat stuff. this is all just initial photography to make sure everything is copacetic.

here's a really good topic on reddit that is covering it all and has links for reading and comparisons to previous Mars rovers:

As of 1:31 am, August 6, 2012 (EDT), NASA and Jet Propulsion Lab has successfully landed the Curiosity Rover at the Gale Crater of Mars, as part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

This is an exciting moment for all of us and I'm sure many of you are burning with questions. Here is a place for you to submit all your questions regarding the mission, the rover, and Mars!

FAQs (summarized from the official press release):

What is the purpose of the mission?

The four stated objectives are:

Assessing the biological potential by examining organic compounds - the "building blocks of life" - and searching for evidence of biologically relevant processes.

Uncovering the geological processes that formed the rocks and soil found on Mars, by studying the isotopical and mineralogical content of surface materials.

Investigate past and present habitability of Mars and the distribution and cycling of water and carbon dioxide.

Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation.

How was the mission site chosen?

In line with the mission objectives, Gale Crater is located at a low elevation, so past water would likely have pooled inside the crater, leaving behind evidence such as clay and sulfate minerals. The impact that created the crater also revealed many different layers, each of which will give clues on the planetary conditions at the time the material was deposited.

While previous landing sites must be chosen to safeguard the landing of the spacecraft, the new "sky crane" landing system allows for a much more accurate landing, which, combined with the mobility of the rover, meant that the mission site can be some distance from the landing site. The primary mission will focus on the lower elevations of the Gale Crater, with possible exploration in the higher slopes in future extended missions.

Why is the "sky crane" used to land the rover?

The Curiosity rover is the biggest - and more importantly, the heaviest - rover landed on Mars. It has a mass of 899 kg, compared to Spirit and Opportunity rovers, coming at 170 kg each. Prior strategies include landing the rover on legs, as the Viking and Phoenix landers did, and using airbags, as Spirit and Opportunity did, but the sheer size and weight of Curiosity means those two methods are not practical.

How long does it take for data to transmit one way between Earth and Mars?

On the day of landing, it takes approximately 13.8 minutes for data to be transmitted one way.

What are the differences between this rover and the previous ones landed on Mars?

For an overview of the scientific payload, see the Wikipedia page. This includes such valuable scientific instruments such as a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system, not found in the previous rovers. The gas chromatography system, quadrupole mass spectrometer and tuneable laser spectrometer are also part of the payload, not included in the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.


Why were the first images of such low resolution?

The purpose for the first thumbnail images are to confirm that the Rover has landed and has operational capabilities. These images were taken from the Hazard Avoidance cameras (HazCams), rather than the main cameras. More images will be sent in the next window 15 hours after landing in order to pinpoint the landing site.

The Rover has a Mars Descent Imager capable of 1600 x 1200 video at 4 frames per second. The MastCam (with Bayer filter) is capable of 1600 x 1200 photographs, along with 720p video at 4 - 7 fps. The Hands Lens Imager is capable of the same image resolution for magnified or close-up images. The ChemCam can take 1024 x 1024 monochromatic images with telescopic capabilities. These cameras will be activated as part of the commissioning process with the rest of the scientific payload in the upcoming days/weeks.

How is Curiosity powered?

The Rover contains a radioisotope thermoelectric power generator, powered by 4.8 kg of plutonium dioxide. It is designed to provide power for at least 14 years.


When will Curiosity take its first drive? When will experimentation begin?

The first drive will take place more than one week after landing. It will take several weeks to a month to ensure that all systems are ready for science operations.

http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/c...aboratory_and/

[barry2952]

If I understood correctly the platform would simply fly off and crash in a remote location once it dropped its load.

[Rob Cote]

Does anyone have a link to what was the live feed of the landing? I can't seem to find it. Surely it was recorded somewhere. I missed it

[atomicalex]

If I understood correctly the platform would simply fly off and crash in a remote location once it dropped its load.

Resisting urge to edit this in an impolite manner.

[n0rdicalex.]

here's a quick vid from youtube. basically everything that happened on their checklist, people would start clapping and appear more excited. this video picks up during deceleration and lowering of the rover itself.

[Rob Cote]

here's a quick vid from youtube. basically everything that happened on their checklist, people would start clapping and appear more excited. this video picks up during deceleration and lowering of the rover itself.

@1:20, the girls in the lower right get perhaps a little too friendly for coworkers?

[NHDUBN#2]

If I understood correctly the platform would simply fly off and crash in a remote location once it dropped its load.

Yes.
And if i remember correctly there was 78 or so Pyrotechnic charges that had to go off on time in the right sequence (IE , Jettison heat shield , Ballast , sky crane ect ect...) Or the whole thing would be lost.

[NightTrain EX]

If I understood correctly the platform would simply fly off and crash in a remote location once it dropped its load.

That sounds like a typical Saturday night back in college

[barry2952]

That sounds like a typical Saturday night back in college

[RacingManiac]

Pretty awesome that this very un-KISS landing opeartion worked. Much kudos to those rocket scientist in NASA/JPL. US is getting this Mars thing down.

[GreenWagen]

Science


So awesome and glad were doing this deep space exploration instead of bouncing around the moon.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[Robstr]

God damn, we're good.

The battery on the rover should last several years if they don't get too over-zealous at the controls.

It doesn't really have a battery as people think of it, it uses an RTG. The nuclear material generates heat that is converted to energy with a thermoelectric device.

They don't really get any say in regulating the output once the material is in there. It'll slowly die over time regardless if they use 100% of the output or 10.

[dubb~stylee]

I was just watching the NASA Eyes on the Solar System live simulation of the landing while watching a live stream of JPL mission control while engineers turned satelites to provide live telemetry data of a space craft flying across the solar system landing within 200 meters of its target.

What were you watching?

that and the olympics simultaneously.

[dmonday]

I wish I would have remembered this!

I was out back with my 2 yr old playing in the sandbox last night and he noticed a star and said he wanted to go see it. He wanted me to lift him up to see it better and then he told me he wanted to fly to it. He was pretty upset we couldn't fly to it really quick. You'd think it would have jogged my memory that something awesome was about to happen...

[NickWVU]

It's unfortunate more people weren't aware this was happening, as that seemed to be the case for many that I know.

[Uberhare]

This.

They send a few quick pictures to show that it landed right side up and whatnot, then the rover performs a self-diagnosis to make sure everything is operational. THEN, it starts collecting data. The battery on the rover should last several years if they don't get too over-zealous at the controls. You'll get pictures, be patient.

This is an amazing feat. Respect.

The Cursiosity rover is powered, in part, by RTG units. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Nuclear power pods if you will. The one used on this craft has about 4kg or Plutonium 238 per a RTG. Maximum output of 110W (electricity) and 2000W (heat). I don't think a lot of people realize this. It's used to not only provide electricity but to also provide warmth for the electronics during the cold nights.

[BluMagic]

So cool... I for one am glad it wasn't commercialized and hosted by Ryan Seacrest or something stupid.

[nicoli]

So, the landing was flawless, except for the poor cat that got crushed.

The Cursiosity rover is powered, in part, by RTG units. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Nuclear power pods if you will. The one used on this craft has about 4kg or Plutonium 238 per a RTG. Maximum output of 110W (electricity) and 2000W (heat). I don't think a lot of people realize this. It's used to not only provide electricity but to also provide warmth for the electronics during the cold nights.

That's awesome!

[barry2952]

So cool... I for one am glad it wasn't commercialized and hosted by Ryan Seacrest or something stupid.

NASA's the only government agency that has more class than that.

[NHDUBN#2]

here is a size comparison of all the NASA rovers. This is a awesome feet landing like it did. When you factor in its size.