Author Topic: MSL Q&A  (Read 92862 times)

Offline AndyMc

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 313
  • Liked: 25
  • Likes Given: 405
MSL Q&A
« on: 06/02/2007 10:55 am »
Brief weblog item from the Planetry Society, plus link to some cool videos.

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000988/

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/gallery/videos.html

Offline Naraht

  • Extreme Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 1
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #1 on: 06/02/2007 11:12 am »
That has to be the coolest promotional video ever produced by NASA. The Battlestar Galactica style camera work. The sound of the wind whistling over the Martian plains. Just fantastic.

We were talking about how to interest people in space exploration? This is it, my friends.

Offline Chris Bergin

Support NSF via L2 -- Help improve NSF -- Site Rules/Feedback/Updates
**Not a L2 member? Whitelist this forum in your adblocker to support the site and ensure full functionality.**

Offline Naraht

  • Extreme Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 1
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #3 on: 06/02/2007 11:48 am »
Ah well, it's still cool...

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #4 on: 06/02/2007 12:03 pm »
Actually it seems like they've added on 20 seconds to the end.

Quote
Naraht - 2/6/2007  12:48 PM

Ah well, it's still cool...

Speaking of cool, Mars and the Bowie classic always works well:



That's a personal thing I have about videos like this. General public need something they know before they'll even bother watching videos like the MSL one.

This linked video has 33,000 views and I bet 90 percent of those views weren't people searching for Mars Rovers.
Support NSF via L2 -- Help improve NSF -- Site Rules/Feedback/Updates
**Not a L2 member? Whitelist this forum in your adblocker to support the site and ensure full functionality.**

Offline Mogster

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 161
  • Manchester - England
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 13
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #5 on: 06/02/2007 01:01 pm »
I know its juvenile but I just love the laser at the end :D

The whole thing is very cool. MSL looks like an all round larger more capable vehicle than the MER's, but still based on the obviously proven and robust MER tech. Still, watching all those moving parts in that dusty environment makes me nervous.

There seems to be several versions of the video, the longest seems to be 7 1/2 mins with a rock core sample being taken and analysed at the end.

Offline Naraht

  • Extreme Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 1
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #6 on: 06/02/2007 02:10 pm »
Quote
Chris Bergin - 2/6/2007  1:03 PM
Quote
Naraht - 2/6/2007  12:48 PM

Ah well, it's still cool...

Speaking of cool, Mars and the Bowie classic always works well:



That's a personal thing I have about videos like this. General public need something they know before they'll even bother watching videos like the MSL one.

This linked video has 33,000 views and I bet 90 percent of those views weren't people searching for Mars Rovers.

That is definitely a neat video. Well synched to the lyrics. If I had made it, though, I would have cut off the song before the second half. It definitely becomes a lot more downbeat there and I don't think that's the message the creator wanted to send...

I take your point about needing something to entice people to watch the video. However, you also have to offer them a certain amount of information once you have the eyeballs there. Someone watching the Bowie video might not necessarily know that it was showing real probes at the beginning, what stage of development they were in, who was launching them etc. The video mixes reality and fantasy, which is great for viewers like us, but if you're hoping to do publicity for NASA then you have to offer a little more.

Offline STSFan10

  • Member
  • Member
  • Posts: 70
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #7 on: 06/02/2007 08:02 pm »
It's cool to see how this gets to the surface. Any reason why they aren't bouncing this one with airbags?
"Damn it's good to be a Cylon.....There ain't no Earth anyway."

Offline Jim

  • Night Gator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 37440
  • Cape Canaveral Spaceport
  • Liked: 21451
  • Likes Given: 428
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #8 on: 06/02/2007 08:11 pm »
Too big.  MER was near the limit of the airbag method

Offline Jorge

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6404
  • Liked: 529
  • Likes Given: 67
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #9 on: 06/02/2007 08:12 pm »
Quote
STSFan10 - 2/6/2007  3:02 PM

It's cool to see how this gets to the surface. Any reason why they aren't bouncing this one with airbags?

Too heavy. Airbags don't scale up well. Pathfinder was small enough to use airbags alone, but even the MERs required some rocket braking.
JRF

Offline Jim

  • Night Gator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 37440
  • Cape Canaveral Spaceport
  • Liked: 21451
  • Likes Given: 428
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #10 on: 06/02/2007 09:36 pm »
Pathfinder had rockets too

Offline Paul Howard

  • Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 466
  • Perth, Western Australia
  • Liked: 15
  • Likes Given: 25
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #11 on: 06/03/2007 01:26 am »
Great piece of kit. Have NASA/JPL produced any comprehensive presentations on the MSL?

Offline hyper_snyper

  • Elite Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 728
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 22
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #12 on: 06/03/2007 01:45 am »
Wow.  That was a lot more detailed than the video from a few months ago.  All that ChemMin sampling stuff looks very prone to failure.  Good stuff.  I can't wait to see this thing fly.

Offline MKremer

  • Elite Veteran
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4034
  • Liked: 69
  • Likes Given: 1275
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #13 on: 06/03/2007 01:53 am »
Quote
Paul Howard - 2/6/2007  8:26 PM

Great piece of kit. Have NASA/JPL produced any comprehensive presentations on the MSL?
Not really - other than what's at the MSL web pages. The rover still hasn't been fully built or tested yet, and they're still fine-tuning the descent stage design (including the 'skycrane maneuver' hardware); also, JPL/MSL folks still have to finalize their landing location (because MRO is still taking full detailed images of the large # of proposed MSL landing sites).

Offline rsp1202

  • Elite Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1083
  • 3, 2, 1 . . . Make rocket go now
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #14 on: 06/03/2007 01:26 pm »
The period after aeroshell release with crane and rover under retros looks particularly dicey, especially with weight/COG issues due to combined vehicles. Not to mention the hover/repell maneuver. Bravo to software program designers if they pull this off.

Offline gladiator1332

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2431
  • Fort Myers, FL
  • Liked: 7
  • Likes Given: 6
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #15 on: 06/03/2007 01:51 pm »
That is really impressive...and it looks like a much more complex landing than MER.

By the way, not to hijack the thread...are the MERs still chugging along? (I haven't heard anything that said they died)

Offline Analyst

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3337
  • Liked: 4
  • Likes Given: 20
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #16 on: 06/03/2007 02:28 pm »

Offline Jim

  • Night Gator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 37440
  • Cape Canaveral Spaceport
  • Liked: 21451
  • Likes Given: 428
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #17 on: 06/03/2007 03:30 pm »
Quote
rsp1202 - 3/6/2007  9:26 AM

aeroshell release with crane and rover .

Propery "descent stage and rover"

Offline rsp1202

  • Elite Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1083
  • 3, 2, 1 . . . Make rocket go now
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
RE: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #18 on: 06/03/2007 03:51 pm »
I can't wait for the documentary on PBS (in HD, of course) showing the testing.

Offline Mogster

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 161
  • Manchester - England
  • Liked: 6
  • Likes Given: 13
Re: MSL - The Next Generation Mars Rover
« Reply #19 on: 06/03/2007 09:04 pm »
I wonder how well the crane can hover in a strong crosswind.

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1