News: Curiosity has landed on Mars!!

[NigelC]

I speak Martian at 11pm on a Friday night

[Garry Russell]

It that similar to Glaswegian??

[NigelC]

Not sure..... I will attempt to find a Glaswegian this Friday and see if we can communicate

[Garry Russell]

Check the link I posted in the One at Eleven Feet thread when you've had a few and see if you can understand it

[NigelC]

Yeah, I've seen it.

[SkippyBing]

I cant wait to see the colour pictures in a few days time. I had my doubts the landing but would work but it worked so congrats to NASA.

Nigel²

I Thought it was barmy too when I first heard but then thinking about it, it must be (?) easier to bring something to a hover (zero forward speed at zero vertical speed at doesn't matter if its + or - 6 feet altitude) than it is to land (minimal forward speed at minimal vertical speed at exactly the right altitude - i.e. zero feet - especially in the middle of all those nasy sharp rocks). It seems to be a wonderful bit of lateral thinking to me. "Wouldn't this be so much easier if we could just lower this thing down? Oh, hang about!"

Next step has to be a long rope and a basket from the ISS so we don't have to go on launching rockets up to them....

However it wasn't easier than the previous method of landing rovers on the planet which basically consisted of surrounding them with airbags and letting them bounce across the surface in the general vicinity of the landing area. Compared to that getting something to hover for long enough to lower a rope down to the surface is pretty A level.

[JohnWillimas]

I cant wait to see the colour pictures in a few days time. I had my doubts the landing but would work but it worked so congrats to NASA.

Nigel²

I Thought it was barmy too when I first heard but then thinking about it, it must be (?) easier to bring something to a hover (zero forward speed at zero vertical speed at doesn't matter if its + or - 6 feet altitude) than it is to land (minimal forward speed at minimal vertical speed at exactly the right altitude - i.e. zero feet - especially in the middle of all those nasy sharp rocks). It seems to be a wonderful bit of lateral thinking to me. "Wouldn't this be so much easier if we could just lower this thing down? Oh, hang about!"

Next step has to be a long rope and a basket from the ISS so we don't have to go on launching rockets up to them....

However it wasn't easier than the previous method of landing rovers on the planet which basically consisted of surrounding them with airbags and letting them bounce across the surface in the general vicinity of the landing area. Compared to that getting something to hover for long enough to lower a rope down to the surface is pretty A level.

Looking at these there's some pretty A Level stuff going on in this area too....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRTALJp ... ure=relmfu

[GHD]

A shot of the milky way from Mars

[DaveB]

In colour too!


ATB
DaveB

[FlyTexas]

Looks like NASA has accounted for all the bits. Look at the Sky Crane. Ka-boom!
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/m ... 16001.html

Brian