RATS!

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Looks like a manned mission on hold for now....

Mars Mission dilemma

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Pebbly Rocks Testify to Old Streambed on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. - Detailed analysis and review have borne out researchers' initial interpretation of pebble-containing slabs that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity investigated last year: They are part of an ancient streambed.



NASA's Curiosity rover found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named "Hottah" after Hottah Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories. It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature on Mars is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was disrupted in the past, giving it the titled angle, most likely via impacts from meteorites.

Looks like a manned mission on hold for now....

Mars Mission dilemma

This is what I have suspected for several years now. Human travel outside the earth's protective magnetosphere is too dangerous at this time. Apparently we got very lucky with the Apollo moon missions and in today's "safety at all costs" atmosphere no space agency will be willing to place humans at that much risk from radiation. Until there is a cost effective means of shielding a human crew no one is going higher than LEO. Some materials they are testing have promise but in most cases the weight penalty makes it difficult to launch from earth.

Here is where, I think, our best hope still lies with finding what is needed for shielding on the moon and sending manned deep space missions from there.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Another update for Curiosity:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/07/curiosity-rover-shoots-video-of-martian-moonrise/

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/multimedia/pia16934.html

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SETI@Home Informational message -9 result_overflow
with a general handicap of 80% and it makes much d' efforts for the community and s' expimer, thank you d' to be understanding.

Curiosity Rover Begins Epic Drive to Mars Mountain

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Reports Detail Mars Rover Clues to Atmosphere's Past

PASADENA, Calif. – A pair of new papers report measurements of the Martian atmosphere's composition by NASA's Curiosity rover, providing evidence about loss of much of Mars' original atmosphere.

update..


Martian atmosphere primarily composed of carbon dioxide, according to NASA

I would add a compressor and tank to compress the atmosphere for times when dust storms coat the solar array. I short spray of compressed air should help keep the array working.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Compressed CO2 will work just as well as compressed air - so have a little compressor to charge the tank...

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Do it only when there's an excess of solar power available

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I would assume that the weight penalty was considered to much to allow the extra equipment to be carried along. But they are getting better and better at making light weight motors that are a lot more powerful than even ten years ago. For example the Dyson light weight high powered vacuum cleaners. Since one of the plans for future human visits to Mars includes extraction of CO2 from the atmosphere to convert it to rocket fuel I assume they are working on the machines to compress the gas. Now that they have found that the unmanned rovers have a greater lifespan than originally estimated it seems to me that finding a way to remove dust from the solar arrays would gain more priority.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Plenty of solar panels have dusted over before, both on Mars and the moon, if it was as easy as blowing the dust off with compressed air or gas, why haven't they done it before?

That's why the previous Mars rovers had oversized solar panels to allow for degradation due to dust, and big batteries to keep them going. Their mission plans were also short enough to not expect too bad a coating of dust to kill them too soon.

The saving grace has been the oversized panels and occasional natural dust-cleaning events that have allowed such as the Spirit and Opportunity rovers to rove far beyond expectations.

For those, that strategy looks to have worked very well.


Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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I know that both of the rovers exceeded their original mission lifespan but one of them and another fixed surface lander died due to dust overload. It may not be deemed necessary by NASA mission planners but I think the idea bears consideration for future robotic missions as the dust problem on Mars is so prevalent.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

AFAIK Curiosity has no panels, but plutonium based generators.
Tullio

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AFAIK Curiosity has no panels, but plutonium based generators.
Tullio

Indeed so, precisely because if its intended long duration mission running right the way through the Martian winter (low light), and because it is so big and power hungry.

A small worry is that it still has cooling fins for the thermonuclear generator and their efficiency may well degrade as they get coated in an insulating layer of dust...


Here's hoping for a good and adventurous Curiosity mission!

Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Happy Birthday Curiosity!


NASA's Curiosity Nearing First Anniversary on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Curiosity rover will mark one year on Mars next week and has already achieved its main science goal of revealing ancient Mars could have supported life. The mobile laboratory also is guiding designs for future planetary missions.

______________________
The universe wastes nothing, it's simply transferred.
Lynn

Happy Birthday Curiosity!

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+1!

Thanx for the link, Lynn:)

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Everyone!


Mars Moons Eclipse Each Other In Images Captured By NASA Curiosity Rover (VIDEO)