Curiosity on Mars

Next time we send something to Mars we need to send a secondary explorer with it so it can send it into those caves. I know that's where the Martians are!

plavonica wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Next time we send something to Mars we need to send a secondary explorer with it so it can send it into those caves. I know that's where the Martians are!

Probes with probes that have more probes?

Yo, dawg. I heard you like...no, nevermind.

Probe ----> Probe ----> Probe ---> Butt

gravity wrote:

Probe ----> Probe ----> Probe ---> Butt

IMAGE(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071229220022/en.futurama/images/a/a8/Finglonger.jpg)

Why did I not think to look for a thread on this before.

*goes back to read thread*

Since this is the most active SPACE thread, I figure this is the best place for this:

XKCD
IMAGE(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/up_goer_five.png)

Alt Text: "Another thing that is a bad problem is if you're flying toward space and the parts start to fall off your space car in the wrong order. If that happens, it means you won't go to space today, or maybe ever."

Awesome.

See, it's not rocket science.

Stele wrote:

Awesome.

See, it's not rocket science. ;)

Yeah, it's not exactly... BRAIN SURGERY.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Stele wrote:

Awesome.

See, it's not rocket science. ;)

Yeah, it's not exactly... BRAIN SURGERY.

Requisite video link for those not getting it:

I love this Curiosity "Self-Portrait." It's actually a composite of 55 images taken by the camera on the end of the arm, merged together so you don't see the camera arm. Pretty clever.

IMAGE(http://news.discovery.com/space/2012/11/01/curiosity-mahli-zoom.jpg)

And, I haven't watched it, yet. But this documentary on the previous mars rovers popped up on the netflix instant queue "you might like" lists

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/We...

Thank you! Will watch.

All I heard while reading it, fingers crossed

I will be celebrating, probably too much, if m0nk3yboy is right.

The rover does not have the tools to determine life.

mudbunny wrote:

The rover does not have the tools to determine life.

I thought they said it was not an active directive of the mission, not that it couldn't detect it if it was found to be there? I could be wrong on that, I'm just going of my recollection of the Google live feed were it was being discussed, so that may be different to actual spec.

Would they be able to find traces of organic material in samples taken for instance? Unusually high percentages of X that could be left by process Y of a living organism, that sort of thing?

Spoiler:

Or maybe, the Rover's arm wasn't 'shopped out and the next pic they release from one of the wheel cameras shows a Martian holding the camera for the photo.

I wish the rover would have used a mirror and an iPhone to take it's self portrait.

Yeah it would be awesome if they find some microorganism or even a fossil of organic life or something.

But honestly I'm just expecting something like current ice/water, to further prove that water once existed there.

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8213735175_59843930f8.jpg)

LouZiffer wrote:

*picture*

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
LouZiffer wrote:

*picture*

:D

+1

yip yip yip yip

Schrensky wrote:

I wish the rover would have used a mirror and an iPhone to take it's self portrait.

That could never happen, the rover is not configured to 'duck face'.

MeatMan wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:
LouZiffer wrote:

*picture*

:D

+1

yip yip yip yip

yawp yawp yawp

m0nk3yboy wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

The rover does not have the tools to determine life.

I thought they said it was not an active directive of the mission, not that it couldn't detect it if it was found to be there? I could be wrong on that, I'm just going of my recollection of the Google live feed were it was being discussed, so that may be different to actual spec.

Would they be able to find traces of organic material in samples taken for instance? Unusually high percentages of X that could be left by process Y of a living organism, that sort of thing?

They can detect is something is organic* in origin, and that is it. It does not have the instrument capability to determine whether or not said compound is from a biological origin. That instrument is scheduled to land in 2018, and is supposed to be fired up by ESA, the European Space Agency.

Now, even should they find traces of organic compounds, it does not mean that they are from biological origins. The chemical reactions which for organic compounds are *incredibly* common and happen all over the place.

*Note, organic, in this case, means whether or not it has carbon and hydrogen (with some other atoms as well like sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen) arranged in a manner such that chemist call it an organic compound.

(Info from http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/ac...)

Awesome, thanks for the extra info Mudbunny.

Ok, as this is the active space thread, this is probably the best location, but holy $*@(#$:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astro...

New Data Show Mercury Almost Certainly Has Buried Ice at Its North Pole

Holy sh*t, indeed.

I think this is the most profound takeaway from this discovery:

The irony of finding water ice on such a hot planet is obvious, but also an indication that water is everywhere in our solar system, from close in to the Sun to the farthest reaches we can see, billions of kilometers out past Neptune. We know our kind of life is based on carbon and needs water. I don’t think we’ll find life on Mercury, but what this says to me is that the basic ingredients of life can survive formidable circumstances. And that makes me wonder even more if life can get a toehold (pseudopodhold?) in places where we might have earlier thought it impossible.

Just a heads up but the "plastic found on Mars" story making the Internet rounds today is a myth.

LockAndLoad wrote:

Just a heads up but the "plastic found on Mars" story making the Internet rounds today is a myth.

Well that's why you don't announce "we have a really big discovery" but then don't tell anyone for a couple weeks what the hell it is. People will run with fakes.

My favorite line from the Mercury Ice story was from under one of the photos.

Locations of ice at Mercury's north pole. Click to embiggen.