Mars Science Laboratory

peter grimes · Jul 31, 2012

I'm hoping to follow the landing as it happens.

Here's NASA's schedule of media events:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120730.html
EDIT: All times are PDT. For UT add 8 hours
Friday, Aug. 3
-- 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. NASA Social

Saturday, Aug. 4
-- 9:30 a.m. Prelanding Update and Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) Overview News Briefing

Sunday, Aug. 5
-- 9:30 a.m. - Final Prelanding Update News Briefing
-- 3 p.m. - NASA Science News Briefing
-- 8:30 p.m. to about 11 p.m. - Landing Commentary No. 1
-- No earlier than 11:15 p.m. - Post-landing News Briefing

Monday, Aug. 6
-- 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. - Landing Commentary No. 2
-- 9 a.m. - Landing Recap News Briefing
-- 4 p.m. - Possible New Images News Briefing

A general introduction to the mission:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/video-view.cfm?Vid_ID=1702

The always entertaining 7 Minutes of Terror:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/video-view.cfm?Vid_ID=1642

Anyone else planning on following along?

jpinoniemi · Jul 31, 2012

If I have time I will, I hope all goes well with the landing.

GoodGame · Jul 31, 2012

What exactly are the lab instruments?

I vaguely think there will be a laser-assisted mass spec or optical emission spec on board.

Winner · Aug 1, 2012

Damn, it's on Sunday. I'll be in Slovakia, far from civilization.

peter grimes · Aug 1, 2012

Winner said:
Damn, it's on Sunday. I'll be in Slovakia, far from civilization.

The actual landing time is early Monday morning - 5:31 GMT/UT. Are you going to be near Bratislava? I hear that's not entirely uncivilized

The times posted above are for US Pacific Daylight Time, which is where the JPL is located. I'll edit the post to make that clear.

Serutan · Aug 1, 2012

I think the actual landing time is supposed to be ~2230 (GMT-7/PDT). Don't know if I'll
make it that long. :old:

Hope it succeeds, but that landing procedure scares the crap out of
me.

Winner · Aug 2, 2012

peter grimes said:
The actual landing time is early Monday morning - 5:31 GMT/UT. Are you going to be near Bratislava? I hear that's not entirely uncivilized

Nah, Slovakia is OK

I mean that I am going to be in the middle of nowhere in Slovakia. But Monday morning is doable, though I'll probably just miss it on purpose in order not to get anxious

Smellincoffee · Aug 3, 2012

I'll be asleep during the landing commentary, but I hope to find coverage online the next morning. This is the most complicated landing we've yet done?

peter grimes · Aug 3, 2012

Smellincoffee said:
I'll be asleep during the landing commentary, but I hope to find coverage online the next morning. This is the most complicated landing we've yet done?

On Mars, Yes. I'm don't know how it compares to the Apollo lunar landings.

Smellincoffee · Aug 3, 2012

peter grimes said:
On Mars, Yes. I'm don't know how it compares to the Apollo lunar landings.

With Apollo...the LEM separated from the command module, flipped and rolled to navigate freely, and flipped and rolled again. Curiosity will be going in on automatic..first using parachutes, then using thrusters to hover in mid-air while an SUV-sized robot is lowered down from a crane. Maybe I'm oversimplifying the Apollo maneuvers, but this one seems to take the cake.

Winner · Aug 3, 2012

Smellincoffee said:
With Apollo...the LEM separated from the command module, flipped and rolled to navigate freely, and flipped and rolled again. Curiosity will be going in on automatic..first using parachutes, then using thrusters to hover in mid-air while an SUV-sized robot is lowered down from a crane. Maybe I'm oversimplifying the Apollo maneuvers, but this one seems to take the cake.

Landing on the Moon is extremely easy, because there are no variable forces involved. You just control which way your thrusters are pointing and with a decent computer to guide you through the descent, it's piece of cake (they did it with a "computer" which was about as good as my table calculator).

Landing on Mars is hell, because Mars has the worst of both worlds - some atmosphere to prevent lunar-like landing, but not enough to allow earth-like landing with parachutes. The atmosphere simply doesn't slow you down enough before you hit the surface, and the problem gets worse the heavier is the payload you want to deliver to the surface.

Birdjaguar · Aug 5, 2012

I wonder how/where they practiced the landings before they completed the programming.

I expect to stay up for the results.

emzie · Aug 5, 2012

Watch live tonight: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

emzie · Aug 5, 2012

contre said:
Watch live tonight: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

lol, turn it on what do I see?

An interview with wil.i.am

Birdjaguar · Aug 6, 2012

On the ground safely!!!!

illram · Aug 6, 2012

Crezth · Aug 6, 2012

Winner said:
Landing on the Moon is extremely easy, because there are no variable forces involved. You just control which way your thrusters are pointing and with a decent computer to guide you through the descent, it's piece of cake (they did it with a "computer" which was about as good as my table calculator).

I wouldn't say extremely easy.

But anyway, yeah. USA #1.

Smellincoffee · Aug 6, 2012

May this worthy accomplishment dominate the news for a few days and stifle all the insipid chatter about celebrities and chicken restaurants..

peter grimes · Aug 6, 2012

So this mission cost ~2.5 billion. I was curious how this stacked up to some of the Pentagon's stuff.

I came across an informative article that broke it down:

5B = 5 years of intelligence analysis
2.9B = 4 years of logistics transport, primarily for Afghanistan
2.8B = 900+ helicopters for the Army
.9B = continued research on Missile Defense
.5B = Drones! Lots'a drones (contract doesn't say how many)

So I really don't want to hear it when a congressman says we just can't afford something in the budget.

Cutlass · Aug 6, 2012

1 aircraft carrier or attack submarine.

Mars Science Laboratory

...

Warlord

Red, White, & Blue, baby!

Diverse in Unity

...

Eatibus Anythingibus

Diverse in Unity

Trekkie At Large

...

Trekkie At Large

Diverse in Unity

Hanafubuki

wicked witch of the North

wicked witch of the North

Hanafubuki

Deity

i knew you were a real man of the left

Trekkie At Large

...

The Man Who Wasn't There.

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