Bullshit! I did it just the other day. Had some cheap beer with the bums under I-95, got a hummer from a crackwhore, and rode down to Jupiter. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=jupiter, fl
And here is a link to a NASA/JPL press conference from today. A bit dry, unless you like this kind of stuff: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24703937 You can find the images they talk about in the press conference at this link: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/
Another press conference begins in about an hour, at 10:30A Pacific and 1:30P Eastern. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120816.html Audio can be streamed here: http://www.nasa.gov/news/media/newsaudio/index.html Once again, visuals will be available here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/index.html You'll notice that the visuals from the previous teleconference are gone. I have no idea where they went, but I'm sure they're on NASA's Curiosity pages somewhere. Also, you can still see small versions of them in the video I linked above.
NASA to Host Curiosity Rover Teleconference Aug. 17 08.16.12 PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT), Friday, Aug. 17, to provide a status update on the Curiosity rover's mission to Mars' Gale Crater. Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., are checking out Curiosity's subsystems and 10 instruments. Curiosity is in the opening days of a two-year mission to investigate whether conditions have been favorable for microbial life and preserving clues in the rocks about possible past life. Mission team members are "living" on Mars time. A Martian day is approximately 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, meaning team members start their shift 40 minutes later each day. The scheduling of this teleconference and other Curiosity media events is determined by their availability. Audio of the event will be streamed live online at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio . Visuals will be available at the start of the teleconference at: http://go.nasa.gov/curiositytelecon . For more information about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mars and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .
Here's a recording of that Curiosity teleconference from today, 8/17/2012, on Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24773693
If you're reading this thread, I assume you care. Uwingu is a space startup that wants to spend its full profits to fund exploration, research, and education. Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, has written highly of the project and the people behind it. They're in the midst of an Indiegogo campaign to raise $75k, which is seed money to get their startup off the ground. You can donate here for the next 4 weeks, and a sufficiently generous donor can claim some influence over how they'll direct their future efforts.: http://www.indiegogo.com/p/180221
Curiosity unleashes its frikken lasers on Mars! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/b...-of-a-fully-armed-and-operational-mars-rover/ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-248
Well, the pictures are certainly higher quality than the ones from Viking 37 years ago. I was hoping for colonies on Mars by this time. Guess when the government is involved, we take what we get. Still, nice picture.
Sorry to take so long to reply. However, isn't NASA also sending robots to Jupiter's and Saturn's moons too?
Teleconference from 8/21. Begins at 10:30 or so, the first ten minutes is a waste of time. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24867956 News briefing from 8/22. Starts right away. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24889670
Quick question, if you were going to another planet to look for evidence of life (be it present or past) why oh why would you land in an impact crater? Wouldn't It be better to look somewhere where the possible evidence hasn't been smashed into oblivion?
Excavation reveals geologic layers, going back into geologic time. Landing on the surface of Mars only gives you access to the newest geologic layers. An excavation allows you to look at the "layer cake" of different strata, or levels, in the Martian soil/rock that are laid down over time - the deeper, the older. This gives a better picture of Martian geology over geologic time. Excavation on another planet is extremely difficult and expensive. It has never been done before, unless you count the few shovelfuls of the Moon dug up by astronauts; or the LCROSS mission, where a rocket was deliberately smashed into the Moon - but that was a single mission. It has certainly never been done before on a large scale or for a sustained amount of time. An impact crater is convenient, because it is an area that has already been excavated by the impacting asteroid.
Um, please take a geology course before posting again? I explained it already in as much detail as possible. Mars is still there, and it hasn't been destroyed. The rocks and layers are still there; they haven't been destroyed. The negative space in the impact crater, dug out by the asteroid, is not the "layer cake." The walls of the impact crater, and the mountain in the middle of the crater, are the "layer cake."
Asteroid archeology ORLY! The asteroid doesn't just scoop a nice hole out leaving all intact. The walls of the crater are lifted and pushed outwards disrupting the layer cake, yes it may be exposed but it's distorted. The mountain in the middle is everything but the original layer cake. It's complete confusion of layers and debris. If you were looking for a timeline of layers then a geological fault or a cliff face ( small one of course). When I said destroyed I was talking about evidence of life. Obviously mars is still there, and the layer of history is still there but in an asteroid crater great forces have been at work and any evidence of life, pre impact, would surely have vaporised along with a bucket load of its surroundings. I think that the odds of finding evidence would be greater in an area that has not sustained a massive impact. As for the lesson in geology? Oh please! Get a grip adhocrat!
You've conceded in your previous post that the walls are layer cake. Who cares if they're distorted? The rover will be there for years. The distortion occurred in a singular event, and can be corrected for. Most of your claims are dubious. For instance, we only proved this year (2012) that Mars even has plate tectonics. https://www.google.com/search?q=mars plate tectonics&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a Plate tectonics are required for geologic faults to form. The Curiosity probe was launched in 2011. If we suspected any geologic faults on Mars at the time of Curiosity's launch, those faults would've only been suspected, not confirmed, in a time before the idea that Mars even has plate tectonics was generally accepted. You also claim the mountain in the middle is complete confusion, with its layers scrambled. But I don't see any reason why the ordination of strata in the mountain would be affected by an impact from directly above. It's probably compressed or distorted as you say, but the layering order would be preserved. Here's more on the selection of the landing site: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/10/158572705/after-terror-mars-scientists-plan-exploration
Think about this, an object travelling at very high speeds and large enough to leave a crater this size isn't going to bounce on the surface or land gently. The centre of the crater is the point of impact, it would have penetrated the surface to quite a depth, pushing down on ground directly below it and pushing out anything not directly under it. It would have been a huge impact. And it's entry point would have then been hidden by debris falling back down to the ground. Even if you had men on the ground it would be a monumental task to piece together the geological effects of this impact. As for the deciding the landing site, well it sounds like the site was chosen to suit the rovers limitations rather than optimum learning.
dox or gtfo For now, I'll assume NASA's dox and deliberations are better than your speculation. Thanks for linking the evidence behind your thinking. I linked mine. Gale Crater's History Book http://themis.asu.edu/feature/22
Base of Mount Sharp, digitally enhanced to appear as lit by terrestrial sunlight. Distances Original image
Press Conference from 8/27. Amazing layer cake pictures from above are discussed in some detail: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25004956
(Image above is from sol 26; image below tracks progress thru sol 29) Here's a link to the teleconference from today, September 6, 2012: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25224209 Larger pictures from the telecon are here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/index.html They get updated every teleconference, so you'll miss out on them if you wait too long, but lower res versions can be found in the ustream video.
Another press telecon took place yesterday, September 12. Here is a link to the video: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25360845 Larger pictures from the telecon are here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/index.html They get updated every teleconference, so you'll miss out on them if you wait too long, but lower res versions can be found in the ustream video.
Curiosity's drill bit appears to have been contaminated. NASA's Planetary Protection Officer (yes, that's her real title) discusses how the mission intends to deal with this issue. http://sciencefriday.com/segment/09/14/2012/mars-rover-may-be-contaminated-with-earth-microbes.html Transcript: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/14/161156787/mars-rover-may-be-contaminated-with-earth-microbes I'd be happy to discuss this more, with those who were concerned about contamination from Curiosity. Having listened to the story, it sounds like they are confident they can sterilize the bit.
Meanwhile, rover Opportunity is still working away. http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/NASA_Mars_Rover_Opportunity_Reveals_Geological_Mystery_999.html
Nice article. Includes an update on Opportunity's health: The odometer on Opportunity is at ~21.75 miles (35 km). I am rooting for it to reach at least 26.2 before it finally quits.
Another telecon from Wednesday, Sept. 19 - skip the first 9 minutes or so http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25528058 Features an interesting rock, and a Martian partial eclipse
