Mars Exploration second rover, Opportunity ready for landing

[Airconvent]

It occurred to me that unless Nasa were using "ABC"-branded flash memory made in a third world sweat shop, they should be of robustly tested premium memory with parity bit.
So we have to assume that the solar flare we had recently must have degraded its performance somewhat which means that Opportunity may be somewhat affected as well.
Also, they reported that they have found a bypass solution and the probe should be working "in a few weeks".

IF EVERYTHING IS WORKING, WHY IN THE HECK DO THEY NEED "A FEW WEEKS" to get going ??? I mean they have people working in shifts round the clock, so unless they are all there busy playing CNY "Ban Lark" , after 2-3 days of tests, the probe should be good to go...?

Food for thought on a cloudy day... 8)

rich

[weixing]

Hi,
Building a rover for Mars is not an easy task. The extreme enviroment in Mars will definitely push all electronic components to their operating limit. Just recalled that your PC or hard disk will also just "die" without any apparent reason in the comfort of your home...

Anyway, it is already a miracle that the guys in JPL are able to narrow down the problem of "Spirit" and found out a temporary recovery procedure in such a short time. Remember that the rover are millions of kilometer away and they are trying to toubleshoot a complicated system remotely via a 120bps link with 20+ minutes of delay. Also, using 12 days to recover the rover is actually a very short time. Just remember that the link is only 120bps, which is 466 times slower than a 56K, and they can only work on the problem during the day of Mars when there are sunlight to provide the power required by the rover.

So lets give them our encouragement and wish them good luck in their mission.

Have a nice day and happy Chinese New Year.

[rlow]

Hi everyone

Those interested in the current Mars landings may want to take note: I saw in today's Straits Times that there is a Mars exhibition at Suntec City Mall - Tropics Atrium from 27th Jan to 1st Feb. Some multimedia visuals and a model of Spirit / Opportunity will be on display. Admission is free.

Have a joyful and prosperous Lunar New Year!

[Airconvent]

Hi everyone

Those interested in the current Mars landings may want to take note: I saw in today's Straits Times that there is a Mars exhibition at Suntec City Mall - Tropics Atrium from 27th Jan to 1st Feb. Some multimedia visuals and a model of Spirit / Opportunity will be on display. Admission is free.

Have a joyful and prosperous Lunar New Year!

For your info, the Lego version is already on sale! I saw it during the Nasa webcast of the Mars Rover conference. I must say that I am very impressed by their skill and total understanding on the mechanics of the probe. They were able to ascertain at what speed, what direction and even what orientation the probe was when it plunged through the atmosphere and eventually landed on the surface. These people really know their stuff!

My initial impression was that of an un-impressed cynic...I mean...you have a small frame with 6 wheels and a few solar panels. After reading up the past week or 2, I realised that a lot of high tech hardware is actually installed on the rover....cool..

[Grievous]

Lego version? does it come with the included dual panoramic cameras, solar panels, 6 wheels and docking station? What about the scienctific instruments onboard? Everything included for a mean price of $24.95?

Charlie

[Airconvent]

Lego version? does it come with the included dual panoramic cameras, solar panels, 6 wheels and docking station? What about the scienctific instruments onboard? Everything included for a mean price of $24.95?

Charlie

Here is the link for it if you are interested. No mention of selling price but the box is big..US$89.90 excluding shipping.

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=7471 ... BA4FAFC056

BTW, if you want to buy the ISS model kit, its on sale at the hobby shop on the 2nd floor of Far East Plaza...

rich