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August 20, 2012
Was Curiosity Landing a NASA FAIL?
Reader Tax Payer, whose comment appears in the sidebar, thinks so.
Read the comment above (excerpted) and below (in full).
What do you think?
August 20, 2012 at 02:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
The cables were the most fantastic part???
That's like saying the rain machine in
"Singin' in the rain" with Gene Kelly
was the most fantastic part.
Or maybe something like that...
Posted by: JoePeach | Aug 21, 2012 7:16:32 PM
Here's Taxpayer's ticket: http://www.distance-calculator.co.uk/distance-planet-earth-to-mars.php
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Aug 21, 2012 9:37:44 AM
Find out who "Tax Payer" is and offer them a trip along with any future one way mission to film the descent.
Posted by: Graeme | Aug 21, 2012 1:45:33 AM
Oy! Nathan!
Frogs & Russkies (nothing personal, Joe) could be states!!!
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Aug 20, 2012 11:28:26 PM
Another taxpayer wants to know why the Hell his taxes went to pay for this in any event.
Is it the role of government to explore strange new worlds like Seward's Folly and the Louisiana Purchase?
Posted by: jim` | Aug 20, 2012 10:45:57 PM
Nathan,
Did the "Taxpayer" really deserve to know that there were other video sources that were inactive. Let him (I'll bet big bucks - like dinner in Pasadena - that Taxpayer is a guy) go look at the full-scale mockup at the JPL, check it out at http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
Amedeo
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Aug 20, 2012 5:17:20 PM
The cameras (which could have captured the descent) were protected by covers and deactivated during the landing. They were activated slowly one-by-one during the days after touchdown.
The minor PR win of having Curiosity film its own landing would be completely eclipsed by the massive PR fail if one of the cameras was damaged in any way during the landing, preventing the rover from sending back as many useful data (correction: massive PR and scientific fail).
Posted by: Nathan | Aug 20, 2012 5:07:41 PM
Dear Taxpayer:
While the latest Mars explorer, Curiosity, was created by a committee; the committee decided to place video pickups at places that served the entire mission, not just the landing phase.
The sky crane technology worked: Curiosity is on the surface. We landed the equivalent of a Sports Utility Vehicle on the surface of the planet Mars! Intact!!!
We're sorry that your favorite part of the landing was not filmed. As a taxpayer, I'm certain that you realize that every gram of mass successfully landed on Mars cost tens of thousands of (taxpayer) dollars. You should be ecstatic at the decision not to include a video monitor that would only serve to document a fraction of the seven (7) minute descent from space as a matter of cost, alone.
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Aug 20, 2012 3:09:32 PM
Sorry, can't hear the anonymous Hotmail account user over the awesomeness of MELTING ROCKS WITH NUCLEAR POWERED LASERS ON ANOTHER PLANET!
Posted by: Mary Sue | Aug 20, 2012 2:56:03 PM
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