News

**mstra** lop guest User ID: 104221 06-24-2012 01:32 AM

Back in the 1990s, working on local construction jobs, when I used to wear my yellow hardhat with the Bechtel logo, people would ask, "Where did you get that and why are you wearing it?" Well it was my best hardhat, still have it. And I told them "We built the Mars bases". So screw you ignorants.

**sword777** lop guest User ID: 103826 06-24-2012 01:37 AM

mstra Wrote:

Back in the 1990s, working on local construction jobs, when I used to wear my yellow hardhat with the Bechtel logo, people would ask, "Where did you get that and why are you wearing it?" Well it was my best hardhat, still have it. And I told them "We built the Mars bases". So screw you ignorants.

Sad. So very sad.

facepalm

**JollyRoger**

MrGemini Wrote:

Good luck with that!

Hahahaahahaaha!!!! Jhikpghf

**The Other Side** lop guest User ID: 104159 06-24-2012 02:43 AM

I think the mission scientists will be having the seven minutes of terror. Curiosity either ends up as expensive space junk on the surface of Mars or it doesn't.

However, a four stage landing process seems complicated with the probe able to burn up on entry, foul it's chute, spin out of control as the retros kick in...or don't, and finally the sky crane jams. Whatever, the animation below gives a good account of the intended landing.

I'm just wondering what this means for manned expeditions, are they going to use a similar technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BudlaGh1A0o

Some more info including costs from Wikipedia:

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL, or Curiosity) is a Mars rover launched by NASA on November 26, 2011.[1][3] Currently en route to the planet, it is scheduled to land in Gale Crater at about 05:31 UTC on August 6, 2012. The rover's objectives include searching for past or present life, studying the Martian climate, studying Martian geology, and collecting data for a future manned mission to Mars.[11]

Curiosity is about five times larger than the Spirit or Opportunity Mars exploration rovers, and carries over ten times the mass of scientific instruments. It will attempt a more precise landing than previous rovers, within a landing ellipse of 7 km by 20 km, in the Aeolis Palus region of Gale Crater. This location is near the mountain Aeolis Mons (formerly called "Mount Sharp"). It is designed to explore for at least 687 Earth days (1 Martian year) over a range of 5–20 km (3–12 miles).

The Mars Science Laboratory mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort for the robotic exploration of Mars, and the project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of California Institute of Technology. When MSL launched, the program's director was Doug McCuistion of NASA's Planetary Science Division. The total cost of the MSL project is about US$2.5 billion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory

**mstra** lop guest User ID: 104221 06-24-2012 06:19 AM

Lurky Lew Wrote:

mstra Wrote:
Back in the 1990s, working on local construction jobs, when I used to wear my yellow hardhat with the Bechtel logo, people would ask, "Where did you get that and why are you wearing it?" Well it was my best hardhat, still have it. And I told them "We built the Mars bases". So screw you ignorants.

Sad. So very sad.

Well. Ahem. You weren't there.

**mstra** lop guest User ID: 104221 06-24-2012 06:27 AM

Or know what a yellow hardhat means.