Perseverance Is On Mars
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,250
Likes: 1,577
From: Somewhere in NJ
I saw a blip about the landing as a sidebar during the Gamestop inquiries. Then I watched 2 shows for about 4 hours last night about building Perseverance and the details of the mission.
The building show was unbelievable. There was a segment on how the tubes for the soil collection were getting stuck when being put into the drill head. Turns out that their "unearthly cleaning" model to remove as much possible contamination actually removed micro particles that help friction. They have 6 bits and 43 tubes. The Lead guy said, they want 43, 30 would be good, 20, so-so, 10 bad and just faded when he got to 1 bit to 1 tube ratio.
These people are smart. Perseverance is part of a 3 mission program over about 12 years. It will collect samples and leave the tubes in collections on the surface. The next mission will collect them and launch a small rocket back into the Mars orbit with the samples and the 3rd mission will send another probe to collect the items in orbit and bring them back to earth to review.
The building show was unbelievable. There was a segment on how the tubes for the soil collection were getting stuck when being put into the drill head. Turns out that their "unearthly cleaning" model to remove as much possible contamination actually removed micro particles that help friction. They have 6 bits and 43 tubes. The Lead guy said, they want 43, 30 would be good, 20, so-so, 10 bad and just faded when he got to 1 bit to 1 tube ratio.
These people are smart. Perseverance is part of a 3 mission program over about 12 years. It will collect samples and leave the tubes in collections on the surface. The next mission will collect them and launch a small rocket back into the Mars orbit with the samples and the 3rd mission will send another probe to collect the items in orbit and bring them back to earth to review.
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 29,896
Likes: 5,435
From: Ontario Canada
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 7,401
Likes: 1,104
From: Napa
I saw a program long ago about all the inventions and gadgets we use that have come from our space travel endeavors. It was incredible. I don’t recall what any of them were but google can probably tell you. My point is that even if you believe all the space probes etc to be a waste, a lot of good, besides knowledge, comes out of them.
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 59,377
Likes: 1,618
From: La Crescenta, CA
I saw a blip about the landing as a sidebar during the Gamestop inquiries. Then I watched 2 shows for about 4 hours last night about building Perseverance and the details of the mission.
These people are smart. Perseverance is part of a 3 mission program over about 12 years. It will collect samples and leave the tubes in collections on the surface. The next mission will collect them and launch a small rocket back into the Mars orbit with the samples and the 3rd mission will send another probe to collect the items in orbit and bring them back to earth to review.
These people are smart. Perseverance is part of a 3 mission program over about 12 years. It will collect samples and leave the tubes in collections on the surface. The next mission will collect them and launch a small rocket back into the Mars orbit with the samples and the 3rd mission will send another probe to collect the items in orbit and bring them back to earth to review.
I think it's money well spent. From the words of the old song Timing: "Who in the world would have ever known what Columbus could do, if Queen Isabella hadn't hocked her jewels In fourteen-ninety-two?"
Last edited by The Raptor; Feb 19, 2021 at 12:03 PM.