Take A Little Piece of Mars, Now, Honey

shootER · Mar 23, 2021

Part of Wright brothers’ 1st airplane on NASA’s Mars chopper

Tuckerfan · Mar 23, 2021

shootER said: ↑

Part of Wright brothers’ 1st airplane on NASA’s Mars chopper
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Fun fact: The only reason why the Wright brothers plane is in the US is because of WWII. For some reason, the Smithsonian decided that the Wrights weren't the first people to fly (I think they gave that to Maxim, of machine gun fame, or Langley, of airfield fame) and as a result, either Orville or Wilbur (whichever one didn't kack it first), sent the thing to the British Museum as a big ol' "Fuck you!" to the Smithsonian. WWII started up, and the Brits were like, "Say, would you like your plane back before everything gets blown to shit? We'll be keeping the Elgin Marbles and everything that we looted from Africa and Asia, but we thought that, perhaps, we could trade you this old plane for some new bombers or something?" And we said "Of course!" Some time after that, the Smithsonian decided that the Wrights really were the first folks to fly a plane.

Tuckerfan · Apr 2, 2021

Details here.

Tuckerfan · Apr 4, 2021

Tuckerfan · Apr 7, 2021

Like a rainbow on Mars!

Spoiler
Toggle Spoiler

Turns out that the mission's being directed by JJ Abrams and it's only lens flare.

Tuckerfan · Apr 9, 2021

Tuckerfan · Apr 10, 2021

Tuckerfan · Apr 12, 2021

steve2^4 · Apr 13, 2021

Hopefully not ex-Boeing software engineers.

Bickendan · Apr 15, 2021

Man, those Windows updates are fierce

Tuckerfan · Apr 19, 2021

We Are Borg · Apr 19, 2021

First video. More to come.

steve2^4 · Apr 19, 2021

fuckin twitter.

FF to 42:12

Tuckerfan · Apr 20, 2021

Tuckerfan · Apr 20, 2021

Curse you government overreach!

Tuckerfan · Apr 21, 2021

If you want oxygen on Mars, it takes MOXIE!

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Just Turned Martian CO2 Into Oxygen

A toaster-sized scientific instrument attached to NASA’s Perseverance rover just sucked up a bit of carbon dioxide from the surrounding Martian atmosphere and converted it into oxygen.

It’s a groundbreaking first that could lead to a future in which space travelers are not only able to generate air to breathe, but rocket fuel to get them back to Earth as well — while still on Mars.

The instrument, called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), is a technology demonstration that could eventually be scaled up to produce enough propellant to enable a crew of astronauts to take off from the surface of the Red Planet.

“This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), in a statement. “MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars.”

“Oxygen isn’t just the stuff we breathe,” he added. “Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home.”

To get a crew of four astronauts off of the Martian surface, you would need about 15,000 pounds of rocket fuel and 55,0000 pounds of oxygen, according to NASA. To breathe, though, you’d only need about a metric ton for a crew of four for an entire year, according to MOXIE’s principal investigator Michael Hecht.

Schlepping all that oxygen all the way to Mars would be complicated and costly. That’s why scientists are considering extracting oxygen in situ.

To convert the carbon dioxide, MOXIE had to heat up the gas to about 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit. It managed to produce about five grams of oxygen, which is about 10 minutes worth of breathable oxygen. It generates up to ten grams of oxygen per hour.

Hecht is now planning to “push the envelope” and have MOXIE try new operating modes or attempt to extract oxygen at varying temperatures.

“MOXIE isn’t just the first instrument to produce oxygen on another world,” said Trudy Kortes, director of technology demonstrations within the Directorate. It’s also the first to lay the groundwork for future missions that could make use of in situ resources.

First, we had NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity perform the first ever controlled flight on the surface of another planet — and now this. Hats off to NASA’s tremendous efforts to bring Mars nearer to us than ever before.
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Tuckerfan · Apr 23, 2021

Tuckerfan · Apr 25, 2021

Third flight.

In Third Mars Flight, Ingenuity Goes Beyond All Tests Done on Earth

On Sunday, Ingenuity demonstrated once again that it was the little Mars helicopter that could. NASA reported that Ingenuity had successfully completed its third test flight earlier in the day, flying farther and faster than it ever had in tests conducted on Earth.

Ingenuity carried out its third flight at 1:31 a.m. ET, although NASA began receiving the data at 10:16 a.m. ET. The helicopter rose 16 feet (5 meters), which is the same altitude as its second test flight, and flew 164 feet (50 meters) downrange. Ingenuity’s flight lasted 80 seconds, the space agency said, during which it managed to reach a top speed of 6.6 feet per second (2 meters per second).

On Friday, Håvard Grip, Ingenuity’s chief pilot at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a status update that the helicopter team’s plan since day one has been to prepare, fly, analyze the data, and then “plan for an even bolder test in the next flight.”

When you compare today’s flight to Ingenuity’s second flight on Thursday, you can definitely see Grip wasn’t kidding. Only a few days ago, Ingenuity traveled seven feet (two meters) to the east and back on a 51.9-second flight. Fast forward a few days and Ingenuity’s traveled almost half the length of a football field in 80 seconds.

“Today’s flight was what we planned for, and yet it was nothing short of amazing,” Dave Lavery, the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter at NASA headquarters, said in a news statement published by the space agency on Sunday. “With this flight, we are demonstrating critical capabilities that will enable the addition of an aerial dimension to future Mars missions.”

The helicopter’s third test flight also tested its ability to process images taken by its black-and-white navigation camera, a device that tracks the planet’s surface features below Ingenuity. Ingenuity’s flight computer “utilizes the same resources as the cameras.” This is very important given that the flight computer is what flies the helicopter autonomously after receiving instructions from NASA hours beforehand.

Ingenuity’s camera takes more images the greater the distance, NASA explained. However, if the helicopter flies too fast, its flight algorithm can’t track surface features. The space agency had only tested Ingenuity in small vacuum chambers on Earth, where it could only move about 1.6 feet (half a meter) in any direction. To replicate the Martian atmosphere, which is only 1% as thick as Earth’s, the chambers are filled with wispy air, mainly carbon dioxide.

Given the speed, range, and altitude planned for the third test flight, NASA was unsure whether Ingenuity’s camera would track the ground as designed while it was moving faster.

“This is the first time we’ve seen the algorithm for the camera running over a long distance,” MiMi Sung, Ingenuity’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in the news release. “You can’t do this inside a test chamber.”

Based on the successful flight, it would seem so, but we’ve asked NASA for clarification on whether the camera worked as expected.

Not only that, but the Ingenuity team also pushed the helicopter’s limits by instructing it to take more photos on its own, including with its color camera. NASA recently released the first aerial color images taken by Ingenuity on its second flight. You can even see tracks made by the Perseverance rover, which is essentially serving as Ingenuity’s proud and watchful parent as it zooms around the Martian surface.

NASA’s little helicopter is currently carrying out a 30-Martian-day, or 31-Earth-day, technology demonstration that aims to test rotorcraft flight in Mars’ thin atmosphere. It will attempt up to five test flights within that window. The space agency said the Ingenuity team is planning the helicopter’s fourth flight, which will take place in a few days.
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For comparison, the Wright brothers first flight was only 120 feet.

We Are Borg · May 7, 2021

Tuckerfan · May 7, 2021

We Are Borg said: ↑

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Attention all personnel! Incoming wounded! Incoming wounded!

Tuckerfan · May 7, 2021

We should be getting data about the 5th flight any minute now.

steve2^4 · May 8, 2021

steve2^4 · May 8, 2021

Fucking tweets.

In case you're curious about what we're learning...

Tuckerfan · May 14, 2021

We Are Borg · May 16, 2021

Correction:

There are only two space agencies with a successful landing on Mars.

Every ESA and USSR mission to land something on Mars has failed. You could get technical and say there were some "soft landings" by other space agencies, but all those missions failed within seconds of a supposedly confirmed touchdown. I don't consider those successes.

We Are Borg · May 18, 2021

Music on Mars: If you thought space was silent, take a closer listen

tafkats · May 18, 2021

Is there enough atmosphere for sound to travel through the air, or is the helicopter recording its own sound as carried through its body?

We Are Borg · May 18, 2021

tafkats said: ↑

Is there enough atmosphere for sound to travel through the air, or is the helicopter recording its own sound as carried through its body?
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I believe only the rover has a microphone, so there must be enough atmosphere for it to pick up Ingenuity's flight.

Tuckerfan · May 18, 2021

We Are Borg said: ↑

tafkats said: ↑

Is there enough atmosphere for sound to travel through the air, or is the helicopter recording its own sound as carried through its body?
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I believe only the rover has a microphone, so there must be enough atmosphere for it to pick up Ingenuity's flight.
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Didja not read the captions on the video you posted? The rover recorded the audio, and NASA used software to punch up the sound of the choppa.

Tuckerfan · May 21, 2021

I can't believe our President is going to allow Mars to fall to the Reds!

China releases first pictures from Zhurong rover since Mars landing

China’s space agency released the first pictures from the Zhurong Mars rover Wednesday, showing the six-wheel robot ready to drive down a ramp from its landing platform to begin exploring the Red Planet.

The 529-pound (240-kilogram) Zhurong rover landed Friday, becoming the first Chinese spacecraft to accomplish a soft landing on the Red Planet. With the rover’s successful touchdown, China became the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars, following the United States.

In a statement Wednesday, the China National Space Administration said the images show the rover’s departure ramp, solar panels, antennas, and other mechanisms deployed normally after landing. The imagery also confirms the landscape in front of the rover is clear of hazards.

The color image above was taken by a navigation camera, showing the rear of the Zhurong rover and details about the rust-colored Martian surface in the background.

A black-and-white view showing the landing platform’s ramp comes from the front wide-angle obstacle avoidance camera on the Zhurong rover. The two extension rods in the upper part of the images are subsurface radars, part of the mission’s payload of scientific instruments.

The Zhurong rover separated from the orbiting module of China’s Tianwen 1 Mars mission Friday to begin the descent to the surface of Mars. Another view released by CNSA on Friday shows the lander, cocooned inside a heat shield, separating from the Tianwen 1 orbiter Friday.
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More at the link.

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