# NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 26, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144 "2011-11-26T14:35:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 11
### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/201 "2012-08-06T06:13:17Z")
> [@Declan](#):
>
> Another question, how good are those cameras on the rover supposed to be, or are they just glorified webcams.
[Here](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120803.html) are some facts.
---
### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/202 "2012-08-06T06:14:44Z")
"Curiosity Rover
✔
@MarsCuriosity
I’m safely on the surface of Mars. GALE CRATER I AM **IN** YOU!!! #MSL "
That got kinky fast. I wonder how Gale feels about this?
---
### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/203 "2012-08-06T06:18:32Z")
Press conference starting…
---
### Author:  [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/204 "2012-08-06T06:20:27Z")
> [@cmyk](#):
>
> Quick, get Shia LeBouf on the next Atlas V!
Can we do that anyway?
Damn that was exciting, was watching at work on my phone. Top job by the NASA boffins.
---
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/205 "2012-08-06T06:20:47Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> That got kinky fast. I wonder how Gale feels about this?
[He’s all for it](http://images3.cliqueclack.com/tv/files/2011/08/breaking-bad-gale-video-425x240.jpg)
---
### Author:  [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/206 "2012-08-06T06:28:17Z")
I thought he was going to say “Live long and prosper” 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/207 "2012-08-06T06:30:12Z")
HAH! They’re running Windows XP at the news conference.
---
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/208 "2012-08-06T06:30:30Z")
Guess not all the PCs are Macs, with that Windows XP logo screen-saver on the screen.
---
### Author:  [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/209 "2012-08-06T06:40:52Z")
Whooooo!!! TOTALLY freaking awesome!
When do we get some soil results??
---
### Author:  [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/210 "2012-08-06T06:54:20Z")
> [@Locrian](#):
>
> Whooooo!!! TOTALLY freaking awesome!
>
> When do we get some soil results??
It could be several weeks, the NASA site said they were going to be doing some shake down maneuvers and going cautiously. As well, there probably is a line up of folks wanting stuff done.
Declan
---
### Author:  [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/211 "2012-08-06T07:03:25Z")
> [@cmyk](#):
>
> Indeed!
>
> I’d be cool to have a team member on the mission as a member here; and yes, they would get first dibs on the MMP, or workplace mini-rants depending on the outcome.
Indeed it would 😉
> [@MEBuckner](#):
>
> Congratulations, **wolfstu** , and **IvoryTowerDenizen** ’s colleague’s husband and **fachverwirrt** ’s good friend and good friend’s boyfriend, and all the rest of you guys.
Thanks! I’m basically too excited to sleep now, after that amazing ride. Seems it couldn’t have turned out better. There’s so much ahead for the mission now… So thrilled 🙂
There was a question above about descent pictures. We should have pictures from MARDI (the decent imager) from the time the heat shield was jettisoned to touchdown; those are hopefully to be delivered in the next little while. There was a planned attempt to capture the spacecraft during descent with the camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; we’ll see how that turned out.
Safely on the surface! So excited. Big congrats and thanks to the EDL engineering team.
I need to go try to get some sleep.
---
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/212 "2012-08-06T07:10:31Z")
Glad they landed safely. Good job!!!
---
### Author:  [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/213 "2012-08-06T07:18:58Z")
Watching the livestream here: [http://www.ustream.tv/NASAJPL](http://www.ustream.tv/NASAJPL)
Someone asked how long Curiosity could last on Mars, and one of the scientists answered “there are no perishable resources on board”, propably meaning that it’s reliant on solar power. However, isn’t this baby at least partly nuclear? It’s going to hold out well, but that’s not going to last forever.
(Also; short mention was made of Opportunity, an earlier rover that is still active after 8 freaking years. That stuff is amazing.)
---
### Author:  [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/214 "2012-08-06T07:22:22Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#):
>
> Someone asked how long Curiosity could last on Mars, and one of the scientists answered “there are no perishable resources on board”, propably meaning that it’s reliant on solar power. However, isn’t this baby at least partly nuclear? It’s going to hold out well, but that’s not going to last forever.
The rover gets all its power from a radioisotope thermoelectirc generator. No solar at all. That power source could last a good many years (without getting too specific). Prime mission is one Mars year.
---
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/215 "2012-08-06T07:29:33Z")
What a brilliant achievement - well done NASA!
Although hoping for the best outcome, the complexity of the landing procedure for this mission meant I never really managed to suppress the fear that some tiny detail would cause it to fail. This is amazing!
---
### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/216 "2012-08-06T07:33:43Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> "Curiosity Rover
> ✔
> @MarsCuriosity
> I’m safely on the surface of Mars. GALE CRATER I AM **IN** YOU!!! #MSL "
>
> That got kinky fast. I wonder how Gale feels about this?
(In case anyone didn’t know, that’s a riff on [Will Wheaton’s](https://twitter.com/wilw) usual tweets after landing at airports in various places.)
I was having beer and LPs at my friend’s house, but I made everyone watch the landing live. Super cool! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/217 "2012-08-06T07:53:34Z")
> [@Nanoda](#):
>
> (In case anyone didn’t know, that’s a riff on [Will Wheaton’s](https://twitter.com/wilw) usual tweets after landing at airports in various places.)
Heh. This was retweeted by Wheaton: [Totally not 'shopped pics from Mars.](http://curiositycam.tumblr.com/)
---
### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/218 "2012-08-06T08:32:16Z")
> [@D-bear](#):
>
> Take that **Martin Hyde!**
Reference?
---
### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/219 "2012-08-06T13:24:39Z")
This is awesome. We successfully landed a mobile, nuclear-powered laser cannon on Mars. The Martians don’t stand a chance.
---
### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/220 "2012-08-06T13:32:22Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#):
>
> What broadcast station will be covering it? I assume CNN, but with the other stories in the news it might not get the coverage it deserves. Is there another channel that will reliably cover it? Discovery?
U-Verse carries the NASA channel, so that’s what I used.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144.md?page=10)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144.md?page=12)