# 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:** 12
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/221 "2012-08-06T13:34:58Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> This is awesome. We successfully landed a mobile, nuclear-powered laser cannon on Mars. The Martians don’t stand a chance.
Have they seen any walkers yet? 🙂
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/222 "2012-08-06T13:35:25Z")
I must say I am impressed that it went off so well. With what we can do with robotic rovers, it’s really hard to see the need for humans in space. This is hard for me to say, growing up with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs and being a space nerd as a kid, but I no longer see the point of having humans in space.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/223 "2012-08-06T13:38:48Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I must say I am impressed that it went off so well. With what we can do with robotic rovers, it’s really hard to see the need for humans in space. This is hard for me to say, growing up with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs and being a space nerd as a kid, but I no longer see the point of having humans in space.
As I said some time ago, when the Rover gets stuck you need somebody around with a jack. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/224 "2012-08-06T13:49:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> As I said some time ago, when the Rover gets stuck you need somebody around with a jack. :rolleyes:
Or a robotic arm with a jack.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/225 "2012-08-06T13:50:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> As I said some time ago, when the Rover gets stuck you need somebody around with a jack. :rolleyes:
The trouble is, sending humans there and back raises the cost so much with little to no gain in science. I dare say that if the rover gets stuck, we could send another for far less than the cost of a manned mission. The robots have better eyes and are better equipped to work in a hostile environment, and they don’t have to come back.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/226 "2012-08-06T14:11:48Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> Or a robotic arm with a jack.
The point being that a human can decide how to fix something rather than having
more robots to fix more robots. 🙂
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/227 "2012-08-06T14:12:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I dare say that if the rover gets stuck, we could send another for far less than the cost of a manned mission.
Or send a dozen rovers and a couple of unmanned sample return spacecraft; it’ll still be cheaper than a manned mission, and less risky.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/228 "2012-08-06T14:19:10Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> a couple of unmanned sample return spacecraft
I don’t know how much fuel it would take to return fifteen pounds from Mars. Does anyone know if that is feasible?
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### Author:  [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/229 "2012-08-06T14:21:04Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I must say I am impressed that it went off so well. With what we can do with robotic rovers, it’s really hard to see the need for humans in space. This is hard for me to say, growing up with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs and being a space nerd as a kid, but I no longer see the point of having humans in space.
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> As I said some time ago, when the Rover gets stuck you need somebody around with a jack. :rolleyes:
> [@scr4](#):
>
> Or a robotic arm with a jack.
…or just Jack. 😉
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/230 "2012-08-06T14:24:11Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> This is awesome. We successfully landed a mobile, nuclear-powered laser cannon on Mars. The Martians don’t stand a chance.
Thats what the deserve for fracking with our polar lander. Screw them with their “stay off the ice” signs, rules and regulations. We will land where we want to!
I watched it live. I also watched a couple hours of engineering interviews/Q&A stuff earlier in the day. Pretty damn exicting and entertaining.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/231 "2012-08-06T14:31:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> I don’t know how much fuel it would take to return fifteen pounds from Mars. Does anyone know if that is feasible?
I second this question. I don’t know the answer. Just in comparison to the moon, it seems to me that the return trip would require much more fuel than a corresponding trip from the moon. Mars gravity=38% of earths vs about 16% for moon, Mars escape velocity = 5.02 km/s vs 2.38 for moon.
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### Author:  [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/232 "2012-08-06T14:43:47Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> As I said some time ago, when the Rover gets stuck you need somebody around with a jack. :rolleyes:
I guess Mars would be considered out of range for a AAA Gold level membership, huh?
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/233 "2012-08-06T14:51:34Z")
> [@leftfield6](#):
>
> I guess Mars would be considered out of range for a AAA Gold level membership, huh?
Once you had a fleet of rovers running around in an area it might make sense to have one that is basically just a tow truck / rescue rover that saves other stuck rovers.
As we were watching one of the engineering segments they showed them testing the rover on simulated martian ground and its wheels going over rocks and such. I told my SO “I wonder if they ever collaborated with any off roading rednecks for suggestions?”
Was anybody at JPL pouring over Off Roader Monthly and 4WD Enthusiasts magazines? 🙂
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/234 "2012-08-06T14:52:26Z")
> [@leftfield6](#):
>
> I guess Mars would be considered out of range for a AAA Gold level membership, huh?
Well, the first 100 miles would be free. but the other 349,999,900 would cost you about $5/mile, so that’s about $1,750,000,000.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/235 "2012-08-06T15:05:43Z")
> [@Tangent](#):
>
> Heh. This was retweeted by Wheaton: [Totally not 'shopped pics from Mars.](http://curiositycam.tumblr.com/)
Ooh, I want more of these. I love the wal-mart one.
Yeah NASA! This is most excellent.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/236 "2012-08-06T15:22:12Z")
> [@wolfstu](#):
>
> Indeed it would 😉
>
> 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.
Well, holy crap. Congratulations to you and your team, I could feel the exhilaration from here. Can’t imagine the elation.
But tell me, did you have the SDMB up on your monitor? 😉
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/237 "2012-08-06T15:27:35Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#):
>
> 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.)
This sucker’s electrical, but needs the plutonium for a little… kick. Plus it has a flux capacitor.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/238 "2012-08-06T15:31:32Z")
What amazes me is that we now have more stuff on and around Mars than we did in earth orbit when I was born (before Sputnik). In one lifetime we have become planetary explorers.
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### Author:  [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/239 "2012-08-06T16:00:41Z")
A live news conference is getting started [here](http://www.ustream.tv/NASAJPL).
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### Author:  [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasas-mars-rover-curiosity/604144/240 "2012-08-06T16:03:26Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> I must say I am impressed that it went off so well. With what we can do with robotic rovers, it’s really hard to see the need for humans in space. This is hard for me to say, growing up with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs and being a space nerd as a kid, but I no longer see the point of having humans in space.
If there had been a human with a good quality microscope on the mission, we would have known for sure whether or not there was life in Martian soil almost 40 years ago. No need for cluster analysis and retesting.
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