MSL Cruise Phase |
MSL Cruise Phase |
Nov 26 2011, 03:50 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8789 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Okay, we're off and running! Please post all comments relating to MSL's transit to Mars here.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Nov 26 2011, 09:51 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 89 Joined: 25-January 06 Member No.: 661 |
No news is good news indeed!
We are watching cruise stage temps (most look great) - we had to turn one heater off because it was getting a tad warm. A few other things we are watching and learning about. Nothing like real telemetry. Otherwise very boring! Boring is good. I am happy that everything is so darn nominal (knocks on wood). I am getting the "shift handover' summary from the ops flight director now. Nominal. Nominal. Nominal. (even the word makes me sleepy.) (But I am getting off-nomially sick of too many peanuts. Normally we have one jar but today there were at least three being passed around the cruise MSA. ) We will try to keep things boring until Aug. We still have oh so much to do - Test the final EDL flight software, test/finish the final surface software, there are more bugs still to uncover no doubt. We may do the spin down to 2 rpm tomorrow (per "nominal" plan - that word again). Still talking about it. May want to wait for the temps to settle down first.We will have to do TCM-1 one of these days (first trajectory correction maneuver). We have weeks but it would be great to get it done sooner than later. Lots of cruise checkouts to do too. Did you enjoy that launch as much as I did? It is very surreal to see stuff that you have had your hands on being pushed up and up into the sky like that, knowing it is not likely to return to Earth any time soon. By the way, perhaps someone has mentioned this, Peter and I had your miniaturized names and signatures put on the back of the rover (next to the camera targets). If you were a Martian with very very good eyes you would be able read 12 million names and many thousands of signatures simply by leaning over the rover and reading. -Rob |
|
|
Guest_Oersted_* |
Nov 27 2011, 12:20 AM
Post
#3
|
Guests |
Did you enjoy that launch as much as I did? It is very surreal to see stuff that you have had your hands on being pushed up and up into the sky like that, knowing it is not likely to return to Earth any time soon. I sat in my apartment in Brussels, Belgium, rooting animatedly for MSL and eating too many peanuts while my pregnant wife Sandra watched TV, slightly bemused. Our girl will be born in late March next year, if all goes well, and I am hoping that she and MSL will share parallel journeys of discovery on neighbouring planets in this solar system of ours. I cannot imagine a better example of what's best about humanity to show to her, through her childhood and hopefully adolescence. Science, cooperation, a quest for knowledge: All these good traits that can be summed up in one word, Curiosity, are what I want to hold up to my daughter as an example of what to strive for. So, yes, you can say that emotionally I have a lot riding on Curiosity. I feel privileged to be vicariously part of the ride and now look forward to a quiet and relaxing cruise stage while I, personally, reach other deadlines here on Earth... |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 31st October 2024 - 11:43 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |