The Martian Chroniclers, Good "New Yorker" Article About Curiosity |
The Martian Chroniclers, Good "New Yorker" Article About Curiosity |
Apr 25 2013, 09:39 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 444 Joined: 1-July 05 From: New York City Member No.: 424 |
The April 22 issue of the New Yorker includes an excellent and lengthy (11k words) article by Burkhard Bilger about Curiosity. It's not pay-walled, and it does a nice job of covering both the science and engineering. There are sympathetic profiles of Adam Stelzner and John Grotzinger.
I spotted one slight misstatement (describing the landing system as “find[ing] clear ground”), although I’m sure that the other Dave, et al., will find more nits. But all-in-all, Bilger did a very good job. It's a useful resource to point to for friends who want to know what the fuss is about, as well as worth reading for its own sake. TTT This post has been edited by Tom Tamlyn: Apr 25 2013, 09:40 PM |
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Apr 26 2013, 11:57 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 890 Joined: 18-November 08 Member No.: 4489 |
well if it did not "find" clear ground
the rockets would have cleared it -- A mosaic of one of the landing blast patterns https://picasaweb.google.com/10269590129139...081015179738226 |
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Apr 29 2013, 02:51 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 128 Joined: 5-May 04 Member No.: 74 |
I thought the line "Forty spacecraft have been sent there, and not one has found a single fossil or living thing" was a little misleading given that only about half of them were successful enough to even have a chance to look for "a single fossil or living thing."
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Apr 29 2013, 04:30 PM
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#4
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10151 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
And really only two of them ever looked for such things - the Viking landers. Even Curiosity isn't really looking for them.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Apr 29 2013, 05:45 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
Curiosity isn't looking for living things, really, you're right. But any Mars lander with a camera can find an obvious fossil within the camera's field of view.
We obviously won't get into any kind of discussion as to whether or not anything in the tens of thousands of pictures returned from the Martian surface resembles a fossil -- that's so far outside of our rules here it's not even funny. Just wanted to point out that a camera will generally see what is there, and not see what's not there. -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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Apr 29 2013, 10:28 PM
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#6
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10151 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
True! Though I was thinking of 'looking' with chemistry as well as cameras.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Apr 30 2013, 01:18 AM
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#7
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Guys, let's please just not go here at all, alright?
-------------------- 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.
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May 5 2013, 06:24 AM
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#8
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1582 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Vermont Member No.: 530 |
Incidentally, the cover of the magazine is pretty amusing with a 6-wheeled cameo:
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May 5 2013, 06:12 PM
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#9
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
My stepdaughter lives in Manhattan. Time to give her a call & ask her to steal a few copies for me...
-------------------- 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.
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