MSL EDL Hardware, Its state & fate |
MSL EDL Hardware, Its state & fate |
Aug 7 2012, 11:54 PM
Post
#31
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 699 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 |
I seem to remember there was some concern that Opportunity's camera optics got contaminated during its visit to the heatshield, so they might be more careful with Curiosity.
John |
|
|
Aug 7 2012, 11:55 PM
Post
#32
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 30 Joined: 12-June 07 Member No.: 2392 |
I'm hoping they will give the aeroshell a look. They gave the aeroshell wreckage a close look with MER-B. If I heard correctly today in the press conference they indicated that they would NOT approach any of the jettisoned items. Of course, everything is always open to change by the project. I'm absolutely certain though that they would not approach anywhere near the descent stage (skycrane) wreckage. DG |
|
|
Aug 7 2012, 11:56 PM
Post
#33
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 107 Joined: 29-January 09 Member No.: 4589 |
Are those three dark splodges in the crater NW of the SkyCrane impact site likely to be pieces thereof?
-------------------- Protein structures and Mars fun - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nick960/
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:04 AM
Post
#34
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 242 Joined: 21-December 04 Member No.: 127 |
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:08 AM
Post
#35
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:14 AM
Post
#36
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Please post all comments regarding the ancillary hardware associated with the landing of Curiosity here; thanks!
-------------------- 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.
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:25 AM
Post
#37
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2084 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
James: if it is one of the ballast masses it's way out of place; those should all be downrange (east, towards Mt. Sharp). Looks too fresh and low-angle to be a tiny natural impact. Maybe worth examining with better Hirise imagery later?
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:33 AM
Post
#38
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
Okay thanks Explorer1. The dark ejecta from that feature, seem's to line up with the skycrane impact, like it came from that general location. But you're right.
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:35 AM
Post
#39
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4246 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
There is a very obvious impact in the lower left if this image that I have highlighted with a box. Good eye! It's not on GM, so it's part of MSL. The angle of spray appears to be towards the SW, lined up almost perfectly with the DS impact point. Wow, could that be a stray piece of the descent stage? It's several hundred metres from the DS!
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:43 AM
Post
#40
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
Good eye! It's not on GM, so it's part of MSL. The angle of spray appears to be towards the SW, lined up almost perfectly with the DS impact point. Wow, could that be a stray piece of the descent stage? It's several hundred metres from the DS! If the DS exploded on impact with the Mars surface, could a stray fragment from the explosion be hurled this far? A hydrazine explosion might also explain the "dust cloud" we see in the rear hazcam images. |
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:46 AM
Post
#41
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4246 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 12:48 AM
Post
#42
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2084 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
Yes, there's something to be said for a complicated EDL with lots of 'space junk'; it sure makes the slow early days of landing go by faster.
The question of visiting any of these things up-close, even the non-hazardous debris, is still really far off though, we should keep in mind. |
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 01:23 AM
Post
#43
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I'm glad I didn't have time to write up that HiRISE image today. You guys are finding all kinds of goodies
-------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 01:27 AM
Post
#44
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
WOW!! GM showes a rough distance of 2,300 feet
Nevermind |
|
|
Aug 8 2012, 01:32 AM
Post
#45
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
Methinks if we ever use a skycrane type of landing again, we're going to have to program a little more smarts into the descent stage and have it either fly farther away or try to kill its velocity before it crashes. I shudder to think of what might have happened had one of those fragments of descent stage come back and whanged the rover real good...
-the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 4th May 2024 - 03:04 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. |