[X] My Assistant

[djellison]

Rob Manning and I swopped emails last night - and we think it might make sense to pool all the questions people have about MSL (and specifically MSL's EDL ) into one thread - and then answer as many as make sense either via a Q'n'A in the style of the previous ones I've done with Steve and Jim - or via Rob's typing fingers.

It'll be a few weeks till we sort this out - but submit-away until then

Doug

[dvandorn]

And here's a few more to add to nprev's:

3) What happens if the rover touches down before the belaying lanyards have been fully extended? Especially what happens if one wheel of the rover hits a decent-sized rock before the lanyards have been fully extended?

4) Is the cable/lanyard separation accomplished via a signal in the lander (i.e., a contact sensor of some kind), or in the crane (a slack cable signal)? If it's a slack cable signal, can we be certain that any unexpected buffetting encountered by the rover won't accidentally set it off?

5) Are we certain there won't be enough engine blowback from the surface to set the rover into motion, perhaps so much motion it will tip over at wheels-down? Has the landing-on-a-slope case been considered in this regard, where a given slope (or even badly placed rock) could reflect engine exhaust in such a way as to destabilize the rover?

6) Has the general issue of slopes been addressed? What happens if the rover has a small but significant sideways motion at touchdown (due to substantial winds, I would guess) and that direction just happens to be downslope -- of a significant slope (like 20 degrees or more)?

7) Will MSL's obstacle avoidance capability be able to recognize slopes (hills and craters) as well as blocks?

OK -- I think that's enough for now -- . Thanks for being willing to address some of these questions, Rob!

-the other Doug