Last night I attended a talk at the Sunnyvale Public Library about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's planetary projects. These "NASA Mission Updates" occur on a regular basis. This was my second one.
It makes total sense to me that these would take place since Moffett Field and NASA Ames are located just down the road a ways. In fact I watched the Endeavor shuttle float over the Sunnyvale Community Center (to be laid to rest along with the rest of the shuttle program) last September (2012).
Mr. Eric Norris, a volunteer "ambassador" to the public for NASA comes to speak on a regular basis. Some people in the audience were regular attendees as it turned out. He provided a somewhat casual but entertaining discussion of some of NASA's programs.
It turns out that the third rover on Mars "Curiosity", which landed on Mars, August 5, 2012 , is doing fine. Because it is on a two year mission, they are taking their time and being sure that all instrumentation is in good working order.
The previous Mars rover "Opportunity" was sent up on a 90 day mission to collect data from Mars. It has now been crawling slowly around the MARS surface for ten years. Some of the data collected by it suggested that water once existed on this distant planet (though it is our neighbor, revolving around the sun slightly further away than earth.
Curiosity has a drill connected to it and it goes around drilling holes in Mar's surface to obtain samples to send back to earth. Data collected recently verified that water once existed on Mars, and not only that, but that it was non acidic water, in a form that biological organisms similar to earth's could have consumed.
The other interesting thing I learned about the rovers was that Curiosity is run on nuclear power. It has Plutonium 238 in it. So does Voyager I which is a rocket that we sent to collect data from four planets while they were in a rare alignment. Voyager has now travelled 115 astronomical units which is 115 times the distance of the sun is from earth. Voyager is about to reach interstellar space which is the same as saying it is reaching the heliotrope, the area where our sun will no longer have an influence which they are also calling interstellar space. This will happen sometime this year.
The other thing I find fascinating is how they get these rovers to land on another planet. When I watched footage of "Opportunity" and "Curiosity" land I was in awe. NASA designed "Opportunity" to bounce around like a big rubber ball, and Curiosity used a combination of parachute drag, vertical thrusters, and cables. Still, it is great fun to watch them.
OPPORTUNITY LANDS, version 1, version 2 - Interestingly the bouncing ball bounces differently in Version 1 and 2. Still, you get the drift of how it happened. High praises to Opportunity, NASA tends to anthropomorphize their rovers, for it was sent on a 90 day mission to mars and has now been up there 10 years!
CURIOSITY LANDS - this is animated but extremely cool, as NASA published it and has installed little commentaries to explain what is happening as it happens. Love it!
It makes total sense to me that these would take place since Moffett Field and NASA Ames are located just down the road a ways. In fact I watched the Endeavor shuttle float over the Sunnyvale Community Center (to be laid to rest along with the rest of the shuttle program) last September (2012).
It turns out that the third rover on Mars "Curiosity", which landed on Mars, August 5, 2012 , is doing fine. Because it is on a two year mission, they are taking their time and being sure that all instrumentation is in good working order.
The previous Mars rover "Opportunity" was sent up on a 90 day mission to collect data from Mars. It has now been crawling slowly around the MARS surface for ten years. Some of the data collected by it suggested that water once existed on this distant planet (though it is our neighbor, revolving around the sun slightly further away than earth.
Curiosity has a drill connected to it and it goes around drilling holes in Mar's surface to obtain samples to send back to earth. Data collected recently verified that water once existed on Mars, and not only that, but that it was non acidic water, in a form that biological organisms similar to earth's could have consumed.
The other interesting thing I learned about the rovers was that Curiosity is run on nuclear power. It has Plutonium 238 in it. So does Voyager I which is a rocket that we sent to collect data from four planets while they were in a rare alignment. Voyager has now travelled 115 astronomical units which is 115 times the distance of the sun is from earth. Voyager is about to reach interstellar space which is the same as saying it is reaching the heliotrope, the area where our sun will no longer have an influence which they are also calling interstellar space. This will happen sometime this year.
The other thing I find fascinating is how they get these rovers to land on another planet. When I watched footage of "Opportunity" and "Curiosity" land I was in awe. NASA designed "Opportunity" to bounce around like a big rubber ball, and Curiosity used a combination of parachute drag, vertical thrusters, and cables. Still, it is great fun to watch them.
OPPORTUNITY LANDS, version 1, version 2 - Interestingly the bouncing ball bounces differently in Version 1 and 2. Still, you get the drift of how it happened. High praises to Opportunity, NASA tends to anthropomorphize their rovers, for it was sent on a 90 day mission to mars and has now been up there 10 years!
CURIOSITY LANDS - this is animated but extremely cool, as NASA published it and has installed little commentaries to explain what is happening as it happens. Love it!
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