Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Mars Science Laboratory and Curiosity rover

Endimion17 - 8-8-2012 at 06:44

Here, a special thread for this mission. ;)

The rover's Hazard Avoidance camera sent bunch of stereo images.

Also, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera spotted the heat shield and the sky crane blasted on the surface, as well as the parachute and the back shell. And of course, the rover itself.

images

I've found a full resolution frame of the descent, here. The metallic object is supposed to be the heat shield.

This is the descent video you've probably seen.
<iframe sandbox width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UcGMDXy-Y1I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Do you think these thumbnails are all there is, or the full sized images are still in the rover's system, waiting for transmission?
Here is the raw image deposit.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw

neptunium - 8-8-2012 at 20:25

nice thanks for putting it out endi...there is another thread on the more general mars landers topic.
but it blows my mind everytime i see it!! congratulayions JPL!! thats what we need a renewed interest in science for the general public

phlogiston - 9-8-2012 at 00:37

Full sized high resolution images of the descend are still in the rover. Forgot where I read it, sorry, but they expect those to have trickled in by a few more days.

Also the following picture, taken by the orbiting MRO, is beautiful and an amazing feat. Think for a minute on how hard it would be to take this picture from such a small object from 340 km away, which is moving through an unpredictable atmosphere (wind, pressure etc) by an automated camera. At this distance and such a high level of zoom, they had to aim perfectly and had only a fraction of a second to get the timing just right or there would be nothing to see.


Rosco Bodine - 9-8-2012 at 13:17

Sunrise on Mars at Gusev Crater May 19, 2005 photo by Mars Rover Spirit
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_34...


[Edited on 9-8-2012 by Rosco Bodine]

Endimion17 - 10-8-2012 at 05:46

I was laughing so hard when I saw this few days ago. :D



[Edited on 10-8-2012 by Endimion17]

gutter_ca - 10-8-2012 at 10:11

Here is a paper about the GC/MS system on board.

http://t.co/w2ULToHA

froot - 14-8-2012 at 22:56

Curiosity soon to scurry across the floor of Gale crater:

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-nas...

Endimion17 - 25-8-2012 at 04:41

At last, HD video from the descent.

<iframe sandbox width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gZX5GRPnd4U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Have you ever imagined to see something like this? This is one of those things that make my heart beat stronger.

neptunium - 25-8-2012 at 12:35

WOW!!!!!!


speechless

Endimion17 - 29-9-2012 at 06:04

New historic mark for Curiosity rover. Direct and definitive evidence of an ancient creek.

It's a fluvial material, a sedimentary conglomerate, eroded by eolic processes with a gravel pit beneath. The same thing most of us saw on Earth.

I've never thought I could be this excited about gravel. :D