Astronomy / Space 2,000 sols and counting...

[Jonny Shiloh]

A fantastic achievement for NASA's Curiosity rover - it has now spent 2,000 sols investigating Gale Crater.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43494227

Here's to the next 2,000!

 

[Patrick_68000]

A few days ago I watched on the TV "The Martian" with Matt Damon

He counts also the sols on Mars

 

[Manticore]

Yes; it's a brilliant achievement.

Let's go there!

 

[Patrick_68000]

Yes; it's a brilliant achievement.

Let's go there!

Do not forget the potatoes

 

[Jonny Shiloh]

Let's go there!

I'd love to - as long as I could come back!

 

[Patrick_68000]

I'd love to - as long as I could come back!

Once there, you will not want to come back but rather go toward Jupiter

 

[Thargon]

Red soil was discovered.

But seriously, it is an amazing achievement.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

Amazing engineering as well as proof, that Mars isn't too hostile. Now let's skip that nonsense about finding life there, and start terraforming it with extremophiles.

 

[Tomx]

Even a few decades ago this achievement would have been considered Science Fiction it really is an amazing achievement and so incredibly impressive that it's exceeded its design life by so much!

 

[Sapyx]

A few days ago I watched on the TV "The Martian" with Matt Damon

He counts also the sols on Mars

The term "sol" for "Martian day" was invented way back in 1976 for use with the Viking missions. They found they needed a separate term to distinguish Earth-days (which the nine-to-five office staff used) and Mars-days (which the lander operating crew used, as their work correlated to local daytime at the Mars landing site, rather than Earth time). "Sol" has been used to define Mars-days ever since, by American missions at least.

 

[HailVectron]

...and yet, no one on Earth can seemingly build a washing machine that can get past about 14 months in my utility room... Maybe NASA should do white goods?

 

[PiggyPiggyPig]

...and yet, no one on Earth can seemingly build a washing machine that can get past about 14 months in my utility room... Maybe NASA should do white goods?

They design them that way.

 

[Patrick_68000]

The term "sol" for "Martian day" was invented way back in 1976 for use with the Viking missions. They found they needed a separate term to distinguish Earth-days (which the nine-to-five office staff used) and Mars-days (which the lander operating crew used, as their work correlated to local daytime at the Mars landing site, rather than Earth time). "Sol" has been used to define Mars-days ever since, by American missions at least.

Interesting. Thanks

 

[Rob At Work]

Shaz-Mazing

 

[AkenBosch]

...and yet, no one on Earth can seemingly build a washing machine that can get past about 14 months in my utility room... Maybe NASA should do white goods?

14 months? What do you use that for, washing bricks and flour sacks?

(no but really, planned obsolescence)

As for NASA producing white goods, well they already did that, and for most of their career too:

Spoiler

See? Plenty of white!