Astronomy / Space Live coverage of InSight landing on Mars

Arry

Arry
So; I have done a little reading and for the few that are aware, of my feelings towards NASA. How they can manage to spend; make believe amounts of Taxpayers cash, use some of the greatest minds on the Planet; to make so many mistakes. (lists are available on Google) But that would not be in the spirit of this venture.

We must think positive thoughts and all hold our united hands together, in the hope that this object will land an deploy successfully.

Errr. Am I correct in understanding; that after it settles down on the Martian Soil, it has to open it's energy panels and 'charge its Batteries'? If so: Why didn't someone think about sending fully charged batteries, in the first place?
 

marx

marx
Arry said:
Errr. Am I correct in understanding; that after it settles down on the Martian Soil, it has to open it's energy panels and 'charge its Batteries'? If so: Why didn't someone think about sending fully charged batteries, in the first place?
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While I have no idea about the specifics of charge levels and whatnot during the long transit to Mars, do note that until the lander can deploy its solar panels, it has to run on battery power. So it's not like it went there fully dry. Fully charged might not be optimal either, due to how the battery technology works (see this article for some cool details) - and it had to spend seven months to get to Mars, after all.

Here's hoping nothing will go wrong with opening the panels, after everything having gone so well so far.
 
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Stigbob

Stigbob
Does this one have a methane detector on it ?. There was one a few years ago equipped with one following the theory that life farts, but it broke up.
 

Whitehair

W
Winterwalker said:
Curiosity has methane detection aboard (and has found it);
https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8347/nasa-finds-ancient-organic-material-mysterious-methane-on-mars/

Insight is basically a subsurface, mars interior mission I believe. Listening for Mars quakes.
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Patrick_68000 said:
Yes, and the technology is French.
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tumblr_m9g9xkEjAf1qbdumgo7_r2_250.gif
 

Jonny Shiloh

Jonny Shiloh
All seems to be working as intended...

gCGWNwt.jpg


Caption: The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. The camera's transparent dust cover is still on in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera's lens. This image was relayed from InSight to Earth via NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 

Deleted member 110222

D
Nice.

Is this part of research to eventually put humans on Mars?
 

Patrick_68000

Patrick_68000
Jonny Shiloh said:
All seems to be working as intended...



Caption: The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. The camera's transparent dust cover is still on in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera's lens. This image was relayed from InSight to Earth via NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Pleasant. Thanks for the share.

:)
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
Ozram said:
Not sure what amazes me more; that we can do this or that it’s not bigger news. Pretty wild!
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Yeah, the fact that whole space exploration is still considered a "kind of a niche and something to spend some change on after the army budget is done" is really sad. Anf it's not just US of A, of course.

Humanity is dumb.
 
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