Update on the NASA Mars Rover
The fabulous Curiosity Rover sent by NASA to explore the surface of Mars has started it’s trek to a location over 400 metres away. The journey will not be the quickest taking several weeks but the journey is not it’s first have managed two previous small drives without problems. The target is a feature they have called Gleneig – at this point three different types of Martian terrain meet and scientists are keen to examine the location.
They are hoping that it will yield their first rock target which Curiosity is capable of drilling and analysing itself. THe rover itself is actually capable of operating in a 20 km radius of it’s landing point which gives the scientists a lot of leeway in deciding on how and what to explore. All the time the Mastcam fiitted to the rover is sending back lots of images which are also used to help navigate and calculate the best routes.
The rover is also fitted with lots of cameras, laser systems and robot arms and tools. The rover is powered by an on board nuclear battery which is fitted to the 900 kg frame. It’s a complete science lab on wheels and is without doubt the most sophisticated rover ever sent into space.
If you’re interested in the missions there’s lots more information and images available on the NASA web site. There’s also lots of great information on the BBC web site including some excellent documentaries from the science team which are available on BBC Iplayer. If you can’t access these great shows from your location then all you need is a fake UK IP address. The technique works by routing your browser through a UK proxy server which fools the site into thinking you’re based in the UK.
Update on the NASA Mars Rover
The fabulous Curiosity Rover sent by NASA to explore the surface of Mars has started it’s trek to a location over 400 metres away. The journey will not be the quickest taking several weeks but the journey is not it’s first have managed two previous small drives without problems. The target is a feature they have called Gleneig – at this point three different types of Martian terrain meet and scientists are keen to examine the location.
They are hoping that it will yield their first rock target which Curiosity is capable of drilling and analysing itself. THe rover itself is actually capable of operating in a 20 km radius of it’s landing point which gives the scientists a lot of leeway in deciding on how and what to explore. All the time the Mastcam fiitted to the rover is sending back lots of images which are also used to help navigate and calculate the best routes.
The rover is also fitted with lots of cameras, laser systems and robot arms and tools. The rover is powered by an on board nuclear battery which is fitted to the 900 kg frame. It’s a complete science lab on wheels and is without doubt the most sophisticated rover ever sent into space.
If you’re interested in the missions there’s lots more information and images available on the NASA web site. There’s also lots of great information on the BBC web site including some excellent documentaries from the science team which are available on BBC Iplayer. If you can’t access these great shows from your location then all you need is a fake UK IP address. The technique works by routing your browser through a UK proxy server which fools the site into thinking you’re based in the UK.
Taking a loan to take a trip with Virgin Galactic to the stars
Virgin Galactic, which is optimistic about offering orbital human spaceflights, also has plans of launching suborbital space science missions, providing suborbital spaceflights that are specially designed for space tourists and launching small orbital satellites. This company gives its spacecraft more altitude and speed in the initial stages as compared to that of the ground because it launches it from large aeroplanes. The company, whose special aeroplanes, namely, the White Knight 1 and White Knight 2, launch a platform for the Spaceship 1 spacecraft by functioning as the mother ship, is part of the Richard Branson Virgin Group that fixes large fixed wing aircraft. The Virgin Galactic, whose Spaceship 2 spacecraft costs approximately $200,000 per person (Finance a trip with Minilning in Belgie), has more than 550 people who want to fly with it to the stars. However, although it considers this cost affordable many people are unable to raise the amount all at once. For this reason, this company requires them to pay a deposit. Notable personalities such as Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt ,Stephen Hawking and Ashton Kutcher has managed to submit their deposits but the rest have opted to delay for a while so they can get time to take loans from various financial institutions, family members and friends.
NASA and Their Crisis-An Example from the Wine Industry
I don’t think there is any doubt that NASA is experiencing one of their most dramatic period of change in the history of the organization. To start, the Space Shuttle, a staple of the United States efforts in space has been virtually scrapped for all time. As of today, the country and NASA itself does not have a manned ship to put into space. It’s incredible that over 40 years after landing on the moon, things have turned so far into negative territory. Of course, funding is a major, major challenge as well.
When we started looking for ways for NASA and the space program to deal with their current crisis, I couldn’t help but think of the wine industry. Maybe that’s because I have a cheap wine club membership which shippped me wine yesterday, but the wine industry has certainly dealt with a crisis over the past two to three years. To start, the 2007 vintage in Napa Valley was historic. It was both amazing as well as, well huge. There was a lot of great wine made, probably too much though. The problem was that all that extra wine gave rise to discounters and pushed prices down-right at the time the economy was facing the biggest economic downturn of the past 80 years. So what has the wine industry done? They’ve focused on taking the middle man out of transactions by going directly to consumers. For NAPA, that means some more public education about what the organization has done and why creating more funding and research dollars is important.