Next Stop Mars: Huge NASA Rover Launches Toward Red Planet • Hacker News Board

Re: Next Stop Mars: Huge NASA Rover Launches Toward Red Planet

#11

Post by mturmon » Sun, Nov 27, 2011, 3:16 AM UTC

gallamine wrote: post #10

"NASA began planning Curiosity's mission — which is officially known as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) — back in 2003. The rover was originally scheduled to blast off in 2009, but it wasn't ready in time. Launch windows for Mars-bound spacecraft are based on favorable alignments between Earth and the Red Planet, and they open up just once every two years. So the MSL team had to wait until 2011." I can't imagine ho…

They had been working 24 hour shifts for weeks to make the prior deadline. The delay was mainly due to a problem with the reliability of the mechanical actuators used by the robot. This happens, but it was an embarrassment to all concerned.

I just found a good link to the story:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1319/1

The amount of planning and risk management for large projects like this is amazing. I remember seeing the chart of subsystem deliverables and dependencies for a medium-size instrument (~100M$, far smaller than MSL), printed out from a large-format printer, tacked to a hallway wall. It was about 20 feet long by 4 feet high, printed just large enough to read.

Re: Next Stop Mars: Huge NASA Rover Launches Toward Red Planet

#12

Post by mkramlich » Sun, Nov 27, 2011, 4:09 AM UTC

adrianwaj wrote: post #8

I heard Nick Begich say today in an Alex Jones interview that rocket launches punch big holes in the ozone layer, and have done far more damage than CFCs have ever done.

> in an Alex Jones interview

my impression of Alex Jones is the man is at the center of his own little right-wing/conspiracy/propaganda empire. i'd take anything that comes from his direction with skepticism, if not avoided altogether.

Re: Next Stop Mars: Huge NASA Rover Launches Toward Red Planet

#13

Post by adrianwaj » Sun, Nov 27, 2011, 4:18 AM UTC

mkramlich wrote: post #12

adrianwaj wrote: post #8

I heard Nick Begich say today in an Alex Jones interview that rocket launches punch big holes in the ozone layer, and have done far more damage than CFCs have ever done.

> in an Alex Jones interview my impression of Alex Jones is the man is at the center of his own little right-wing/conspiracy/propaganda empire. i'd take anything that comes from his direction with skepticism, if not avoided altogether.

Thanks for the tip. He does have some good guests, which makes for interesting viewing. His main problem is that he cuts people off midway before they make their key points or conclusion. And there is no common organized enemy, "the globalists" -- he may as well talk about "the CEOs" or "the Politicians" and these groups do organize around greed, especially "the Bankers."

So yes, when he cuts people off, he replaces the ending with his own agenda. But that's not to say he should be totally ignored, I think.