Speculating on what Curiosity may find

[trekkiedane]

The next time they need to send two probes: It would be so "awesome" if there was one dedicated to the transmission of live landing coverage for TV -somehow I've always missed that

But: yeah! it worked (sounded a bit over-complicated to me too)! congratz everyone

 

[Gary7]

Yeah, just heard about it this morning -- terrific news! It was the most complicated landing procedure that NASA has ever attempted for a space probe. I'm thrilled it worked out, because if it didn't that would be a disaster for NASA's future. With privatization of space travel on the move, NASA is under much more scrutiny of its ability to get the job done.

NY Times Article
NASA MSL Website

 

[trekkiedane]

Found this on the NASA-site, it was true yesterday:

 

[B.J.]

The next time they need to send two probes: It would be so "awesome" if there was one dedicated to the transmission of live landing coverage for TV -somehow I've always missed that

But: yeah! it worked (sounded a bit over-complicated to me too)! congratz everyone

Not quite the same, but close: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter actually caught an image of Curiosity while it was descending on the parachute! Very cool!

 

[Gary7]

For anyone interested, click HERE for the video at JPL during the descent.

 

[Mooch]

Whatever it finds, I'm sure it will do a better job than the crew of the Prometheus!

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm thinking it's going to find a bunch of rocks.

 

[trekkiedane]

I'm thinking it's going to find a bunch of rocks.

And then destroy them with laser-beams and grind them to powder

 

[M'Sharak]

I'm thinking it's going to find a bunch of rocks.

"OH LOOK, ANOTHER LIGHT BROWN ROCK."

 

[Amaris]

I'm thinking it's going to find a bunch of rocks.

"OH LOOK, ANOTHER LIGHT BROWN ROCK."

That didn't take long.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm thinking it's going to find a bunch of rocks.

"OH LOOK, ANOTHER LIGHT BROWN ROCK."

 

[Gaith]

So we wait for something that might take hundreds of years if ever on the off chance that something doesn't kill us before hand? No, exploring and expanding beyond Earth is our best chance for not going extinct. The longer we wait the higher the chances of a grim ending to mankind.

I really don't understand how anyone can say this and possibly mean it. By any sane metric, the technology required to sustain a human society away from Earth is far, far more beyond our reach than the challenges posed by achieving a sustainable equilibrium between humanity and our terrestrial environment. And yes, accomplishing the latter might take a few centuries, but it's been millions of years since the last major asteroid-caused extinction crisis. We as a species can almost definitely put off terraforming Mars for another few hundred years.

The best argument to be made for more probes such as these is that they pale in comparison to such genuine frivolities as, say, the NFL. But saying that we need to set up a Mars base pronto or go extinct forever! is not only nuts, the sheer looniness of it hurts the cause.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I don't think an asteroid impact is as likely as earth running out of the natural resources required to sustain our rapidly ballooning population. Colonization and terraforming of another earth-like planet is really the only answer, and Mars is far easier to get to at our current tech level right now than, say, Alpha Centauri. Just shoot a probe full of kudzu and bamboo seeds at Mars, wait a couple decades for it to cover the planet and move in while the atmosphere thickens and the temperature rises. An overly simplistic plan, to be sure, but every journey begins with a first step. Doing nothing is pure stagnation and laziness.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

It would be ironic if it found one single lifeform that resembled earth cat's....then ran over it. lol

 

[Trekker4747]

It would be ironic if it found one single lifeform that resembled earth cat's....then ran over it. lol

That's not what irony means.

 

[Gaith]

I don't think an asteroid impact is as likely as earth running out of the natural resources required to sustain our rapidly ballooning population.

Obviously, significant global population reduction will be necessary to achieve environmental stasis, and our scientific expertise would be much better focused on finding humane ways to accomplish this rather than fantastizing about ways to make the colonize remote, barren wastelands.

Just shoot a probe full of kudzu and bamboo seeds at Mars, wait a couple decades for it to cover the planet and move in while the atmosphere thickens and the temperature rises. An overly simplistic plan, to be sure

Not at all - it's an elegant and wonderfully simple plan for killing a few seeds dead, with exactly no effect on any planet.

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ You sound like an authority on the subject. Perhaps you should send NASA your CV.

 

[Trekker4747]

Curiosity sends back its first color image:

Photo is blurry because a lenscap is still on the camera.

 

[Mr Silver]

^ Looks like Ceti Alpha V after Ceti Alpha VI exploded.

 

[Gaith]

^^^ You sound like an authority on the subject. Perhaps you should send NASA your CV.

Based on the claims you made that I was replying to... you first.