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Spaceballs Could Invade Mars
Byteme writes: "CNN reports giant tethered inflatable balls that are being developed by NASA as a potential alternative to the unsuccessful roving robots. The balls apparently will inflate and deflate to catch favorable wind directs and to stop on location. Not quite the fast, cheap and out-of-control solution... but it could be fun to watch!" I wonder if there are any MPEGs of the test this article talks about -- it sounds pretty fun to watch.
Aw shit, there goes the planet!
One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
...Martians across the globe are boarding up their windows, in anticipation of the thousands of so-called "soccer hooligans" on their way to see the semi-final match.
Residents are advised to stay off the streets, and if meeting one of these British soccer fans, not to claim loyalty to any particular team.
Well, at least it's innovative. Gotta admit that.
It may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actively waiting for my problems to go away.
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I like the idea of a sperical object not having to worry about getting hung up on rocks and all, but what are they going to announce?
"We have successfully landed our balls on Mars!"
and in a notoriously bad quote
"Remote vehicle landing specialist John Doe says he feels so lucky to have his job in that he gets to play with NASA's balls everyday."
Sorry, but that just sounds wrong.
I posted to
NASA builds this huge ball that can roll over anything. Packs it with cameras and sensors. Launches the thing from way behind the three point line, and gets it to Mars. Only then do they realize the ball is opaque!
Alright, here is a link with a little more info and a couple more pictures:e d1.html
e ed_rovers.html
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/behind/tumblewe
And here is a place with a video of a test(Realplayer):
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/technology/tumblew
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
That is something I would like to see. Rapid exploration of large parts of the Martian surface, and not only a few small pathces here and there every two years. Currently we are stuck with the latter.
Cheap and vast numbers are equivalent. I think the costs of any new space equipment is mainly research and development. After it is done, you can make dozens of units with a price that is small when compared to the initial costs.
Launch costs are still the biggest problem of space operations, and this has nothing to do with that.