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A Deep Space Primer

Posted by michael on from the don't-forget-the-freeze-dried-ice-cream dept.

phil reed writes "With the latest Mars missions still in the news, people might be curious about what it takes to actually run a deep space mission: how a spacecraft is designed, how the communications are handled, what kind of project management is in place to make it all work. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has a primer online that gives broad general coverage of all aspects of putting a satellite into orbit and how to manage it once it's there. Fascinating reading, with lots of links to more detail."

14 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. No thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am waiting for Build your own space mission For Dummies to come to my local B&N.

  2. Ron Popiel satelite: by big_groo · · Score: 2, Funny
    Set it, and Forget It!

  3. so close! by fjordboy · · Score: 4, Funny
    From the Primer:
    The BSF is intended to be used online via the worldwide web (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics). There are interactive quizzes to let you check your own progress; no records are kept. No academic credit is offered for completion.
    Bummer...just when I thought I could get academic credit for cruising the web...
    --
    The anti-salmon
    1. Re:so close! by whathappenedtomonday · · Score: 3, Funny

      well, at least you can get the certificate without taking the tests ;)

      --
      I hope I didn't brain my damage.
  4. Tweaking, JPL Style by lpangelrob2 · · Score: 5, Funny
    And in the animation section...

    Too many windows on your screen may tax computer "power" causing animations to run too slowly, but if they're too fast, you might choose to run additional programs to use up computing power and slow the animations.

    So it looks like JPL's also providing a newbie guide on "tweaking your system." :-)

    I'd like to see how someone with a 3.0 GHz PC handles this...

    --
    -Rob
    Marriage doesn't have to suck!
    1. Re:Tweaking, JPL Style by enosys · · Score: 4, Funny
      I haven't had to deal with this issue since Wing Commander. I would have thought JPL would be capable of making software that plays animations at the same speed on all computers that are fast enough for it.

      Then again if they forget to handle filesystem full errors on Mars rovers who knows... ;)

    2. Re:Tweaking, JPL Style by Doug-W · · Score: 2, Funny

      Off topic but amusing let's see if the moderators think it balances out!

      When I was in College I had a brand new and blinding fast 386/SX-16 that I wanted to play Wing Commander on. Alas it was designed to be run on a 4.77Mhz XT and I could not control the ship at the blinding speed. However I quickly thought to load up the new at the time Windows 3.0 and play Wing Commander in a dos box from that. This worked flawlessly and led to my tag line of, 'Windows, the 8086 Emulator for your 80386!'

  5. Warning by savagedome · · Score: 4, Funny

    They forgot the statutory warning.

    DO NOT attempt this at home

    --


    Free XBox, PS2
    1. Re:Warning by Zocalo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Ah, but the beauty of this is that if you did actually did try it at home, then one way or another you wouldn't be at home for long. Depending on how successful you were you would be leaving in either a deep space probe, ambulance or meat wagon.

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  6. How it should have started... by el-spectre · · Score: 5, Funny

    "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

    R.I.P. DNA

    --
    "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  7. Re:how the communications are handled by addaon · · Score: 2, Funny

    In theory, zero compressibility is still impossible.

    --

    I've had this sig for three days.
  8. Re:how the communications are handled by f2professa · · Score: 2, Funny

    Something that works like a very long tube filled with ping pong balls for example. Push one into one end and one pops out the other instantly, no matter how long the tube.

    It's called Pez. Nothing to do with space travel kid, but keep trying.

    --
    Someone, please shake me from this wide-awake nightmare.
  9. Re:Broken Quiz? by wittyesotericmoniker · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes.

    Here are my results:

    Your score: 57%

    There were 15 possible choices. Results for each choice you selected are shown below. Use your browser's BACK function to return to the quiz.

    Question 1.01:
    Right

    Question 1.02:
    Right

    Question 1.03:
    Wrong, no selection made.

    Question 1.04:
    Right

    Question 1.05:
    Wrong, no selection made.

    Question 1.06:
    Right

    I went back to the quiz and sure enough 3 and 5 were answered then I tried to reset the quiz several times to no avail. More troubling is the fact that with 4 of 6 correct answers I should have a 66% rather than 57%. Is 66 fahrenheit = 57 celsius?

    God save Spirit and Opportunity.

  10. Re:The quiz is messed up... by ragefan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, what do you expect? Making web-based quizzes is not rocket science. ;)