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Cutting Edge Tech Slated For Next Mars Rover
oxide7 writes "NASA is pushing the boundaries of technology as it readies its next mission to Mars, loading up its 4th Mars Rover with nearly a dozen instruments and deploying an innovative but risky landing procedure. Scientists and engineers were piecing together some of the final components to the new rover, dubbed Curiosity, on Saturday as it ramps up for a high-stakes launch in November."
Yes. There is a nice explanation at the Curiosity site (I think) that goes through the various thought processes but basically, IIRC
- The payload AND landing zone requirements made the rubber ball bouncing technique not viable
- The unload off a ramp technique that the current rovers use doesn't scale well and has the major problem of failure if it lands on anything other than reasonably flat terrain. This limited the science and the landing site too much.
- The retrorocket system has been used by Viking and the current rovers
- The skycrane approach has a number of major advantages in terms of terrain avoidance, design of the rover, and size of payload at the expense of complexity.
The teams apparently felt that the risks were worth the benefits. Basically, they felt that unless the technology was pushed forward, the science packages would be too limited.
It is rocket science after all.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
The money is all spent here on earth. It goes for salaries, parts, labor, design, engineering, fuel. Those who get the money spend their earnings for groceries, gas, house payments, cars, shoes and junk food. Those suppliers do the same with there earnings. They hire lawn care "engineers" , painters, babysitters, oh, and they buy all of the above as well.
Somewhere along the line money gets to the burger flippers who could never understand economics 101, who post on Slashdot that everything they are not interested in is a waste of money.