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11 Amazing Things NASA's Huge Mars Rover Can Do

Posted by samzenpus on from the rover-4.0 dept.

TheNextCorner writes "NASA is getting set to launch its next Mars rover this week. The car-size Curiosity rover is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, slated to blast off Saturday (Nov. 26) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rover will employ 10 different science instruments to help it answer questions once it touches down on the Red Planet in August 2012."

3 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Can it convert by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can it convert imperial measurements to metric measurements?

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  2. Re:#1 by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

    We're only putting them on robots because we ran out of sharks. Once we run out of robots, then I suppose we'll start putting them on lawyers.

  3. Late Breaking News from the Council: CONVERT! by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can it convert imperial measurements to metric measurements?

    Dispelling rumors of the threat posed by a nuclear-powered, laser-armed robotic invader, K'Breel, Speaker for the Council of Elders, said:

    Already one invader flails haplessly in low orbit, while its successor sits on the pad, its launch delayed for yet another four days.

    The denizens of the Evil Blue Planet call them by many names - Newtons, Pounds - but what the blueworlders fail to understand that the only force that can do meaningful work is a unified force. Our strength is their weakness: we are one species, we live on one world, we use one system of measurement. We are one force. A red planet, united, to never be divided!

    Current intelligence reports suggests that denizens of the Evil Blue Planet have taken note of our effective planetary defense, but seem unaware of the extent to which their activities have made us angry. We are not hurt; we are angry. Very, very angry indeed.

    Having been reminded that the gelsacs of many metrication consultants were punctured to bring them this information, there were no questions from the press corps.