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Curiosity Gearing Up for Drive to Next Study Location

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday September 13, 2012 @05:59PM from the warming-up-the-engines dept.

Curiosity has spent most of the past 5 weeks running instrument and system checks, but on Friday that is all scheduled to change. The plan is to "drive, drive, drive" until a suitable rock for the rover's first robotic "hands-on" analysis is found, says mission manager Jennifer Trosper. The rover will head to a location about 1,300 feet away labeled "Glenelg," where three different types of rock intersect.

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Ah, Ye Olden Times. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-13 18:04 · Score: 5, Funny

The rover will head to a location about 1,300 feet away...
That be 12/36ths of a cubit, multiplied by four and 1/4 rods, then minus sixteen and 1/8th hogsheads.
1. Re:Ah, Ye Olden Times. by isorox · 2012-09-13 18:50 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  When you put a rover on Mars, you can pick whatever units you want.
  That worked out so well for the Mars Climate Orbiter
2. Re:Ah, Ye Olden Times. by wonkey_monkey · 2012-09-13 19:18 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  When are American's going to grow up?
  When you stop abusing the apostrophe.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
3. Re:Ah, Ye Olden Times. by felipekk · 2012-09-13 22:34 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I know it's a different one, but still oblig:
  http://xkcd.com/695/