I used to say the same thing - but I've now had at least two l chances in 1 year to see them on Long Island - many miles to the south of you. The last opportunity was only a week ago (same event that sparked this story).
Doesn't frost require water? If not, what other substance can cause it at those temperatures?
Other substances can condense at the low temperatures on Mars. I think most of the time the primary component of Martian frost is CO2 - Carbon Dioxide. CO2 frosts were documented by the two Viking landers - so this is a known (though I have no idea how well understood) phenomenon.
Maybe the drive wheel that was stuck freed up and and lowered the load.
The stuck wheel was on the rover Spirit -this article is about the other one, Opportunity. So no go on that theory. In any case, this change is in the incoming power, not the power expenditure - so changes in the wheel wouldn't change anything.
maybe the ambient light on mars, in the proper spectrum is greater than expected. i.e. a higher number of lumens?
maybe the properties (refractivity/reflectivity?) of the dust have a quality that allows the light to pass through at a greater rate than expected? or is it possible for them to emit a non-visible spectrum which can be used by the solar cells?
Having two identical rovers on Mars rules out these theories. Whatever is happening is specific to one rover and not the other - so it can't be atmospheric, and it probably isn't dust related - since the dust is virtually identical (and equally opaque) at both sites.
On top of that - the rover did have decreasing power output over the past year - so something changed to reverse that trend...
A power boost like this means that there is less dust on the panels. Speculation I've seen includes that wind in the crater blew the dust off or that the winter frost somehow condensed the dust so it takes up less surface area...
This may be a low point for manned expoloration of the universe - but we are certainly at one of histories high points for telescopic exploration of the universe:
-relatively cheap CCD's mean that even amateurs can make great discoveries
-currently have orbiting telescopes covering a good chunk of the spectrum
-best is yet to come:
Kepler, SIM, James Webb Space Telescope, Terrestial Planet Finder, proposed earth based 100 meter optical telescopes, not to mention far off items like the Terrestial Planet Imager and this telescope!
A modern rarity - the truely unknown
on
Tune in to Titan
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· Score: 1
I'm pretty excited about this flyby, mainly because this represents the first time where the surface of titan will be imaged up close.
Got to love the spirit of discovery - this flyby is the first time since Voyager or Magellan where a space probe has a shot of taking pictures of a planet we've never really seen before, and don't really fully know what to expect...
Magazine interviews are commonly filled out by the candidate's staff. It would be more accurate to call this then the candidate's staff's response - probably based off the staffer's knowledge of the candidate's positions, the platform, or some other source. For all we know, the candidate's aren't even aware of this interview - do they even read these over before these things get published in their name?
Kerry got in trouble for this (common) practice a few months back, when a staffer wrote in (incorrectly) that he owned an automatic weapon he grabbed as a war trophy...
What kind of person posts a comment, slating a news story for not being exciting?
The kind of person who wants to be excited.
Like I said in another other post - this story was posted with barely any context - not that Slashdot or the editor is at fault - just seems to be a trend in all news media lately...
Well... some context would be nice. Is this a first? Does this confirm some long unfulfilled prediction? They post new pictures from the Cassini probe all the time - why is this one chosen for a slashdot story out of all the newly posted pictures from the past week, many of which were also discoveries?
One network outage and the patient could be toast. Unless they can guarentee 99.99999% reliability, I can't imagine they will EVER use this, unless it is for places where they have no choice (space, antarctica, etc)
In the Daily Show's defense, the Republicans basically control both elected branches of government at this point...
Since the Daily Shows mission is basically to make fun of the media, the current government in power, and coverage of the government by the media - that sort of makes the republicans target numero uno at this point, just because of their own success.
You have to be kidding!?!? He ESPECIALLY throws softball questions to people whose views he disagree's with. And he seems to be extra careful to not cut them off.
Did you see the Ralph Reed interview? Forget softball questions, it was practically T-ball.
Its possible that their may be foolish deaths in pursuit of the prize... but the people participating are adults, and know the risks. If they want to risk their lives for money/prestige, it is their choice. The blood is on the hands of the teams, not the prize organizer.
I suspect in any case that its a moot point to argue about the deadline, because the organizers probably don't have a choice. They probably don't have the money, but a deal that would get access to the money (insurance, investors, etc).
I agree though, that generally speaking it would definitely be a lot safer (and classier) to have the money sitting in an account, waiting for someone to claim it.
These risks are calculated - even without a deadline these will always be dangerous. I don't think there is a manned system out there right now (or in the past) with better than a 97-98% safety record.
The Corporation should be facing charges. It ought to be fucking disbanded. The real problem these days is that the Corporations have rights of Persons, but do not face the same liability as Persons.
Whoa!!! Hold on there - can you go back and explain again why the government should toss myself and my coworkers onto the street for upper managements ethical/financial sins?
A corporation is more than a virtual person - its made up of thousands of people. Why should they be punished? Its bad enough the company is laying off 10% of its employees in a few weeks because of our ex-CEO's mistakes.
Thats a load of crap...
Prisons let people out eventually - so its no an effective quarantine.
Prisons don't have world class medical facilities. Heck some barely have any facilities - I wouldn't count on prisoners getting the proper drugs, let alone a monitored regimine.
uh... but its easier to get to orbit than the moon for servicing and repairs. Also, in orbit you are still above the atmosphere, and its easier to point the telescope in any particular direction...
Slashdot Mirror
Though I have read that a side effect of the magnetic pole flip when it does come could be more wide-spread aurora activity...
I used to say the same thing - but I've now had at least two l chances in 1 year to see them on Long Island - many miles to the south of you. The last opportunity was only a week ago (same event that sparked this story).
Other substances can condense at the low temperatures on Mars. I think most of the time the primary component of Martian frost is CO2 - Carbon Dioxide. CO2 frosts were documented by the two Viking landers - so this is a known (though I have no idea how well understood) phenomenon.
The stuck wheel was on the rover Spirit -this article is about the other one, Opportunity. So no go on that theory. In any case, this change is in the incoming power, not the power expenditure - so changes in the wheel wouldn't change anything.
maybe the properties (refractivity/reflectivity?) of the dust have a quality that allows the light to pass through at a greater rate than expected? or is it possible for them to emit a non-visible spectrum which can be used by the solar cells?
Having two identical rovers on Mars rules out these theories. Whatever is happening is specific to one rover and not the other - so it can't be atmospheric, and it probably isn't dust related - since the dust is virtually identical (and equally opaque) at both sites.
On top of that - the rover did have decreasing power output over the past year - so something changed to reverse that trend...
A power boost like this means that there is less dust on the panels. Speculation I've seen includes that wind in the crater blew the dust off or that the winter frost somehow condensed the dust so it takes up less surface area...
This was posted weeks ago...
-relatively cheap CCD's mean that even amateurs can make great discoveries
-currently have orbiting telescopes covering a good chunk of the spectrum
-best is yet to come:
Kepler, SIM, James Webb Space Telescope, Terrestial Planet Finder, proposed earth based 100 meter optical telescopes, not to mention far off items like the Terrestial Planet Imager and this telescope!
Got to love the spirit of discovery - this flyby is the first time since Voyager or Magellan where a space probe has a shot of taking pictures of a planet we've never really seen before, and don't really fully know what to expect...
Kerry got in trouble for this (common) practice a few months back, when a staffer wrote in (incorrectly) that he owned an automatic weapon he grabbed as a war trophy...
The kind of person who wants to be excited.
Like I said in another other post - this story was posted with barely any context - not that Slashdot or the editor is at fault - just seems to be a trend in all news media lately...
Thanks for the info - this is exactly the sort of stuff I was looking for...
Well... some context would be nice. Is this a first? Does this confirm some long unfulfilled prediction? They post new pictures from the Cassini probe all the time - why is this one chosen for a slashdot story out of all the newly posted pictures from the past week, many of which were also discoveries?
This is a cool picture - but how exactly is this news, and why should we be excited?
One network outage and the patient could be toast. Unless they can guarentee 99.99999% reliability, I can't imagine they will EVER use this, unless it is for places where they have no choice (space, antarctica, etc)
Since the Daily Shows mission is basically to make fun of the media, the current government in power, and coverage of the government by the media - that sort of makes the republicans target numero uno at this point, just because of their own success.
Did you see the Ralph Reed interview? Forget softball questions, it was practically T-ball.
I suspect in any case that its a moot point to argue about the deadline, because the organizers probably don't have a choice. They probably don't have the money, but a deal that would get access to the money (insurance, investors, etc).
I agree though, that generally speaking it would definitely be a lot safer (and classier) to have the money sitting in an account, waiting for someone to claim it.
First we would need something in orbit around the moon with a camera - which we should in a few years...
These risks are calculated - even without a deadline these will always be dangerous. I don't think there is a manned system out there right now (or in the past) with better than a 97-98% safety record.
Whoa!!! Hold on there - can you go back and explain again why the government should toss myself and my coworkers onto the street for upper managements ethical/financial sins?
A corporation is more than a virtual person - its made up of thousands of people. Why should they be punished? Its bad enough the company is laying off 10% of its employees in a few weeks because of our ex-CEO's mistakes.
Thats a load of crap... Prisons let people out eventually - so its no an effective quarantine. Prisons don't have world class medical facilities. Heck some barely have any facilities - I wouldn't count on prisoners getting the proper drugs, let alone a monitored regimine.
1) what exactly is the benefit to me for the government letting a multi-billion dollar investment fall into the ocean?
2) NASA's budget looks pretty limited to me already - its been falling in constant dollars for decades.
Well thats awfully big of you! Can I have permission to go to the bathroom now?
uh... but its easier to get to orbit than the moon for servicing and repairs. Also, in orbit you are still above the atmosphere, and its easier to point the telescope in any particular direction...