Computer guys have a very dangerous tendency to think that because they can fix Mom's computer, and people are always asking for their help, that they are somehow much sharper than the regular person. All it really means is that they have some specific information that others lack. This leads to the absolutely sickening arrogance you see exhibited here all the time,
Maybe. The problem is that it will have been cold soaked for 7 or so months down to maybe -250 to -350f. I doubt that it was qualified to that, probably more like --100f at the most (least?). The kind of cold we are talking about can destroy just about any electronics.
I get the mission design, and I think most people here get the idea, too. But ESA seems to have missed the boat on the PR and public affairs front.
The demise of the lander after a complete primary mission is being portrayed as a huge failure. As near as I can tell, it did exactly what it was supposed to do for about as long as it was supposed to. Anything beyond that was "if possible".
Additionally, the mission is being shown as a "lander mission" instead of an orbiter with a small lander tacked on. Rosetta is still doing the mission as intended, and most of the objectives are being met very nicely. I see all sorts of comments in the press (and particularly in the European media and media comments section) as another Beagle "cock-up".
I think it's a very nicely done mission that is working very well. It's a shame that it is not coming across like that.
No, the parent post was talking about a radioisotope thermal generator that works by using the decay heat to drive a thermocouple and generate electricity.
That would likely not have been a good idea for this tiny lander, because the RTG and the safety devices that would be required by the anti-nucular idiots would have made it unfeasible.
It would have been an absolutely ideal application for a RHU - radioisotope heater unit, that doesn't bother generating electricity - you just attach it to the part you want to keep warm. The problem here is not so much electricity, it's the electricity required to keep it warm enough to survive.
If you heat it directly, it may still go on and off from inadequate power, but it won't die the first time it cools off too much. When it has enough power to run the instruments and charge the battery, then you can get data, and it stays alive the rest of the time. You can get the data later, if necessary - it's not likely to be going anywhere, at least not on purpose.
True, but of course the reason there is no interest is that it is not liable to be economically viable. The existing high-speed rail in the US is largely in the Northeast corridor because it can make money there. The proposed California high-speed rail (currently only planned to run between about Taft and Pixley) is a make-work project that has no potential for ever recouping the cost. That's the case for the vast majority of the US, there wouldn't be enough traffic and passengers to make it return the cost of building it and the astronomical cost of maintaining thousands of miles of high-speed rail.
Im sorry, I have to disagree. Sure, many of them will starve to death, but at least they won't have their precious bodily fluids polluted with whatever bad thing GM seeds supposedly might produce, or not.
I base this opinion on solid scientific information gleaned from extensive late-night conspiracy radio shows. Besides, Monsanto!
Good tip! If only there was someplace to go, maybe on the intarwebs, that would just tell me what I should hate without the trouble of thinking for myself. At least until I develop the proper reflexive hatred for myself.
Of course there are frightfully few details, they have no idea how to go about this, and probably have no real plan. I would question whether they EVER plan to do the mission, but even leaving the obvious scam potential out of it, even a temporary mission would require technology and organization at the very limits of current possibility.
No one is going to mars in the Mars One project, now, or ever.
Exactly right! Clearly, the Nazis are just misunderstood dreamers. Sure, they got a little out of hand, but how dare we show them in a negative light. Where's the balanced view?
And of course the "moon landing hoax" nitwits have already convinced themselves that NASA, every involved contractor, all the astronauts, and our bitter rivals the USSR are part of the conspiracy. It would be a small matter to assume that the LRO pictures are also faked. That the fundamental nature of stupidity.
Lunakhod was only on the moon, and was driven at relatively high speeds using live drivers looking at TV to see where to go. This is patently impossibly on Mars due to the light travel time. Semi-autononomous navigation is far more sophisticated.
It eventually died because of what might be characterized as a driving mistake, they came to close to the edge of a crater, scooped some dust on the solar array, then closed the lid, dumped the dust on the radiators, then overheated when the lid was opened on the next lunar day.
Remember the collapse from the housing bubble burst? Who predicted that? Precious few men and women knew it was coming, and damned near none had any idea how bad it could be.
Jesus H Christ! How about everybody aside from lefty morons? It was inevitable as soon as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were more-or-less required to lower their lending standards by legislative fiat.
Go back into the record and note the conservative opposition to these bills, based on exact the perfectly predictable end results you are whining about.
We had something like 2000 years to develop standards for loaning money, guess what, when you piss that away for social engineering, this is exactly what it going to happen. The current "fixes" actually make it worse, so you also have to have a spate of new regulation to prevent the banks from kicking people out of their house for the insignificant problem that *they can't afford to pay for it*. Then you bail out the banks with taxpayer money. It's a death spiral.
Slashdot Mirror
In this case I would say it was pretty sure that's what happened, but only because it was already alone.
I would expect life would flourish where the exploitable energy exists, and be more diverse where there is more of it.
And the blackjack
What the heck are you talking about? It was an orbiter mission, still in operation, with a 60-hour lander mission, that happened mostly as intended.
Computer guys have a very dangerous tendency to think that because they can fix Mom's computer, and people are always asking for their help, that they are somehow much sharper than the regular person. All it really means is that they have some specific information that others lack. This leads to the absolutely sickening arrogance you see exhibited here all the time,
No, it has nothing to do with that. The Nuclear Test Ban treaty prohibits nuclear bomb tests, it doesn't care about radioactive materials directly.
Maybe. The problem is that it will have been cold soaked for 7 or so months down to maybe -250 to -350f. I doubt that it was qualified to that, probably more like --100f at the most (least?). The kind of cold we are talking about can destroy just about any electronics.
I get the mission design, and I think most people here get the idea, too. But ESA seems to have missed the boat on the PR and public affairs front.
The demise of the lander after a complete primary mission is being portrayed as a huge failure. As near as I can tell, it did exactly what it was supposed to do for about as long as it was supposed to. Anything beyond that was "if possible".
Additionally, the mission is being shown as a "lander mission" instead of an orbiter with a small lander tacked on. Rosetta is still doing the mission as intended, and most of the objectives are being met very nicely. I see all sorts of comments in the press (and particularly in the European media and media comments section) as another Beagle "cock-up".
I think it's a very nicely done mission that is working very well. It's a shame that it is not coming across like that.
No, the parent post was talking about a radioisotope thermal generator that works by using the decay heat to drive a thermocouple and generate electricity.
That would likely not have been a good idea for this tiny lander, because the RTG and the safety devices that would be required by the anti-nucular idiots would have made it unfeasible.
It would have been an absolutely ideal application for a RHU - radioisotope heater unit, that doesn't bother generating electricity - you just attach it to the part you want to keep warm. The problem here is not so much electricity, it's the electricity required to keep it warm enough to survive.
If you heat it directly, it may still go on and off from inadequate power, but it won't die the first time it cools off too much. When it has enough power to run the instruments and charge the battery, then you can get data, and it stays alive the rest of the time. You can get the data later, if necessary - it's not likely to be going anywhere, at least not on purpose.
Nice parenting skills. What the hell is a 5-year-old doing screwing around with computer code or "skills"? Give him a damn baseball or something.
That's possible, but the real issue is that the electronics are likely to be damaged by extremely cold temperatures.
True, but of course the reason there is no interest is that it is not liable to be economically viable. The existing high-speed rail in the US is largely in the Northeast corridor because it can make money there. The proposed California high-speed rail (currently only planned to run between about Taft and Pixley) is a make-work project that has no potential for ever recouping the cost. That's the case for the vast majority of the US, there wouldn't be enough traffic and passengers to make it return the cost of building it and the astronomical cost of maintaining thousands of miles of high-speed rail.
Im sorry, I have to disagree. Sure, many of them will starve to death, but at least they won't have their precious bodily fluids polluted with whatever bad thing GM seeds supposedly might produce, or not.
I base this opinion on solid scientific information gleaned from extensive late-night conspiracy radio shows. Besides, Monsanto!
Good tip! If only there was someplace to go, maybe on the intarwebs, that would just tell me what I should hate without the trouble of thinking for myself. At least until I develop the proper reflexive hatred for myself.
But, BIG AG! I mean, how do I understand these things without attributing them to boogeymen?
Of course there are frightfully few details, they have no idea how to go about this, and probably have no real plan. I would question whether they EVER plan to do the mission, but even leaving the obvious scam potential out of it, even a temporary mission would require technology and organization at the very limits of current possibility.
No one is going to mars in the Mars One project, now, or ever.
Exactly right! Clearly, the Nazis are just misunderstood dreamers. Sure, they got a little out of hand, but how dare we show them in a negative light. Where's the balanced view?
I am not too sure what you are complaining about, "data" is plural by strict definition, if not common usage.
A whole lot of AWESOME!
What's that watermelon doing there?
You are kidding, right?
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pa...
And of course the "moon landing hoax" nitwits have already convinced themselves that NASA, every involved contractor, all the astronauts, and our bitter rivals the USSR are part of the conspiracy. It would be a small matter to assume that the LRO pictures are also faked. That the fundamental nature of stupidity.
Lunakhod was only on the moon, and was driven at relatively high speeds using live drivers looking at TV to see where to go. This is patently impossibly on Mars due to the light travel time. Semi-autononomous navigation is far more sophisticated.
It eventually died because of what might be characterized as a driving mistake, they came to close to the edge of a crater, scooped some dust on the solar array, then closed the lid, dumped the dust on the radiators, then overheated when the lid was opened on the next lunar day.
That would be silly indeed, since its clearly VI.
Brett
Yes, my God, they expect you to show 5 days a week and do an honest days work! Damn those 1%ers!
Jesus H Christ! How about everybody aside from lefty morons? It was inevitable as soon as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were more-or-less required to lower their lending standards by legislative fiat.
Go back into the record and note the conservative opposition to these bills, based on exact the perfectly predictable end results you are whining about.
We had something like 2000 years to develop standards for loaning money, guess what, when you piss that away for social engineering, this is exactly what it going to happen. The current "fixes" actually make it worse, so you also have to have a spate of new regulation to prevent the banks from kicking people out of their house for the insignificant problem that *they can't afford to pay for it*. Then you bail out the banks with taxpayer money. It's a death spiral.
Brett
Take all the Beats intellectual property, drawings, and inventory, throw it in a wood chipper, and then set fire to the resulting chips.