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I think we've all seen up to now the news from Mars, but this might be a good thead to consolodate all the new things learned.

I hope this thread is long lived, so we don't have to start a new one every time we get more news. The first full color, full res image was sent back today:

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/675227main_pia16029-full_full.jpg

I can't wait until it gets moving towards the base of the mountain at the center of the crater in a week or so. I think there is actually a decent chance that we may discover life in the next few months. Also, I am hoping the sucess of this mission will get NASA a bit more cash next year. With the Space Launch System and the crew capsule being the top priority, it doesn't leave much funding for robotic planetary missions suc h as this, though private companies bringing people to the space station might help a bit. At least we still have Juno to look forward to, as well as Dawn's move to Ceres and the New Horizons mission.

Also NASA should totally send a rover to Titan.

who the hell was given the job of blacking out the secret parts?


a preschooler could do better

Anyone want to have a real conversation about Curiosity?

I love me some science mars pr0n.

Here's a link to the raw images:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=0


And a cool pic of the heat shield taken on the way down:

Is that Frazz house in the background? left of the rock?


Disregard.....I've no desire to go. It looks like southern Afghanistan

They are currently switching out the flight software with the "roving" software, so the thing will get moving soon.

Im going to like this thread. The pics so far are awesome

Damn. That's just cool!

Did they find any aliens yet?

I hope this thing goes for years past it's expectancy with pictures like this.
It amazes me to think that for thousands of years we were getting around on horses and within the last 120 years or so, we go from the first car and plane to this and everything that goes with it.

Curiosity is now being reprogramed for the mission.

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/10/13223979-mars-curiosity-rover-getting-reprogrammed-for-science?lite

I don't know GalacticDefender...that looks like a flying saucer to me...

We wont find out anything. Even if they find some sign of the aliens, the us army will put so much red tape over it it will never see daylight.

Unless ofc the xenos filth decides to attack someone out in the open.

Is that the Void Dragon just off screen?

The newest leaked pic from NASA that thy don't want you to see

Damn those rentable outhouses… always photo bombing my nature park pictures.

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/13/13264829-reprogrammed-mars-rover-getting-ready-to-roll?lite

Looks like the rover getting ready to get down to business.

Its confirmed....Mars is Afghanistan...that port a potty looks well....used..

Thats the TARDIS. And to think, you are calling it a port'a potty...

A pretty cool picture of the Rover's location as seen from orbit.

http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13280551-get-the-long-view-of-the-mars-curiosity-rovers-locale?lite&__utma=238145375.14477411.1342411527.1344788066.1344987010.72&__utmb=238145375.3.10.1344987010&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1344987010.72.3.utmcsr=nbcnews.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Ctechnology%20%26%20science=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=56266344

The shops are almost as cool as the actual pictures:

This is all well and good but we really should be looking at Titan as a possible source of extraterrestrial life forms....admittedly the following text IS from Wikipedia, and therefore probably wrong.......

The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen; minor components lead to the formation of methane and ethane clouds and nitrogen-rich organic smog. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features similar to those of Earth, such as sand dunes, rivers, lakes and seas (probably of liquid methane and ethane), and deltas, and is dominated by seasonal weather patterns as on Earth. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan's methane cycle is viewed as an analog to Earth's water cycle, although at a much lower temperature.

The satellite is thought as a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry with a possible subsurface liquid ocean serving as a biotic environment.


Back to Mars, I'm just waiting for any pictures of Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the solar system.

We should build a mountain fortress in Olympus Mons...

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:This is all well and good but we really should be looking at Titan as a possible source of extraterrestrial life forms....admittedly the following text IS from Wikipedia, and therefore probably wrong.......

The only problem with Titan is that it isn't suitable for eventual human colonisation (what with all that methane and everything).

The Curiosity rover has really perplexed me recently, not because of the rover or the mission itself but about humans as a species.

I mean, I am currently using a massive, intangible network that harnesses the power of electrons to look at photos taken by a robot the size of a go-kart that we have somehow launched into space and successfully landed on another planet, yet at the same time we exhibit an almost deific worship of persons such as Kim Kardashian, who have contributed nothing to the advancement of our society other than possessing aesthetically pleasing buttocks...

Which is fair enough, societies aren't perfect it's a fact of life. However, what boggles my mind is that evolution is not determined by the fittest of the species, more by those that can crank out the most offspring within that species, and all I'm saying is that the rocket scientist's are producing more kids than the junk-food-munching, reality-tv-watching plebians...

can someone help me down of this thing, it's pretty tall...

GalacticDefender wrote:Also NASA should totally send a rover to Titan.

I think Titan would be a bit harder.

First of all, there is the distance. Saturn is 1.2 billion km from earth, though its orbit can alter that a little. Depending on where they are in their respective orbits, mars and earth can be anywhere from 36 million miles to over 250 million miles apart.

Then there is the temperature. Differing values have been reported for the average temperature on Mars, with a common value being −55 °C (−67 °F). Titan's surface temperature is about 94 K (−179 °C, or −290 °F).

Don't get me wrong. In our lifetimes we will probably see a probe sent to Titan (provided that poloticans don't cut all NASA spending). It's just not going to be for another 20-30 years or so.

This is a screenshot from a fun game called "Universe Sandbox". They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. See where Mars, Earth, and Saturn are.

Leigen_Zero wrote: The Curiosity rover has really perplexed me recently, not because of the rover or the mission itself but about humans as a species.

I mean, I am currently using a massive, intangible network that harnesses the power of electrons to look at photos taken by a robot the size of a go-kart that we have somehow launched into space and successfully landed on another planet, yet at the same time we exhibit an almost deific worship of persons such as Kim Kardashian, who have contributed nothing to the advancement of our society other than possessing aesthetically pleasing buttocks...

Which is fair enough, societies aren't perfect it's a fact of life. However, what boggles my mind is that evolution is not determined by the fittest of the species, more by those that can crank out the most offspring within that species, and all I'm saying is that the rocket scientist's are producing more kids than the junk-food-munching, reality-tv-watching plebians...

Rocket scientists as the "fittest of the species," huh? Maybe in the control room or a lab. Otherwise not so much. They're definitely some kind of specialized mutant strain.


Regarding microbial life on Mars/Titan/etc., while I guess it'd be cool to discover, I don't see how it impacts my life or anyone's life, really. I've certainly heard narrators with booming voices tell me that "ARE WE ALONE?" is "THE GREATEST QUESTION FACING HUMANITY" and all, but is it really? If it was that great of a question, shouldn't it have more relevance?

I mean, human colonization is a ridiculously expensive waste, considering there's no real reason to get off this planet for another billion years or whatever. Still, at least I see an end purpose there...(extremely) long-term survival.

This opinion is likely going to get savaged here, but I think that the whole quest for life on other planets thing is tied into a whole lot of dreams about science fiction scenarios. Set fantasy aside, and the whole thing becomes a big "so what." Especially if you're talking about microbes. *shrug*

gorgon wrote:Regarding microbial life on Mars/Titan/etc., while I guess it'd be cool to discover, I don't see how it impacts my life or anyone's life, really. I've certainly heard narrators with booming voices tell me that "ARE WE ALONE?" is "THE GREATEST QUESTION FACING HUMANITY" and all, but is it really? If it was that great of a question, shouldn't it have more relevance?

For the person who does not think on a global/cosmic scale you are correct. Finding microbial life on Mars will not impact your stops by McDonalds every week one bit.

gorgon wrote:I mean, human colonization is a ridiculously expensive waste,.

How many inventions were created by NASA when traveling to the moon? This is a quick list of 10 of them, and there are many more.
http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/physics-concepts-and-definitions/ten-nasa-inventions.htm

Human colonization would require more innovation and inventions. These inventions would make your quality of life better.

gorgon wrote:
Rocket scientists as the "fittest of the species," huh? Maybe in the control room or a lab. Otherwise not so much. They're definitely some kind of specialized mutant strain.

Not necessarily fittest of the species, but all I'm saying is that the vast majority of the global population's offspring are not really looking to advance human beings as a species, they are quite content to live their lives watching TV and then when the species starts to collapse say, 'oh gak I probably should have done something to help' between mouthfuls of deep-fried-chocolate-coated-bacon-flavoured nachos with extra cheese.

gorgon wrote:I mean, human colonization is a ridiculously expensive waste, considering there's no real reason to get off this planet for another billion years or whatever. Still, at least I see an end purpose there...(extremely) long-term survival.

When you look at the rate at which we are screwing things up, it's much, much less than another billion years (probably 1000-2000 if we are lucky...)