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To: dr_lew
Correct me if I'm wrong! I mean that seriously.

Thanks, Doc. . . looks good to me. I like it.

I think they should have included some spring devices, not necessarily rat traps, in the legs for just such an eventuality to allow moving the lander. But then I am a belt AND suspenders type of guy. With an achieved altitude (distance?) of ~100 meters or so, they should have been able to move the lander away from the shadowed cliffs some fraction of that distance. With some judicious timing of when the springs were triggered (moused?) they could grossly direct on which vector the lander heads.

49 posted on 11/13/2014 9:17:10 PM PST by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: Swordmaker
I think they should have included some spring devices, not necessarily rat traps, in the legs for just such an eventuality to allow moving the lander.

The lander touched down right where they wanted it to. All it had to do was stay there, which in this case was a nontrivial objective. They were banking on the harpoons, and that didn't work out. There's gotta be an "I told you so" faction on the team! ... unless they got rid of them already ... it's been ten years, after all.

51 posted on 11/13/2014 9:24:32 PM PST by dr_lew
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