Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Wheel on Mars

NASA ^ | August 07, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: A wheel attached to NASA's Curiosity rover is firmly on the martian surface in this early picture from the Mars Science Laboratory mission, captured after a successful landing on August 5, 2012 at 10:32pm (PDT). Seen at the lower right of a Hazard Avoidance Camera fisheye wide-angle image, the rover's left rear wheel is 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) in diameter. Part of a spring hinge for the camera's dust cover is just visible in the right corner, while at the upper left is part of the rover's RTG power source. Looking into the Sun across the rock stewn surface of Mars, distant hills on the right are the rim of Gale Crater, about 20 kilometers from the compact car-sized rover's current resting place.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/Mars Science Laboratory]

[cripplecreek]

Still releasing pics slowly but they’re getting better. I think most of what we’ve seen are from the navigational cams.

[SunkenCiv]

A public warm welcome to all who have joined, in particular those who have joined recently! I think I've got all my web existences merged, as far as the APoD and other ping lists go. It's only taken me a week. :')

Tackling the Challenge of Mars -- This artist's scoreboard displays a fictional game between Mars and Earth, with Mars in the lead. It refers to the success rate of sending missions to Mars, both as orbiters and landers. Of the previous 39 missions targeted for Mars from around the world, 15 have been successes and 24 failures. For baseball fans, that's a batting average of .385. The United States has had 13 successes out of 18 attempts, or a "batting average" of .722. NASA's Curiosity rover, set to land on the Red Planet the evening of Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT), will mark the United States' 19th attempt to tackle the challenge of Mars, and the world's 40th attempt. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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[blueunicorn6]

It’s a shopping cart! Walmart beat us to Mars!

[blueunicorn6]

There’s probably some little old guy there handing out shopping carts saying, “Welcome to Mars.”

[cripplecreek]

Undoubtedly with a wobbly wheel.

[houeto]

What’s the fuel supply that’s going to keep this thing running for two years?

[Donkey Odious]

And there to greet us: a WalMartian!!

[hattend]

It’s nuclear powered!

[hattend]

http://nuclear.gov/pdfFiles/MMRTG.pdf

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Can’t wait until NASA releases the updated version of Tang!!! I’m expecting the Mars flavor to be cherry!!

[midway1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf1kw5Yp9Ck

[midway1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf1kw5Yp9Ck

[JoeProBono]

[af_vet_rr]

What’s the fuel supply that’s going to keep this thing running for two years?

Plutonium. Similar system to the original Viking landers back in the 1970s.

[TheOldLady]

It’s nuclear powered. Cool, huh!

[353FMG]

He was probably homeless in Houston.

[houeto]

Well then, I want of them there little motors for my truck!

[COBOL2Java]

[TheOldLady]

Well then, I want of them there little motors for my truck!

It may be a little spendy...