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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Perseverance: Seven Minutes to Mars
APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 16 Feb, 2021 | Video Credit: NASA, JPL

Posted on 02/16/2021 3:22:31 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: How hard is it to land safely on Mars? So hard that many more attempts have failed than succeeded. The next attempt will be on Thursday. The main problem is that the Martian atmosphere is too thick to ignore -- or it will melt your spacecraft. On the other hand, the atmosphere is too thin to rely on parachutes -- or your spacecraft will crash land. Therefore, as outlined in the featured video, the Perseverance lander will lose much of its high speed by deploying a huge parachute, but then switch to rockets, and finally, assuming everything goes right, culminate with a hovering Sky Crane that will slowly lower the car-sized Perseverance rover to the surface with ropes. It may sound crazy, but the Curiosity rover was placed on Mars using a similar method in 2012. From atmospheric entry to surface touch-down takes about seven minutes, all coordinated by an onboard computer because Mars is too far away for rapid interactive communication. During this time, humans on Earth will simply wait to hear if the landing was successful. Last week, UAE's Hope spacecraft successfully began orbiting Mars, followed a day later by the Chinese Tianwen-1 mission, which will likely schedule a landing of its own rover sometime in the next few months.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: marslanding; nasa; perseverance
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To: dragnet2

Last ice age was lethal to mammals in N America. Midwest was all covered with glacial ice higher than the tallest building in world ( 2,722 ft tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE).
If man can cause 0.01% more global warming than which the Sun causes due to its cycles, that would mean next ice age will be postponed by about 3 days. Extra 3 days for many mammals to enjoy life.


41 posted on 02/16/2021 8:07:33 PM PST by entropy12 (It is NOT WHO VOTES, it is who COUNTS THE VOTES wins elections...paraphrasing Joe Stalin)
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To: dfwgator

I think that guy has a body in that bag!


42 posted on 02/16/2021 8:09:04 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: entropy12

Where Chicago sits, had over a mile of ice on top of it.


43 posted on 02/16/2021 8:09:18 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: null and void
He was too busy driving around!


44 posted on 02/16/2021 8:23:15 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: dragnet2; entropy12

[Where Chicago sits, had over a mile of ice on top of it.]

So, what you’re saying is, there IS hope for Chicago...


45 posted on 02/16/2021 8:24:20 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: dfwgator

Just the suggestion of 6-minute abs could drive a person crazy!


46 posted on 02/16/2021 8:25:07 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: dfwgator

I think 6-minute abs went over about as well as methane gas between 2 linked spacesuits.


47 posted on 02/16/2021 8:26:54 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: entropy12

Thanks.


48 posted on 02/16/2021 11:47:15 PM PST by dsc (Evil doesn’t have a day job.)
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To: entropy12

Thanks.


49 posted on 02/16/2021 11:47:59 PM PST by dsc (Evil doesn’t have a day job.)
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To: SaveFerris

“You know how they have “8-minute Abs”?

Now hold on.....what about “7-minute Abs”?”


“If you don’t like the first seven minutes — we’ll give you an extra minute for no charge!”


50 posted on 02/17/2021 5:33:06 AM PST by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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To: MtnClimber
...Mars is too far away for rapid interactive communication.

They are doing it wrong. Quantum communications is the answer. Real time, outside of time......................

51 posted on 02/17/2021 6:05:50 AM PST by Red Badger (SLEAZIN' is the REASON for the TREASON .................................)
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