Thumbnail Mash for larger pic.
Posted on 09/25/2006 6:41:04 PM PDT by wjersey
When the Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit reached their distant destination in early 2004, NASA scientists hoped the vehicles would probe the planet's frigid landscape for 90 days before they pooped out or were undone by the harsh Martian environment.
More than 900 days later, however, both robotic explorers are going strong-- and Opportunity is on the cusp of what is likely to be its greatest accomplishment.
After enduring an 18-month trek through rugged terrain, dust devils and daily temperature swings approaching 200 degrees, the rover is scheduled to arrive today within easy lens view of a deep and geologically revealing crater. By tomorrow, if all goes well, the little robot that could will be right at Victoria Crater's edge and in position to peer inside and send back images like none seen before.
"Exploring Victoria is something we joked and fantasized about but never really thought we could realistically get to it," said Steven Squyres of Cornell University, principal investigator for the rovers' science instruments. "This is the absolutely highest-priority destination we could have reached."
The reason is that Victoria is an impact crater about 200 feet deep and half a mile wide, with sheer cliffs and layers upon layers of exposed rock. Before Victoria, the deepest crater the rover visited was Endurance, which is a mere 23 feet deep.
The scientists think Victoria Crater is the kind of geological formation that can tell them a great deal about Mars's history, and especially about whether and when water may have covered parts of the planet. Water is essential for life as we know it.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Cool.
I especially like the remark by the writer: "Water is essential for life as we know it." I must have fallen asleep during that part of bio in HS.
That is way too cool
Yep, they have global warming. The Martian polar ice caps are melting. All those Martian SUV's don't you know!
"Hmmmm. Global Warming on Mars?"
Ok, Ok, I'll say it.
Bush's fault.
It is near election time.
Lets face it folks... AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY KICKS BOOTY!
Yeah, after Congress puts up another 10 billion dollars.
Oh, I'm such a cynic...I feel so ashamed...
Once they got those miles converted to kms. ;-
0
All that effort and money in their desperation to prove that evolution is possible. Memo to the evolutionists: It ain't.
I love space exploration, and the success of the rovers, but spending billions to focus on Darwin's fantasies is a waste.
Ouch! But, in fairness... That wasn't hardware, it was 'yer basic brane fart'.
It isn't about evolution. Its about planet history. Even if we found some micro-organism it would do little for the evolution argument.
If you are looking for evolution its right under your nose (and maybe even inside of it).
Also note that logic can be done in (specific) hardware, partly done in hardware and partly in s/w, or "all" in s/w on a GP computer.
Cool, "just don't go too close to the edge dear".
That's a big crater compared to the ones we've seen so far.
Besides, one of the mission managers is kinda cute.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.