Comments on: Curiosity got shaved? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/ Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:12:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Hevach http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343266 Hevach Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:02:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343266 There could very well be germs on Mars that we sent there, but this isn't a germ, it's a fairly large object (at least compared to a germ - it's about 15 times as long as the largest known bacterium, and more like 2000 times as long as a typical large bacterium). The news feed about Curiosity dismissed it as plastic off the rover a couple days ago. There could very well be germs on Mars that we sent there, but this isn’t a germ, it’s a fairly large object (at least compared to a germ – it’s about 15 times as long as the largest known bacterium, and more like 2000 times as long as a typical large bacterium).

The news feed about Curiosity dismissed it as plastic off the rover a couple days ago.

]]> By: Andrea P. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343265 Andrea P. Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:49:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343265 Could it be a germ taken from the earth? In 1969 Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed approximately 160 meters from the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, a probe landend on the moon 2 years earlier. The crew retrieved several pieces of the Surveyor and scientists found a small amount of the bacteria Streptococcus mitis in a piece of foam from inside the TV camera. They believed that these bacteria had survived in this location since before launch. By the way, if you want to know more about Apollo 12 and the history of NASA missions I recommend you this app I've just found on android market. It's called NASA Archives and contains more than 20 thousands amazing photos and descriptions about every NASA mission. This is the link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nasa.archives , just try! Could it be a germ taken from the earth? In 1969 Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed approximately 160 meters from the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, a probe landend on the moon 2 years earlier. The crew retrieved several pieces of the Surveyor and scientists found a small amount of the bacteria Streptococcus mitis in a piece of foam from inside the TV camera. They believed that these bacteria had survived in this location since before launch.
By the way, if you want to know more about Apollo 12 and the history of NASA missions I recommend you this app I’ve just found on android market. It’s called NASA Archives and contains more than 20 thousands amazing photos and descriptions about every NASA mission. This is the link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nasa.archives , just try!

]]> By: Matt B. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343264 Matt B. Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:52:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343264 @30 UmTutSut - <i>"Wonder what those Martians are smoking???"</i> No, I don't. @30 UmTutSut – “Wonder what those Martians are smoking???”

No, I don’t.

]]> By: Messier Tidy Upper http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343263 Messier Tidy Upper Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:55:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343263 @39. The Mutt : <blockquote><i>Haven’t there been at least a half-dozen probes that never made it to the surface? There could be bits of debris from those failed probes scattered all over the landscape.</i></blockquote> Mars may be a much smaller planet than Earth but it ain't <i>*that*</i> small! ;-) The odds against finding wreckage from other spaceprobes that landed or crashed and didn't land or were lost in The Black are exceedingly, ridiculously lo-oong indeed. :-( Mars is a small target and one's that blew up in space such as the poor ole <i>Mars Observer</i> from 1992 almost certainly left fragments that continued on trajectories that didn't or haven't yet connected with the Martian surface let alone the Gale crater region of the red planet. Of course I could be - and would love to be found to be - wrong here! ;-) ***** ""Few men realise the immensity of the vacancy in which the dust of the material universe swims." - Page 7, <i>''The War of the Worlds''</i>, H.G. Wells, first published 1898, this edition : Aerie books, 1987. @39. The Mutt :

Haven’t there been at least a half-dozen probes that never made it to the surface? There could be bits of debris from those failed probes scattered all over the landscape.

Mars may be a much smaller planet than Earth but it ain’t *that* small! ;-)

The odds against finding wreckage from other spaceprobes that landed or crashed and didn’t land or were lost in The Black are exceedingly, ridiculously lo-oong indeed. :-(

Mars is a small target and one’s that blew up in space such as the poor ole Mars Observer from 1992 almost certainly left fragments that continued on trajectories that didn’t or haven’t yet connected with the Martian surface let alone the Gale crater region of the red planet.

Of course I could be – and would love to be found to be – wrong here! ;-)

*****

“”Few men realise the immensity of the vacancy in which the dust of the material universe swims.”
– Page 7, ”The War of the Worlds”, H.G. Wells, first published 1898, this edition : Aerie books, 1987.

]]> By: Hevach http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343262 Hevach Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:11:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343262 @39: While true that there could be debris spread over many miles, you're still talking about a handful of probes on a very large planet. Mars might be smaller than Earth, but without surface water it's about equal to our land area. Finding a piece of the sky crane or other discarded parts of the Curiosity would be brilliant luck. Finding a piece of one of the other probes would be six winning lottery tickets being hit by lightning while being eaten by sharks. The most likely events are that it's either isn't man made (in which case we'll probably spend a lot of time figuring out that it's something boring, but even that can be awesome when it's on Mars) or came off the rover itself (which could be very worrying). @39: While true that there could be debris spread over many miles, you’re still talking about a handful of probes on a very large planet. Mars might be smaller than Earth, but without surface water it’s about equal to our land area.

Finding a piece of the sky crane or other discarded parts of the Curiosity would be brilliant luck. Finding a piece of one of the other probes would be six winning lottery tickets being hit by lightning while being eaten by sharks.

The most likely events are that it’s either isn’t man made (in which case we’ll probably spend a lot of time figuring out that it’s something boring, but even that can be awesome when it’s on Mars) or came off the rover itself (which could be very worrying).

]]> By: Gary Ansorge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343261 Gary Ansorge Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:39:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343261 "Ah, NOW I know where I lost my spare Tardis key." ...or, it could be more like what this guy said... "22. Menyambal" GAry 7 “Ah, NOW I know where I lost my spare Tardis key.”

…or, it could be more like what this guy said…

“22. Menyambal”

GAry 7

]]> By: The Mutt http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343260 The Mutt Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:58:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343260 Haven't there been at least a half-dozen probes that never made it to the surface? There could be bits of debris from those failed probes scattered all over the landscape. Haven’t there been at least a half-dozen probes that never made it to the surface? There could be bits of debris from those failed probes scattered all over the landscape.

]]> By: CatMom http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343259 CatMom Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:42:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343259 @ derp - Curiousity has toes?!? Actually, it's the top of a buried Tommyknocker ship. @ derp – Curiousity has toes?!?

Actually, it’s the top of a buried Tommyknocker ship.

]]> By: Hank Roberts http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343258 Hank Roberts Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:37:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343258 http://scienceforums.com/topic/21847-expanded-science/page__view__findpost__p__298094 Anyone remember who wrote that story about inadvertent contamination? http://scienceforums.com/topic/21847-expanded-science/page__view__findpost__p__298094

Anyone remember who wrote that story about inadvertent contamination?

]]> By: Alex W. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/10/09/curiosity-got-shaved/#comment-343257 Alex W. Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:03:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=55036#comment-343257 alanborky, I have one word for you: sandkings. alanborky, I have one word for you: sandkings.

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