[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by CLIX

True AlphaKilo : good news for the Sci-Tech fans of the country!

I also hope we do not see any more of the mess with the Space agency corruption, that was in the news last year. So disappointed to see folks I considered Heroes at the frontiers of India's Space research - go down like that...

True. But Why Mars mission? Why not compulsory education for all program? Why not job for all program? why not better roads? why not better railways? I am sorry, being from the very space fairing community, I still feel we will loose more than gaining from the Mars mission. Technology gain will only work if it is used in the right way. Sorry to be the spoil-sport.

To compensate that: here we go!

Curiosity took its first test drive around the gravel-strewn Martian terrain, its preparation for the ultimate road trip to find out if life could have existed on the red planet.
The six-wheel NASA rover did not stray far from the spot where it landed more than two weeks ago. It rolled forward about 4.6 metres, rotated to a right angle and reversed a short distance, leaving track marks on the ancient soil yesterday.
Mission managers were ecstatic that the maiden voyage of the $2.5 billion mission was glitch-free.
“It couldn’t be more important,” said project manager Peter Theisinger at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We built a rover. So unless the rover roves, we really haven’t accomplished anything. It’s a big moment.”
The short spin came a day after Curiosity successfully wiggled its wheels to test its steering capabilities.

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Science : Curiosity rover takes first short spin around Mars

[CLIX]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

True. But Why Mars mission? Why not compulsory education for all program? Why not job for all program? why not better roads? why not better railways? I am sorry, being from the very space fairing community, I still feel we will loose more than gaining from the Mars mission. Technology gain will only work if it is used in the right way.

I agree ....

"...compulsory education for all program? Why not job for all program? why not better roads? why not better railways?..."
With law enforcement in a pathetic state, implementation of the above invariably seems to get derailed by corruption... same story.

[Jeeper1941]

What an amazing, incredible achievement. I watched the landing live from NASA's Deep Space Network in Canberra, and it was amazing to be the first to get confirmation that Curiosity had landed safely. About 200 people were there, and it was an amazing atmosphere. I will post some pics I took that day.

And to the people saying India should spend its money on fixing other things first, c'mon guys! Every country has problems. You think the US doesn't have issues? If we don't allocate funds to science and exploration, then we are no better than animals. Problems will always exist, and I honestly think spending money on science/space exploration is way better than spending money to bail out corrupt organizations and banks!

Hope India do stick to their plan and send a mission to Mars! Will be a proud moment.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

What an amazing, incredible achievement. I watched the landing live from NASA's Deep Space Network in Canberra, and it was amazing to be the first to get confirmation that Curiosity had landed safely. About 200 people were there, and it was an amazing atmosphere. I will post some pics I took that day.

And to the people saying India should spend its money on fixing other things first, c'mon guys! Every country has problems. You think the US doesn't have issues? If we don't allocate funds to science and exploration, then we are no better than animals. Problems will always exist, and I honestly think spending money on science/space exploration is way better than spending money to bail out corrupt organizations and banks!

Hope India do stick to their plan and send a mission to Mars! Will be a proud moment.

Are you by any chance with this industry or you were there just to see the landing? Awaiting the pics! Please make it soon! thanks

Well another report(good news):

திரிசூலம்:""இந்திய விஞ்ஞானிகள் தயாரிப்பில் உருவான, 100வது ராக்கெட்டை, செப்டம்பர் மாதம் இரண்டாவது வாரத்தில், விண்ணில் ஏவ திட்டமிட்டுள்ளோம்,'' என, இஸ்ரோ தலைவர் ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் கூறினார்.

பெங்களூரில் இருந்து, நேற்று மதியம், 12 மணிக்கு, ஜெட் ஏர்வேஸ் விமானம் மூலம், சென்னை வந்த இஸ்ரோ தலைவர், ராதாகிருஷ்ணன், சென்னை விமான நிலையத்தில் அளித்த பேட்டி: இந்திய விஞ்ஞானிகளால் உருவாகப்பட்ட, டி.எஸ்.எல்.வி., பி., 21 ரக, 100வது ராக்கெட், முழு கட்டமைப்புடன், தயாராக உள்ளது. வரும் செப்டம்பர் மாதம் இரண்டாவது வாரம், இந்த ராக்கெட்டை, விண்ணில் ஏவ திட்டமிட்டுள்ளோம். அதற்கான பணிகளில், விஞ்ஞானிகள், முழு வீச்சில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர்.

Preparations on for historic 100th mission of ISRO | 100??? ???????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? : ????? ?????? ????????????? ?????? Dinamalar

Launch Vehicle / Forthcoming Launches

PSLV-C21/SPOT-6 Mission

SPOT-6, an advanced French Remote Sensing Satellite built by ASTRIUM SAS, will be launched on-board ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21), during September 2012. Along with SPOT - 6 Satellite (weighing nearly 800 kg), the PSLV, in its core alone configuration, will also carry other co-passenger payloads.

Welcome To Indian Space Research Organisation :: Current Programme

Let me translate for you all: ISRO is going to achieve a feat of 100 th launch, when it will launch its PSLV C21 mission with a French remote sensing payload SPOT-6 (SPOT Satellite Imagery : Astrium GeoInformation Services). It is also co-developing another smaller launch vehicle(rocket) in collaboration with Japan, France which will also be launched in the second week of september.

Now Jeeper, coming to your point, I belong to this community and very much share the pride and joy to hear such a mission being proposed. But, take a minute to think, last heard from our Hon. HRD minister Mr. Kapil Sibal that there is a lack of funds for free/compulsory education program. Please!
Ok forget funds, now lets see it from an organisational point of view!
ISRO is already choked with mega projects in the pipeline and mars mission within 2018 is overambitious. Firstly, there is Chandrayaan - II, followed by manned space mission and most important of all, successful GSLV launch with indegenous Cryogenic motors and the hypersonic re-entry vehicle or reusuable space capsule test project. I am sorry to be pessimistic. There is just one way ahead, ISRO needs to drastically expand - Deep space network, high gain antennas, more ground stations, more geostationary satellites for deep space network, more launch pads, heavy lift capability and most important of all, the know-how for these complex missions. All these must happen before/in parallel to the R&D for the mars mission so that even if the launch takes place in say 2015/2016(most probable time - launch window to mars is only untill 2018, if we miss it, wait for another 26 years till mars comes closer to earth again where we could attempt a launch).
Rather than pushing ourselves too much and trying to catch two in the bush, when we already have one in hand (chandrayaan-II and manned mission) is utter ego and foolish! (IMHO).
We can concentrate, prepare and develop for Mars mission leisurely alongside the manned mission/chandrayaan2 and by then develop heavy launch and get it reliable. Then launch one after 26years will be a wise decision. In the mean time we have so many projects coming up, which will give us huge know-how and operational experience.

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Are you by any chance with this industry or you were there just to see the landing? Awaiting the pics! Please make it soon! thanks

No, I'm not with the space industry at all! (I wish I was!) I was there visiting friends, and it happened to be on the day of the landing. The Deep Space Network had an open invitation for members of the public to participate.

Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex - NASA's Deep Space Network

Some pictures taken on the day:

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

No, I'm not with the space industry at all! (I wish I was!) I was there visiting friends, and it happened to be on the day of the landing. The Deep Space Network had an open invitation for members of the public to participate.

Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex - NASA's Deep Space Network

Some pictures taken on the day:

Thanks a lot sir. I am itching to post some pics from my work place, but before I do, I will check for security issues. Its indeed a great place(space industry), and I watch almost every day live, thats what happens in the international space station. But then anyways, I will get back with pics and security confirmations.

[AlphaKilo]

Update: Funny yet Interesting!

Scientist research about suspected object in Mars | ???????? ?????????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ????? Dinamalar

சமீபத்தில், "கியூரியாசிட்டி' அனுப்பிய படத்தில், செவ்வாயின் அடிவானத்தில் அடையாளம் காண முடியாத, பறக்கும் தட்டு போன்ற ஒரு மர்மப் பொருள், வெள்ளை நிறத்தில் அங்குமிங்கும் பறந்து திரிவதை ஹன்னார்டு கண்டுபிடித்துள்ளார். அவர் கூறுகையில், ""கியூரியாசிட்டி' அனுப்பிய வீடியோவில், செவ்வாய் கிரகத்து வானில் நான்கு பொருட்களை காண முடிகிறது. அவை என்ன? அடையாளம் தெரியாத பறக்கும் பொருட்களா, துகள்களா? எனத் தெரியவில்லை,'' என்றார். ஆனால், செவ்வாயில், புவிகிரகவாசிகளின் நடவடிக்கைகளை வேற்று கிரக சக்திகள், பறக்கும் தட்டுகளின் மூலம் வேவு பார்ப்பதையே "கியூரியாசிட்டி'யின் வீடியோ பதிவுகள் காட்டுவதாக, யூ.எப்.ஓ., ஆய்வாளர்கள் தரப்பில் கூறப்படுகிறது.

Translation: The recent video from curiosity landing shows an UFO flying in the lower atmosphere of mars. This as suggested by UFO "experts"( ) is an alien ship circling to monitor human activity in Mars.

Something Interesting: Landing and Heat shield ejection in HD:

Complete MSL Curiosity Descent - Full Quality Enhanced 1080p + Heat Shield impact - YouTube

[rohanjf]

If alien spaceships are indeed monitoring Curiosity, they will have sufficient technology to hide themselves from the camera (adaptive camouflage, invisibility cloak).

By the way, how far is Curiosity from the previous rovers? Is there any chance that Curiosity will visit the defunct rovers that once surveyed Mars?

And I always wondered about one more thing. NASA pulls the plugs off old rovers once their solar panels gather enough dust and are not able to convert enough solar power into usable power. If dust is the only reason, why not install some kind of fan that can be activated once in a while to blow the dust away?!!!

[CLIX]

Amazing video! The transition from parachute to thruster to touchdown - very clear there... Good Job NASA!

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

If alien spaceships are indeed monitoring Curiosity, they will have sufficient technology to hide themselves from the camera (adaptive camouflage, invisibility cloak).

By the way, how far is Curiosity from the previous rovers? Is there any chance that Curiosity will visit the defunct rovers that once surveyed Mars?

And I always wondered about one more thing. NASA pulls the plugs off old rovers once their solar panels gather enough dust and are not able to convert enough solar power into usable power. If dust is the only reason, why not install some kind of fan that can be activated once in a while to blow the dust away?!!!

1. Absolutely correct! Aliens might have better technology, but we have Rajnikanth! or rather it could have Rajnikanth himself, making sure that rover lands safely. (P.S: I am also a Rajni fan, but I love his extra-ordinary powers!)

2. No. Curiosity is in the middle of a huge crater called as "Gale crater".
Gale (crater) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So it will not meet up with other rovers.

Image of Curiosity and her ancestors:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...omparison_.jpg

Fantastic animation from NASA to know more about Curiosity:

Learn About Me: Curiosity

3. Dust sediment issue - depends on the atmosphere of the planet. If you land in moon (say) where there is no atmosphere(read: no air) what/how will you blow off? More over the moon dust just sticks to the body like fevicol. For info on mars's atmosphere: Atmosphere of Mars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dust sediment is not the only issue why the old satellites/rover are put to sleep rather, it other equipments reaching their end-of-life like batteries, sensors and cameras. Moreover, the solar cells(photovolatic) degrade over period of time due to
1. sun's irradiation
2. cosmic radiation - remember we on earth are lucky to have a natural "Ray Ban" called atmosphere to protect us from harmful cosmic rays from sun, but most of other celestial bodies are not that lucky and finally due to the constant exposure to temperature and corrosion of silica from the panel layers, the solar cells lose their efficiency and at the end of life they are nothing but a huge glass(blue coloured).

There are certain fuel(for orbital and ground based maneouvres) which when exhausted, renders the rovers or satellites useless.

Finally, with new technology, you can simply rest the older ones to sleep, paving way for better technology and better results.

Hope it helps you understand.

[vikram_d]

This is no doubt a great achievement by NASA, but I am more impressed by their Opportunity rover which has been going strong on the Martian landscape since 2004 and it is still functional and sending back data. Moreover this landing though technically brilliant cannot be compared to the harsh landing the Opportunity and Spirit rovers went through bouncing their way on to Mars and having no idea of where they will eventually come to rest.

That being said I love the sky crane idea and how flawlessly it worked thanks to god knows how many hours work that must have gone into perfecting it.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

And I always wondered about one more thing. NASA pulls the plugs off old rovers once their solar panels gather enough dust and are not able to convert enough solar power into usable power. If dust is the only reason, why not install some kind of fan that can be activated once in a while to blow the dust away?!!!

There you go:

Cleaning event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A cleaning event is a phenomenon whereby dust is removed from solar panels, particularly ones on Mars, by the action of wind. The term cleaning event is used on several NASA webpages; generally the term is used in reference to the fact that Martian winds have blown dust clear of the solar panels of probes on Mars increasing their energy output.[1]
The term started being used in 2004 as the Mars Exploration Rovers' solar panels started to benefit from these events.[citation needed] The rovers were expected to last about 90 sols (Martian days) on Mars, after which dust would cover their solar panels and reduce solar power to levels too low for the rovers to operate. However, power levels went back up due to the cleaning events caused by the winds in the Martian atmosphere. Periodic cleaning events have allowed the MER rovers to operate for several years, rather than the planned 3 months.[citation needed]
Cleaning events can either be rapid, such as overnight, or over many days where solar power slowly goes up.[2] For example, the MER-A Spirit rover, on April 18, 2009 and April 28, 2009 the power output of the solar arrays were increased by cleaning events.[3][4] The power output of Spirit's solar arrays increased from 223 watt hours per day on March 31, 2009 to 372 watt hours per day on April 29, 2009.[4]
Other factors that affect solar power output include the opacity of the Martian atmosphere and Martian seasonal changes.

[AlphaKilo]

Bad news guys.

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82: NBC

Armstrong underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his birthday on August 5, to relieve blocked coronary arteries.
As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the moon's dusty surface, Armstrong said: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82: NBC | Reuters

[avishar]

Looks like Curiosity has faced its first problem.One of the windsensors(It has 2) is not not working,which might be because of the unusual amount of dirt that skyscrane rocket thruster has kicked up.They have all blasted small shallow depression in the area around the rover.Its nothing major,NASA has said that they can work around it,with a small drop in accuracy.

However one of the greatest party tricks of the rover happened just seconds after landing.One of the NavCams was programmed to take a pic 1-2 seconds after the rover touchedown,in the direction the Descent stage(Skycrane System) was supposed to fly-off So as to see if they can actually capture a pic.

And it actually did,this was spotted by an intrepid posters at a space related forum,when they examined 2 pics,in which there was blob of dust on the horizon and in the next moment it was not there.It was only after a few days that Nasa that yes,the NavCams had actually caught an image of the Descent Stage crashing.Its a very blurry and a low-pixel pic but that was some timing indeed.

Almost all the instruments have started working now.The Chem instrument has already fired a laser at a target rock nearby,and teams back on the earth have said that it is working better than it did on earth!

[AlphaKilo]

For some fun!

NASA - Epic Struggle Between Birds and Pigs Goes on with a Martian Twist

NASA is helping pigs and birds explore the Martian terrain and shed light on the agency's missions to the Red Planet in the latest update to the game Angry Birds Space. Rovio Entertainment's update to Angry Birds Space is complete with a cast of agency rovers and landers.

Earlier this year, millions of gamers were introduced to concepts of microgravity in Angry Birds Space, which was supported through a partnership with NASA and includes links to a variety of education information.

"Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration," said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way."

I am going to love this! being an Angry bird fan and a space guy, this is more fun than the Angry birds space stage.

Originally Posted by avishar

Looks like Curiosity has faced its first problem.One of the windsensors(It has 2) is not not working,which might be because of the unusual amount of dirt that skyscrane rocket thruster has kicked up.They have all blasted small shallow depression in the area around the rover.Its nothing major,NASA has said that they can work around it,with a small drop in accuracy.

However one of the greatest party tricks of the rover happened just seconds after landing.One of the NavCams was programmed to take a pic 1-2 seconds after the rover touchedown,in the direction the Descent stage(Skycrane System) was supposed to fly-off So as to see if they can actually capture a pic.

Can you post the source for both the informations? Thanks