Spirit Rover Begins Making Night Sky Observations 157
Nancy Atkinson writes "Even though the Spirit rover is stuck in loose soil on Mars, she has an overabundance of electrical power due to a wind event that cleaned off her solar panels. While MER scientists and engineers are having the rover take pictures of her surroundings in an effort to figure a way to get her dislodged, there also is enough power (since the rover isn't moving anywhere) to do something extra: keep the rover 'awake' at night and run her heaters so she can take images of the night sky on Mars. 'Certainly, a month or more ago, no one was considering astronomy with the rovers,' said Mark Lemmon, planetary scientist at Texas A&M University and member of the rover team. 'We thought that was done. With the dust cleanings, though, everyone thinks it is better to use the new found energy on night time science than to just burn it with heaters.'"
why aren't any of the rover pics ever worth a damn (Score:0, Funny)
the sky image - those aren't stars, just "hot pixels"... and the pics are never, ever true colors. How come we can't get true color pics for our hundred million dollars?
Then, when they DO image something interesting, like this Martin crinoid [google.com], they won't talk about it!
Girl rover (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Girl rover (Score:2, Funny)
That sounds like a narrowly sexualised western heterosexual male point of view: there may be others...
Rgds
Damon
Re:Girl rover (Score:3, Funny)
She did, of course. Kind of like Chas Bono has decided he's not. Welcome to the 21st century. :)
Re:Wind Event? (Score:3, Funny)
Less well scientifically endowed individuals might think that storm = rain, thunder and lightening as well as wind.
Re:Girl rover (Score:5, Funny)
For extra credit, be sure to emphasize that said class's "dehumanizing ideology of technologically mediated science-as-dominance oppresses the many equally valid Traditional Ways of Knowing embraced by native martian culture".
Re:You posted from "Angstrom Medal" Winner... (Score:3, Funny)
Just so we have a record of it, you're saying that's NOT a fossilized crinoid on Mars, right?
Re:Amazing Engineering (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Girl rover (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wind Event? (Score:3, Funny)
What, are you trying to make some sort of humor event?
Re:Wind Event? (Score:4, Funny)
Next time I'm under the covers with my wife and she asks where that smells come from, I can now say: a wind event.
That can't be right... (Score:3, Funny)
Did anyone else read this title as, "Sprint Rollover Begins Making Night Sky Observations"?
I was thinking, "Now what? The phone companies won't let us use our rollover minutes after dusk? Sheesh."
Re:how is it possible (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Girl rover (Score:4, Funny)
And naked lady mud flaps.
Re:Wind Event? (Score:4, Funny)
Less well scientifically endowed individuals might think that wind = farting.
Re:Girl rover (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Girl rover (Score:3, Funny)
Nor would it wait for NASA to send directions. Look at what that got her.