After 2 Years on Mars, NASA's Digger Declared Dead (nbcnews.com) 33
"NASA declared the Mars digger dead Thursday after failing to burrow deep into the red planet to take its temperature," reports the Associated Press:
Scientists in Germany spent two years trying to get their heat probe, dubbed the mole, to drill into the Martian crust. But the 16-inch-long (40-centimeter) device that is part of NASA's InSight lander couldn't gain enough friction in the red dirt. It was supposed to bury 16 feet (5 meters) into Mars, but only drilled down a couple of feet (about a half meter). Following one last unsuccessful attempt to hammer itself down over the weekend with 500 strokes, the team called it quits.
"We've given it everything we've got, but Mars and our heroic mole remain incompatible," said the German Space Agency's Tilman Spohn, the lead scientist for the experiment...
InSight's French seismometer, meanwhile, has recorded nearly 500 Marsquakes, while the lander's weather station is providing daily reports.
"We've given it everything we've got, but Mars and our heroic mole remain incompatible," said the German Space Agency's Tilman Spohn, the lead scientist for the experiment...
InSight's French seismometer, meanwhile, has recorded nearly 500 Marsquakes, while the lander's weather station is providing daily reports.
The wonderful thing about diggers (Score:2)
... is diggers are wonderful things. The krauts will be doing some wondering. Space is hard. Very hard.
Re: The wonderful thing about diggers (Score:3)
Mars years, or earth years? (Score:4, Insightful)
neither (Score:3)
Earthquake (Score:2)
Anyone in the SF bay area feel that earthquake just now? My seismometers went off.
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Insert obligatory joke about fat girlfriend
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Nah, it was like a 4.2 and maybe 60 to 70 miles away.
https://abc7news.com/bay-area-... [abc7news.com]
*** ACHTUNG! *** (Score:1)
Terrible day for NASA (Score:2)
Hmmmmm.... (Score:2)
"over the weekend with 500 strokes"
and
French seismometer, meanwhile, has recorded nearly 500 Marsquakes
Just a coincidence I am sure.
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"over the weekend with 500 strokes"
What else are you going to do during lockdown with a high speed internet connection?
I wonder where the earthquakes came from? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I wonder where the earthquakes came from? (Score:4, Insightful)
I believe one of the reasons they are giving up is because the digger's pounding makes it harder to measure Marsquakes. If they can't make likely progress, then it's not worth mucking up quake data.
But the failure itself tells scientists that their models of Mars' soil is off. That's useful knowledge for any future digging probe or mining operation. Some kind of soil texture examining mission is needed: poking and prodding.
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I wonder if there's a way to borrow a local rock for that purpose. Mars has no shortage of rocks.
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I believe one of the reasons they are giving up is because the digger's pounding makes it harder to measure Marsquakes. If they can't make likely progress, then it's not worth mucking up quake data.
But at the same time, the combination of drill pounding and seismography is telling us a lot about the nature of the soil. The next drill will work.
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After thousands of thumps, I don't think they need yet more artificial quake data points.
NASA's Digger Declared Dead (Score:2)
Alternatively, drop a pole while still high on reentry and keep it stabilized downwards. But then of course I suppose you'd want to get data back and not just drill a hole. It's always those nasty details, isn't it?
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Repercussions (Score:1)
Following one last unsuccessful attempt to hammer itself down over the weekend with 500 strokes, the team called it quits.
I knew there would be some fallout from PornHub tossing away all those videos.
Caause of death? (Score:1)
Robots don't cut it (Score:2)
We need real mole-people on Mars.
Lo and behold! (Score:2)
Following one last unsuccessful attempt to hammer itself down over the weekend with 500 strokes, the team called it quits.
InSight's French seismometer, meanwhile, has recorded nearly 500 Marsquakes, while the lander's weather station is providing daily reports.
Umm...
Officially yes, but... (Score:2)
.., there's still hope - as they did not abandon the idea of trying it if time and conditions allow. The mole does not go any deeper but is still operational. Just is not part of the extended mission plan.