Comments on: Water On Mars And The Science Of Luck http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-3-24-73653-8067.html Scooping up the latest science news and controversies Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:44:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Drog http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-3-24-73653-8067.html/comment-page-1#comment-3534 Drog Thu, 25 Mar 2004 11:09:07 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1846#comment-3534 I had JUST read that article and was about to post the link myself. I had JUST read that article and was about to post the link myself.

]]> By: rickyjames http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-3-24-73653-8067.html/comment-page-1#comment-2964 rickyjames Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:57:06 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1846#comment-2964 <a href="http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040324-022701-3533r">UPI Analysis: Mars Water Discoveries Loom Huge, by Phil Berardelli </a> UPI Analysis: Mars Water Discoveries Loom Huge, by Phil Berardelli

]]> By: rickyjames http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-3-24-73653-8067.html/comment-page-1#comment-2174 rickyjames Thu, 25 Mar 2004 04:16:21 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1846#comment-2174 It turns out <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994804">gears were installed upside down</a> in the Shuttle speed brakes for twenty years without causing loss of Orbiter and crew. Talk about lucky... It turns out gears were installed upside down in the Shuttle speed brakes for twenty years without causing loss of Orbiter and crew. Talk about lucky…

]]> By: SEWilco http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-3-24-73653-8067.html/comment-page-1#comment-1098 SEWilco Wed, 24 Mar 2004 22:18:34 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1846#comment-1098 It has already been observed that there is a little less luck involved in landing in a crater when you're a big ball bouncing and rolling across the countryside. During that passive/aggressive landing sequence, touching a crater can make the lander stay there. <p> The extreme example is of the lander zooming around within the bowl of a big crater until it rolls to a stop. <p> A related concept is the proposal to use inflated balls as wind-blown probes. Let them roll around and scatter across the countryside. Some will just blow around and give information about wind movements. Some will get trapped in interesting places (anyplace on Mars is interesting :-) I hope they'll aim a cluster at the summit of Mons Olympus. It has already been observed that there is a little less luck involved in landing in a crater when you’re a big ball bouncing and rolling across the countryside. During that passive/aggressive landing sequence, touching a crater can make the lander stay there.

The extreme example is of the lander zooming around within the bowl of a big crater until it rolls to a stop.

A related concept is the proposal to use inflated balls as wind-blown probes. Let them roll around and scatter across the countryside. Some will just blow around and give information about wind movements. Some will get trapped in interesting places (anyplace on Mars is interesting :-) I hope they’ll aim a cluster at the summit of Mons Olympus.

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