Philosophy
If you think that people who believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life are kooks, you probably haven't talked to a NASA space scientist in a while.
At a news conference on Thursday, Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars program for NASA, said that when the agency's newest Mars rover blasts off for the red planet on Nov. 25, one of its charges will be to discover if the planet contains (or contained) the ingredients of life.
"This mission will bridge the gap scientifically from our understanding of the planet being warmer and wetter than we probably believed, to not seeking life itself, but seeking signs of life," he said.
He reiterated: "This is not a life-seeking mission."
Think about the mission this way: If NASA were going to Mars looking for signs of pancakes instead of signs of life, on this trip it would be looking for flour and eggs, not pancake crumbs -- and definitely not pancakes.
In an interview with The Times, Joy Crisp, deputy project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory, said the rover will be looking for organic molecules and isotopic signatures that might indicate that life did exist at one time on Mars.
"If this step pans out, if we do find organic compounds and we think that the rocks look likely to preserve evidence of life, then we will know better what to send next," she said. "It is kind of an intermediate step."
Asfor the rover itself -- called Curiosity -- it's 6-feet-tall, weighs roughly 2,000 pounds, and is the most complex machine to be placed on another planet, according to McCuistion.
The rover has high-definition cameras, a laser eye, and a weather station to help scientists monitor the environment. It also has the ability to sample rocks and soils, and a drill that will allow it to capture material from inside rocks.
"This is a Mars scientist dream machine," said Ashwin Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory deputy project scientist, at the news event.
But the rover won't be landing on the planet for a while. Curiosity is scheduled to leave Earth on Nov. 25 (the day after Thanksgiving), but it won't be landing on Mars until August 2012.
During the news conference, Vasavada was asked how likely he thought it was that Curiosity would find evidence of life on Mars.
"That would be in the realm of speculation," he said, "but the reason we are excited about Mars is that when we look into the distant past, there is evidence of rivers flowing and lakes and we are trying to find out if they are habitable environments."
"Of the hundreds of places we could have landed, we've chosen the best place to find habitable environment," he added. "Now we'll see if we find one."
The blog's search engine really sucks. It took me a long time to find the following.
"Curiosity"--Clara Ma names next Mars rover
- Lego Space Kit...mars Curiosity Rover
"Mars fans vote to immortalise Curiosity rover in Lego" by Lisa Grossman June 18th, 2013 New Scientist NASA's Mars Curiosity rover may already have discovered the first definitive evidence that the Red Planet was once suited to life – but only...
- "curiosity" To Land Soon
"Curiosity Rover on Track for Early August Landing" June 28th, 2012 NASAA maneuver on Tuesday adjusted the flight path of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for delivering the rover Curiosity to a landing target beside a Martian mountain....
- "curiosity" To Land In Mars' Gale Crater
"Mars rover aims for deep crater" by Jonathan Amos July 22nd, 2011 BBC News Nasa's next Mars rover will be aimed at one of the planet's deepest craters. MSL-Curiosity weighs almost a tonne and is the size of a Mini Cooper. It will carry instruments...
- Deceased--mars Rover Spirit
Mars Rover Spirit January 3rd, 2004 to May 25th, 2011 "Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Laid To Rest" May 25th, 2011 Mars Daily NASA will cease any further attempts to make contact with the long-lived Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, which last communicated...
- "curiosity"--clara Ma Names Next Mars Rover
Winner number two in the metropolis. On May 28th Kavya Shivashankar from Olathe, Kansas won first place in the Scripps' National Spelling Bee Contest and today NASA announced the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest winner...Clara Ma from Lenexa,...
Philosophy
Soon..."Curiosity" will be "Up, up, and away" towards Mars...November 25th, 2011
"NASA: New Mars rover will look for the ingredients of life"
November 10th, 2011
Los Angeles Times
November 10th, 2011
Los Angeles Times
If you think that people who believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life are kooks, you probably haven't talked to a NASA space scientist in a while.
At a news conference on Thursday, Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars program for NASA, said that when the agency's newest Mars rover blasts off for the red planet on Nov. 25, one of its charges will be to discover if the planet contains (or contained) the ingredients of life.
"This mission will bridge the gap scientifically from our understanding of the planet being warmer and wetter than we probably believed, to not seeking life itself, but seeking signs of life," he said.
He reiterated: "This is not a life-seeking mission."
Think about the mission this way: If NASA were going to Mars looking for signs of pancakes instead of signs of life, on this trip it would be looking for flour and eggs, not pancake crumbs -- and definitely not pancakes.
In an interview with The Times, Joy Crisp, deputy project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory, said the rover will be looking for organic molecules and isotopic signatures that might indicate that life did exist at one time on Mars.
"If this step pans out, if we do find organic compounds and we think that the rocks look likely to preserve evidence of life, then we will know better what to send next," she said. "It is kind of an intermediate step."
Asfor the rover itself -- called Curiosity -- it's 6-feet-tall, weighs roughly 2,000 pounds, and is the most complex machine to be placed on another planet, according to McCuistion.
The rover has high-definition cameras, a laser eye, and a weather station to help scientists monitor the environment. It also has the ability to sample rocks and soils, and a drill that will allow it to capture material from inside rocks.
"This is a Mars scientist dream machine," said Ashwin Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory deputy project scientist, at the news event.
But the rover won't be landing on the planet for a while. Curiosity is scheduled to leave Earth on Nov. 25 (the day after Thanksgiving), but it won't be landing on Mars until August 2012.
During the news conference, Vasavada was asked how likely he thought it was that Curiosity would find evidence of life on Mars.
"That would be in the realm of speculation," he said, "but the reason we are excited about Mars is that when we look into the distant past, there is evidence of rivers flowing and lakes and we are trying to find out if they are habitable environments."
"Of the hundreds of places we could have landed, we've chosen the best place to find habitable environment," he added. "Now we'll see if we find one."
The blog's search engine really sucks. It took me a long time to find the following.
"Curiosity"--Clara Ma names next Mars rover
- Lego Space Kit...mars Curiosity Rover
"Mars fans vote to immortalise Curiosity rover in Lego" by Lisa Grossman June 18th, 2013 New Scientist NASA's Mars Curiosity rover may already have discovered the first definitive evidence that the Red Planet was once suited to life – but only...
- "curiosity" To Land Soon
"Curiosity Rover on Track for Early August Landing" June 28th, 2012 NASAA maneuver on Tuesday adjusted the flight path of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for delivering the rover Curiosity to a landing target beside a Martian mountain....
- "curiosity" To Land In Mars' Gale Crater
"Mars rover aims for deep crater" by Jonathan Amos July 22nd, 2011 BBC News Nasa's next Mars rover will be aimed at one of the planet's deepest craters. MSL-Curiosity weighs almost a tonne and is the size of a Mini Cooper. It will carry instruments...
- Deceased--mars Rover Spirit
Mars Rover Spirit January 3rd, 2004 to May 25th, 2011 "Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Laid To Rest" May 25th, 2011 Mars Daily NASA will cease any further attempts to make contact with the long-lived Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, which last communicated...
- "curiosity"--clara Ma Names Next Mars Rover
Winner number two in the metropolis. On May 28th Kavya Shivashankar from Olathe, Kansas won first place in the Scripps' National Spelling Bee Contest and today NASA announced the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest winner...Clara Ma from Lenexa,...