MSL/Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity press teleconference – Full chat transcript 2012-09-06Z17:00

[…]

[missing question about small hole seen in a wheel, caused by a small rock]

[…]

19:33 ustreamer-615033: when will see results from atmosphere test using SAM, or REMS
19:33 ustreamer-114013: How long does it take to reach glenelg?
19:33 NASAJPL-1: 315045- theres no Nibiru, so no, it can’t.
19:33 ustreamer-659946: 3 weeks to Gleneig?
19:33 TechnoTrousers: In the Yingst – 1 image, it looks like there’s a column of dead pixels. I wonder if that’s some kind of artifact in the recording or transmission?
19:33 ustreamer-440907: Hi
19:33 ustreamer-292177: Have we seen any signs of structures on the surface?
19:34 ustreamer-824806: are you actually able to climb mount sharp, or will you only test the beginning of the slope?
19:34 ustreamer-152403: mahli dust cover can open and close
19:34 NASAJPL-1: There’s no problem with small rocks or soil getting into the wheels. They are designed that way.
19:34 ustreamer-949937: How proud are you guys at this crazy accomplishment?
19:34 ustreamer-315045: Thanks for answer:)
19:34 Jumpjack2: I read music was played back by rover some days ago, and Internet community wonder about WHY!?!?
19:34 ustreamer-294300: Oh well thank you ustreamer 152403 🙂
19:34 ustreamer-820995: Where can I get a model of Curiosity?
19:34 ustreamer-201991: When the rover travels 355 meters to the Glenel destination, what will the elevation be?
19:34 ustreamer-116300: when the arm and bits wear out … Curiosity will drag the mechanical arm???
19:35 ustreamer-055203: This is an amazing feat. Congrats to the team
19:35 NASAJPL-1: 824806 we expect to climb a bit of mount sharp. We’ll analyze the best route to take. Spirit climbed quite a bit on her location so we learned a lot from that.
19:35 ustreamer-767339: it wasn’t a rock. It was JPL spelled out in the tracks
19:35 ustreamer-615033: Has any clouds been imaged over Mt Sharp
19:35 ustreamer-032884: are there microphones on Curiosity?
19:35 ustreamer-152056: Lots of JPL/NASA logo, but no American flags on the rover.  First time I can recall not seeing one.  Any idea why?
19:35 ustreamer-855241: ?
19:35 ustreamer-561651: no microphones
19:35 ustreamer-676136: What’s the estimated load bearing capacity of the sandy soil Mars surface?
19:35 ustreamer-294300: oh you mean the will.i.am thing yes?
19:35 ustreamer-190470: what is the status of wind detectors – still one of them doesn’t work?
19:35 NASAJPL-1: No microphones on this mission. Instruments are based on science proposals and there was no proposal for it.
19:36 raluna: why does sound go off occasionally
19:36 Jumpjack2: NO, there is a real HOLE in MSL wheel CAUSED by a small rock! Can’t find the link, sorry.
19:36 ustreamer-730414: Audio stream keeps breaking up. I’ll come back when the recorded version is posted.
19:36 ustreamer-949937: How much will this particular program be effected by the governmental downsizing and commercializing of space exploration?
19:36 NullModel: sound is perfect
19:36 NASAJPL-1: One of the wind detectors may have been impacted by a small pebble during landing. The team is still working around that and believes they’ll still have useful data.
19:36 ustreamer-403950: im glad they didnt put an american flag on it. scientific endeavours shouldnt be claimed to one country
19:36 ustreamer-055203: what happened to previous rovers on mars. Can curiousity click pictures of them
19:36 ustreamer-190470: thanks for answer 🙂
19:37 ustreamer-116300: when the arm and drills to wear out … Curiosity will drag the mechanical arm???
19:37 ustreamer-604760: When will the sol 30 images be avaliable on JPL’s website?
19:37 NASAJPL-1: There was no hole caused by a rock. the holes are there for a reason– to be able to monitor each wheel turn for slippage. We call it “visual odometry.”
19:37 ustreamer-292177: Pyramids of Mars? What do we know?
19:37 ustreamer-619829: If Curiosty found either life, or proof of past life on Mars, would it be publicly anounced?
19:37 Jumpjack2:  ustreamer-055203: spirit is dead, opportunity is alive, but thousands of km awat.
19:37 ustreamer-294300: its not near opportunity really
19:37 ustreamer-339633: If the worst case scenario happens and a wheel/arm is damaged can the laser cut it off?
19:37 ustreamer-599412: My last question seemed to diappear: Where can I get a model of Curiosity? Either build my own or buy already assembled.
19:37 ustreamer-561651: maybe next time the rover can carry a small ‘zeppelin’ with it, so it can take pictures from 100m high, all around
19:38 Governance: Will it be possible to have some high resolution full panoramas, the kind of imagery that planetariums could project in their theatres?
19:38 ustreamer-360232: Can curiosity get out from the crater? Is it programmed or will it stay into it?
19:38 ustreamer-324756: Will raw science data be made public?
19:38 NASAJPL-1: We’re waiting to see if companies will come out with models of Curiosity. We expect a toy from Mattel soon, but it will be low tech and inexpensive.
19:38 ustreamer-152403: re: sound. perchance is the wind detector sensitive to be used as a simple microphone? could listen to the wheels rolling on ground.. could be interesting
19:38 ustreamer-255981: some of the pictures of curiosity show a little black “joystick” on top. what is it good fore?
19:38 ustreamer-440907: There is a small dent in one of the wheels
19:38 raluna: will this conference be available later to share w/children?
19:39 ustreamer-774887: question: what’s the only true color of mars there ? All images from Mars are orange historically. Is this an actual color ?
19:39 ustreamer-294300: Curiosity is a fan of Frogger
19:39 ustreamer-116300: when the arm and drills to wear out … Curiosity will drag the mechanical arm???
19:39 ustreamer-708310: When will it reach Glenelg?
19:39 ustreamer-949937: Will the governmental downsizing of NASA effect this program?
19:39 ustreamer-813556: its really amazing
19:39 ustreamer-599412: Thanks. That’s too bad. I would love one like they use for the press conferences.
19:39 ustreamer-767339: nothing is wrong with any of the wheels! stop saying that
19:39 ustreamer-915313: why is there no Mars cam that you cpuld go to just to see whats up at any time ? Just like traffic cams .
19:39 ustreamer-542823: jhkk
19:39 NASAJPL-1: Gale crater is huge and we want to stay in it to study the layers of Mount Sharp that provide a history of the planet. It’s like being inside the Grand Canyon and working up.
19:39 ustreamer-666024: Is there any interest in putting a microphone on mars in a future mission?  Interesting to find others here wanting to hear the sounds of Mars!
19:39 maxon72: it seems that there is nice hole in the Mars surface in north-east in the crisp-2 picture.
19:40 ustreamer-028412: Maybe this question has been ask:  1. How well is the energy power system working on Curiosity?  2.  How long do you hope Curiosity will continue to function best case scenario?
19:40 ustreamer-315045: You are the first who show Mars in Real color(not in red filter) Congrets
19:40 Jumpjack2: I CLEARLY saw a 1-cm large hole in a wheel, with a small rock stuck inside! I am not talking about morse-code holes!
19:40 NASAJPL-1: I’m pausing chat to catch up with questions.
19:41 NASAJPL-1: 028412 the RTG is working beautifully, not only providing power but also keeping the rover components warm.
19:42 NASAJPL-1: Curiosity’s warranty is for a 2-year mission, but hopefully she’ll last longer than that and we’ll see mission extensions — just as we did with Spirit and Opportunity
19:42 NASAJPL-1: 403950  there is in fact a US flag on the rover.
19:44 NASAJPL-1: if you want to revisit the visuals used in this briefing, they’re posted in order at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/index.html
19:45 ustreamer-774887: Will there be more panorama images later ? Are they going to be in color ?
19:45 ustreamer-190470: is Curiosity going to visit places where EDL parts are (heat shield, descent stage etc.)?
19:45 NASAJPL-1: absolutely, more panoramas throughout the mission!
19:45 ustreamer-315045: Thanks NASAJPL-1 i collect all pic from Curiosity so far:)
19:46 ustreamer-116300: the rover can operate at arm’s length in terms of inclination on Mars? 🙂
19:46 ustreamer-824806: one more thing, i noticed one weird thing on the marsweather website, average max temperature looks like ~-2, but on one sol max temperature was claimed to be -18, is that an error, or real ‘anomaly’?
19:46 NASAJPL-1: We don’t want to go in the direction of the EDL components. All the science we want to do is in the opposite direction.
19:46 ustreamer-324756: Again.  Will raw science date be available to public or will the results filtered through NASA?
19:46 NASAJPL-1: That’s why the EDL parts were discarded in that direction.
19:46 ustreamer-440907: do you have a name Nasajpl?
19:46 Goatboy_Ben: I think all at JPL are Hero’s of our time, modern day astronauts by proxy 🙂
19:47 NASAJPL-1: Every NASA mission submits all its raw data within a specified timeframe, usually six months.
19:47 ustreamer-678304: hello
19:47 NASAJPL-1: The data will be available to public and scientists world-wide
19:47 ustreamer-949937: How much is the redstone facility in Huntsville involved in this program?
19:47 ustreamer-959317: Any plans to run curisoity on timed roving vs designated  distance?
19:48 ustreamer-324756: Thanks.  Where do we find it?
19:48 ustreamer-708310: When will it reach Glenelg?
19:48 ustreamer-603065: Can you see Glenelg (or the three terrains) in any of the pictures from Curiosity?
19:48 NASAJPL-1: All mission data is released to the Planetary Data System at: http://pds.nasa.gov/
19:48 ustreamer-116300: the rover can operate with the arm extended in conditions of inclination, on Mars?
19:48 raluna: Does the atmosphere on Mars contribute to the longivity of the rovers? What is the general opinion.
19:48 ustreamer-774887: Can we stop worrying about the true color of Mars sky ? You know there are different doubts about that.
19:48 ustreamer-619829: If Curiosity found either life, or proof of past life on Mars, would it be announced to the public?
19:49 NASAJPL-1: 619829  of course. all our data is made public. It’s part of our charter.
19:49 NASAJPL-1: 116300 yes, it can operate with the arm extended on Mars. On Earth, it would have tipped over.
19:50 NASAJPL-1: 959317 the rover will be given more autonomy as the mission progresses. It has some now.
19:51 NASAJPL-1: 949937  I’m not sure about involvement by Redstone, sorry.
19:51 NASAJPL-1: As for when it will reach Glenelg, it’s hard to say. Probably a few weeks. We’ll stop along the way if we see something interesting.
19:51 ustreamer-726314: re: flag on Rover.  Haven’t seen a picture with the flag showing.  Know it’s a minor nit, but it’s different then prior missions.
19:51 ustreamer-331420: are we alone?
19:52 Jumpjack2: “The voice playback was released along [….]. ” tinyurl: 9emc3ev  What the reason of such test?
19:52 ustreamer-767339: are JPL and Mars ONE working together on the mars 2023 mission?
19:52 ustreamer-116300: In case that for curiosity, climb to Mount Gale, would become risky for the rover, could be changed using the rover on another mission?
19:52 ustreamer-546253: is there any unique science hat an be done between curisty and Oppetuniy
19:52 NASAJPL-1: 726314  Only the MAHLI can get a shot of the flag on the rover and we plan to take that picture soon after all these arm tests are conducted.
19:52 ustreamer-600649: Will curiousity return to earth to examine the samples it has collected?
19:52 maxon72: Does risk exists for mast cams to be covered with dust during the mission?
19:52 ustreamer-949937: Very interesting science, thanks for sharing.
19:52 ustreamer-708310: Thanks for anwsering 🙂
19:53 Goatboy_Ben: do you know the main elements in the atmoshere on mars?
19:53 ustreamer-331420: I wonder if other worlds know what’s happening on mars?
19:53 ustreamer-824806: its mostly CO2 afaik
19:53 NASAJPL-1: 600649  We’ve used mast cams on several missions and they’ve done already. We can lower the head at night to keep dust from settling on the lenses.
19:53 ustreamer-190470: Are there any fluids used inside Curiosity? for example to warm/cool down parts of rover?
19:53 ustreamer-116300: In case that for curiosity, climb to Mount Gale, would become risky for the rover, could be changed using the rover on another mission?
19:53 NASAJPL-1: I mean tip the head down, not lower the entire mast.
19:53 ustreamer-326067: Curisiosity will not return to earth.
19:54 ustreamer-255981: some of the pictures of curiosity show a little black “joystick” on top. what is it good for?
19:54 raluna: My ? about the longivity of rovers because of Mars atmosphere. Does that contribute to rovers lasting longer than what is announced?
19:54 ustreamer-619829: sundial
19:54 NASAJPL-1: correct, that is a sundial.
19:54 ustreamer-855241: curiosity a scientific ferocity, lacks velocity except when its at terminal velocity
19:54 ustreamer-296401: any new info on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)
19:54 ustreamer-331420: life on mars?
19:54 Jumpjack2: How can I puse scroll? I’m getting crazy reading replies!!!
19:54 Goatboy_Ben: is there other elements in the martian atmoshere other than Co2?
19:55 ustreamer-959317: Any plans  for Curiosity to try to photograph  MRO, M Expess etc. Is that Possible?
19:55 ustreamer-951284: is there a mic on curosty
19:55 ustreamer-789638: How exactly is the rover powered?
19:55 NASAJPL-1: Jumpjack — we have the same problem! Wish Ustream could make the chat box less jumpy.
19:55 ustreamer-600649: nuclear
19:55 ustreamer-277414: Any sounds from Mars???
19:55 ustreamer-190470: Are there any fluids used inside Curiosity? for example to warm/cool down parts of rover?
19:55 techsupport_: no mic on curiosity
19:56 maxon72: thanks for your answer!
19:56 ustreamer-666024: Methane has been detected in the atmosphere also.
19:56 ustreamer-824806: i see that you can find answers for most of your questions by yourselves
19:56 ustreamer-331420: i wonder if the aliens approve
19:56 Jumpjack2: Can we at least download the chat transcript once it’s finished? I’d read replies later! 🙂
19:56 ustreamer-450435: WE ARE THE ALIENS!!!
19:56 NASAJPL-1: 190470  There is a piped heating system on the rover that uses excess heat from the RTG to keep the rover component and electronics at proper temperatures.
19:56 ustreamer-116300: Instead of listening to William, because better not carried a David Bowie song, as “life in mars”??
19:56 ustreamer-444456: Hi I only see a screenshot?
19:56 ustreamer-767339: is JPL involved with Mars ONE company on the human settlements in 2023
19:56 ustreamer-121873: a 3D chat….
19:57 ustreamer-190470: thanks! “)
19:57 ustreamer-315045: People saw strange object in previous pic.(680994) do you plan to go there to see what is? Thanks
19:57 ustreamer-546253: is there any scientific benefit to having Curisoisty and Oppertunity both operational at the same time
19:57 ustreamer-998323: how long till aliens? k thnx
19:57 ustreamer-807079: What about the small dent in one of the wheels (visible in mastcam image?) is that something to worry about? What are the wheels made of?
19:57 ustreamer-294300: well Will.i.am is a big advocate of STEM so that’s how that came about
19:57 ustreamer-331420: ive seen 20 u.f.os in my life
19:57 ustreamer-259094: when is the second analysis of the atmosphere (the one with more Mars air) going to happen?
19:57 martyhoag: I am new to the Ustream app but have used the web site from my iPad. Today I just get “loading” and no audio or video. Any hints?
19:57 NASAJPL-1: 444456  this is a telecon, not a televised briefing. But you can find the images discussed today at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/telecon/index.html
19:57 Jumpjack2: “The voice playback was released along [….]. ” tinyurl: 9emc3ev  What the reason of such test?
19:57 ustreamer-783090: I only see a screenshoot. Is that all?
19:58 ustreamer-626822: HMm ok
19:58 ustreamer-951284: shame cos having a mic in mars atmos surley hear the mars wind
19:58 ustreamer-444456: 😦 aahh, When I can see a televised briefing?
19:58 NASAJPL-1: martyhoag I had the problem too at the beginning. We may investigate other sites to stream so we’ll always have a backup.
19:58 ustreamer-977105: Is there who Russian-language here?
19:58 ustreamer-277414: Next trip to Mars is?
19:58 ustreamer-356098: if you zoom into one of the images of mount sharp what are those small black things in the distancce? dead pixels or something else?
19:58 NASAJPL-1: Pausing to catch up
19:59 NASAJPL-1: 315045 If we see interesting scientific targets, absolutely we’ll head for them.
20:00 NASAJPL-1: 356098  I’m not sure which image you mean. There are dark sand areas and in the panoramas there are some black spots where individual images were stiched into 360 format.
20:01 NASAJPL-1: MAVEN will be the next mission to Mars, launching in 2013. It’s an orbiter, and mangaged by NASA’s Goddard Center in Maryland.
20:01 ustreamer-190470: Why so many cables and wires exposed outside the rover? isn’t this risky?
20:01 ustreamer-824806: sorry for repeating the quest., what’s the deal with maximum recorded temperature on sol 19 (its -18°C)? is that a sensor error, too little readings or was it really that cold on that  specific sol?
20:02 NASAJPL-1: No reason to cover them. Remember a key to building a spacecraft is less weight, not more.
20:02 Jumpjack2: Last attempt: what was scientific purpose of audio playback form mars? Tinyurl link: 9emc3ev
20:02 ustreamer-116300: when the arm and drills to wear out … Curiosity will drag the mechanical arm???
20:02 ustreamer-807652: why is glenelg a first stop in mars?
20:02 ustreamer-277414: Why was Mt Sharp choosen?
20:02 ustreamer-071483: why 😛
20:02 ustreamer-331420: i wonder if the creator of man would be watching
20:02 raluna: My ? does not answer?
20:03 ustreamer-767339: because it looks like an island and its the best spot for research
20:03 ustreamer-774887: what’s the connection speed from the rover in bits/sec. i mean the downlink speed over all deep space radio communication
20:03 ustreamer-121873: According to mission protocol: what is max. forward travel distance allowed per a single command?
20:03 ustreamer-959317: Thanks team, Happy Trails to You!
20:03 NASAJPL-1: Daily weather temps are available at: http://cab.inta-csic.es/rems/marsweather.html  Today’s temps are -2C to -75C
20:04 ustreamer-789638: How exactly is curiosity powered? By batteries?
20:04 ustreamer-205962: will Curiosity be able to use MAVEN to relay information back to Earth?
20:04 NASAJPL-1: Actually, those are yestersol’s temps
20:04 ustreamer-706397: Is there no trees on earth that will be able to withstand the temperatures at the mars eqautor?
20:04 Jumpjack2: official site for news teleconf schedule? an RSS feed informing about the would be great.
20:04 ustreamer-116300: the rover can operate with the arm extended in conditions of inclination, on Mars?
20:04 ustreamer-307909: How fast can the rover drive technically.
20:04 ustreamer-071483: Anything significant been found yet???
20:04 ustreamer-402909: I beg to differ on the response to the tipping question. The center of gravity will be the same no matter what the strength of gravity, so why would it tip over on earth?
20:04 ustreamer-807079: nuclear ± 110 watts max output if i’m correct
20:04 ustreamer-017236: Why are the sand dunes dark colored? Is sand not supposed to show a light color?
20:04 ustreamer-294300: Curiosity has mulitple heaters correct? If one or two wear out will that impair functionality to a great degree?
20:04 Goatboy_Ben: Thanx JPL for an historic landmark 🙂
20:05 NASAJPL-1: will try to catch up on a few questions
20:05 NASAJPL-1: 294300 the heating comes from the RTG. It’s very reliable.
20:05 NASAJPL-1: 017236 They can be any color. But we’ll check out the composition of them.
20:07 NASAJPL-1: We hope to do telecons each week on Wednesdays, starting with next Wednesday Sept. 12.  We also hope to add more Ustream events and take your questions to the panelists.  All info will be posted
20:07 NASAJPL-1: to http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl
20:08 NASAJPL-1: 706397 probably not. but there are many other factors that would prohibit Earth’s trees from surviving on Mars.
20:10 NASAJPL-1: That’s all for now, everyone!  The recording will be made live if you want to go back and watch the Q and A. Thanks for joining us!
20:10 Jumpjack2: jumpjack dot wordpress dot com for chat transcript
20:10 ustreamer-542676: What about the PYRAMID at 60 dgerees!!??
20:10 ustreamer-294300: Thank you NasaJPL-1 for answering our questions.