MSL should have a digging arm

[jimfromnsf]

"What did you do? Travel into the future and watch it work for its entire lifespan? If so, please make sure the JPL engineers know about any problems you saw it run into."<br /><br />No, it is not average of the predicted or actual time operated. <br /><br />It is the design specification and mission plan and they state MSL is only going to operate for x numbers of hours. I just rounded it off to a 1/3 of a sol.<br /><br />BTW, I did talk to the JPL engineers and I will be talking to them in 2 weeks

 

[willpittenger]

Ok. You might ask them if they have thought about aircraft on Mars or in Jupiter's atmosphere. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[brellis]

Reading Emily Lakdawalla's planetary.org blog on the unveiling of the HUGE MSL "scarecrow" and considering Opportunity's imminent descent into Victoria got me thinking about some of the ideas being bandied about in this thread.<br /><br />Since MSL is going to be such a behemoth (maybe it should be called "Mars SUV"!) I'm wondering how long and complex a robotic arm could be extended from it. Imagine MSL at the cliffs of Victoria reaching over the side to PIC, RAT, etc while the wheels remain safely outside the crater.<br /><br />Then I got a silly idea. What if it had a whole bunch of tiny landers the size of some kind of CIA superspy mini-camera and it had the capability to catapult them some considerable distance? When it arrived at a big crater or hill, it could launch one of these little critters up, down, or out for a quick pic or two. If it got near one of those "caves", maybe it could shoot some of them down deep.<br /><br />On the other hand, perhaps I'm still asleep, entertaining impossible fantasies like my 500-day simulated Mars mission with Christy Turlington. I haven't had my coffee yet this morning. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>