Sunday Things - SPAAAAAACE edition
posted in Links by Cargo Cult on Sunday June 24 2012
What’s your favourite thing about space? Mine is space.
Bonus Antiquated Soviet Rocketry corner:
- Venera: the Soviet Exploration of Venus - including reprocessed images from the surface.
- LOK Lunar Orbital Spacecraft - 'roughly equivalent to the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) "mother ship". Basically a souped-up Soyuz, it served as transport vehicle & living quarters for the 2 man lunar crew to and from the moon.'
Also, dear readers - who are you people? I've already got loads of subscribers to the RSS feed - but you're all remarkably quiet. Do post comments. Don't be shy!
Article comments (now closed)
2. Shy?
Posted by sortie at 11:05AM, Sunday June 24 2012
Oh, this place even got HTTPS. Also, why does the website require me to be human? I thought hylobatidae was all about promoting advanced AI.
3. Re: Curiosity's landing system
Posted by Cargo Cult at 2:13PM, Sunday June 24 2012
They've tested the individual components as much as is possible in Earth's conditions - here's the parachute, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NJamPhtRjA
I also saw a video of a rover ratcheting its way down from a placeholder sky-crane, but I can't find it right now.
They've got a *lot* of experience in landing these things successfully (and unsuccessfully) - but there's still something about Curiosity's landing that's especially terrifying!
Re: promoting advanced AI - the robots and humans get separated early on, so as not to influence test results. ;-)
4. Re: Re: Curiosity's landing system
Posted by Cargo Cult at 2:19PM, Sunday June 24 2012
Here we go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YasCQRAWRwU&feature=relmfu
(Ignore the YouTube twits claiming 'THAT WSANSNT' A PROPAR TEST!!1!!1!!'...)
Article is now closed for commenting.
1. Buran
Posted by phuzz at 3:10AM, Sunday June 24 2012
Seeing those photos of a crushed Buran always makes me sad :(
Also, I can't believe they haven't done a test of Curiosity's landing system. Sure the gravity and atmospheric densities are different, but I'd feel a lot happier if I'd seen at least one test. They are rocket scientists I suppose, they have done the maths.