Could the Tumbleweed Rover Dominate Mars? 105
astroengine writes "Mars has been visited by orbiters, landers and rovers, but could the future of Martian exploration be inspired by a wind-blown sphere? NASA and other research institutions have been developing the Mars Tumbleweed rover for the last decade, but with the help of the Planetary Science Institute, the Tumbleweed is now vying for some serious funding to further develop the technologies required. Although the Tumbleweed would be wholly dependent on the prevailing winds on the Martian surface, the lightweight and relatively cheap design could lead the way for a 'swarm' of independent Tumbleweeds to explore vast regions of the planet (video link). In 2003 and 2004, NASA even tested an inflatable Tumbleweed prototype on Greenland and Antarctica — it traversed hundreds of miles with ease, continually relaying location and environmental data."
Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:3, Funny)
"OK guys, where the F*** are we now?"
(due to the huge communication lag between Mars and Earth, rovers are controlled by giving a set of commands, and then checking the result the next day (or next Sol, to be exact))
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:2, Funny)
(due to the huge communication lag between Mars and Earth, rovers are controlled by giving a set of commands, and then checking the result the next day (or next Sol, to be exact))
Hey! That was my job!
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:2, Funny)
Hey! That was my job!
Parent is, of course, referring to the joke that he is the Joke Explainer and that it is his job to explain jokes.
Re:Two problems (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, that's a job for google streetview.
A slight design flaw (Score:1, Funny)
Day one the tumble weed rover heroically rolls across the Martian terrain. Day two the rover discoveries a previously unknown Martian crater. Day three examines bottom of crater, day four same, day five same, ..., day 365 rover celibrates it's first year on Mars from the bottom of it's newly discovered crater.
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:2, Funny)
Maybe he just didn't see it.
He is, after all...
The blind biker.
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:3, Funny)
Youtube has got that covered, no need to go to mars.
Re:Frequently asked question at JPL: (Score:2, Funny)
We demand bouncing - (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Mod Parent Up! (Score:3, Funny)