nasa rover – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Orbiting astronaut controls robot on Earth, testing feasibility of CU-Boulder project on far side of the moon

By Guest PostJuly 4, 2013Scienceantenna film, big bang, california, chris cassidy, earth moon, faint whispers, international space station, jack burns, k10 robot, kapton film, l2, lagrange point, laura kruger, lunar, moon, nasa rover, orbiting astronaut, orion spacecraft, robot on earth, surface telerobotics tests, terry fong

An astronaut orbiting Earth in the International Space Station has remotely directed a NASA rover in California to unfurl an “antenna film” that scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder are developing for use on the unexplored far side of the moon.

When astronaut Chris Cassidy used a Space Station computer to pilot the robot across a mock lunar surface at NASA’s Ames Research Center on June 17, he demonstrated for the first time that an astronaut in an orbiting spacecraft could successfully control a robot in real time on a planetary surface. The technique could have future applications for humans visiting Mars, an asteroid or the moon. (more…)

NASA Rover Finds Conditions Once Suited for Ancient Life on Mars

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2013Scienceancient life, ancient wet environment, bedrock, calcium sulfate, carbon, chemical energy source, chemical ingredients, chemin, chlorinated forms, condition, david blake, gale crater, hydrogen, instruments, john grotzinger, john klein, life, living microbes, mars, mars exploration program, methane, michael meyer, micro-organisms, mildly alkaline, mudstone, nasa rover, neutral, nitrogen, oxygen, paul mahaffy, phosphorus, powder, presence, red planet, rocknest, sam, soil, stream bed, sulfur, yellowknife bay

PASADENA, Calif. –– An analysis of a rock sample collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes.

Scientists identified sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon — some of the key chemical ingredients for life — in the powder Curiosity drilled out of a sedimentary rock near an ancient stream bed in Gale Crater on the Red Planet last month.

“A fundamental question for this mission is whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “From what we know now, the answer is yes.” (more…)

Dark Shadows on Mars: Scene from Durable NASA Rover

By Guest PostMay 28, 2012Scienceancient mars, aqua tint, dark dunes, endeavour crater, giant basin, grand canyon, mars exploration rover, martian crater, martian dust, martian winter, meridiani region, nasa rover, opportunity, pancam, panoramic camera, shadows on mars, spirit, wet environments

Like a tourist waiting for just the right lighting to snap a favorite shot during a stay at the Grand Canyon, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has used a low sun angle for a memorable view of a large Martian crater.

The resulting view catches a shadow of the rover in the foreground and the giant basin in the distance. Opportunity is perched on the western rim of Endeavour Crater looking eastward. The crater spans about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. Opportunity has been studying the edge of Endeavour Crater since arriving there in August 2011. (more…)

Tag Archives: nasa rover

Orbiting astronaut controls robot on Earth, testing feasibility of CU-Boulder project on far side of the moon

NASA Rover Finds Conditions Once Suited for Ancient Life on Mars

Dark Shadows on Mars: Scene from Durable NASA Rover