** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

The curiosity rover lands tonight am I right? AH, 6:31 London Time, looks like I'll be doing an all-nighter!

If anybody knows where we can watch this, (the setting up of its cameras that is) that would be awesome!
I honestly can't wait, such an amazing piece of technology.
 
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Here we go. http://www.ustream.tv/nasa

Its 5 am to 6 am right? Obviously with the delay time.

http://countingdownto.com/countdown/114946 not sure if this is correct, seems to be added hour in there, unless i am mistaken?

Anyway i still remember the previous rover landings, bouncing up and along in demonstrations (inflated ball), this will be different to say the least.

Can we not strike out as in -------------- on this website :( ?
 
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That countdown clock is correct by my calculation.

This is the video posted by simulatorman fast forwarded to 44:11 where the reporter asks "how will we be informed that it's landed". The reporters are so concerned about not being the last to know that they ask some silly questions and of course they get a silly and humorous answer... also relates to what I've been posting about (why it's worth watching live):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7yB9-oMj2ew&t=2651s
 
^^ ^^
Yea if you visit StryderX's link the same video is under the 'Curiosity' video tab.

There won't be any actual images once it has touched down, just beeps and tones to tell them if it has landed but any press conference should state whether it's a good landing or if something is going wrong.
It's about a day before we get the first images back from Curiosity and that image is only a 50x50px image taken from one of its rear cameras so I think patients is stupidly important here.

Skillmister said:
Ffs that makes 2 things i'm going to miss due to travelling, 100m final and this :mad:
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There isn't going to be anything greatly missed at touchdown, I think all the best bits will come within the days after landing.
The actual rove doesn't even move an inch until early September, amazing.
 
Emphacy said:
^^ ^^
Yea if you visit StryderX's link the same video is under the 'Curiosity' video tab.

There won't be any actual images once it has touched down, just beeps and tones to tell them if it has landed but any press conference should state whether it's a good landing or if something is going wrong.
It's about a day before we get the first images back from Curiosity and that image is only a 50x50px image taken from one of its rear cameras so I think patients is stupidly important here.



There isn't going to be anything greatly missed at touchdown, I think all the best bits will come within the days after landing.
The actual rove doesn't even move an inch until early September, amazing.
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Well it is a rather long way from here, since we cant actively control anything too well, its the only way.
 
^^^^ And from my understanding of it they just have a general practice of triple checking anything and everything... a painfully meticulous process to prevent the slightest innaccurate interpretation of the data. They can't send someone up there to give it a nudge if a slightly wrong command is sent up based on a slightly wrong interpretation.

The orbiter that went off course was a lesson in that.
 
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Lethagized said:
Didn't the engineer say they are receiving data at only 2kbps? Maybe that's why :p
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Probably because it has to be kept in a tight beam or perhaps a lot of it is lost so the information is just sent out multiple times to get the entirety of it.

I don't know how NASA does it, but i doubt it helps being millions of Kilometres away, not so much the lag, which is a given but the retention.
 
I think this data recieving and processing time question was regarding the recorded data that MRO sends later on in the event that the Odessy orbiter was unable to relay telemetry and MSL's touch down signal. In that case it will be a few hours later before touch down is confirmed.

So they said that receiving that data from MRO will take about 1.5 hours. After the data is received, determining whether there is a touch down signal within the data takes about an hour and then deciphering the telemetry data from the signal takes up to another 4 hours.

At 55 minutes 43 seconds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7yB9-oMj2ew#t=3343s

But yeah data communications (depending on method) between Mars and Earth even at best is reasonable for the various demands (like for all the hires pictures that will be coming in), but not super fast.
 
PermaBanned said:
So does the 6:31 time compensate for anything? Even the speed of light delay?
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Yeah, that time is when the relayed touch down signal from Odessy is expected to arrive at Earth receivers (they said that in the conference).

But like stated above, if Odessy has some kind of issue with relaying, then it will be a few hours later when we find out about touch down from MRO's recorded data.
 
GreatWaves said:
Yeah, that time is when the relayed touch down signal from Odessy is expected to arrive at Earth receivers (they said that in the conference).

But like stated above, if Odessy has some kind of issue with relaying, then it will be a few hours later when we find out about touch down from MRO's recorded data.
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Ahhh is it ? good info, I thought that was the actual touch down time, im gonna sleep now and setting my alarm for 6.25 :)
 
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