Online Cortex Thoughts on Science and Technology

On Thursday October 16th at 7pm PST, JPL will host a webcast of a lecture on the new Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover. This webcast will require RealPlayer—the free RealPlayer 8 Basic can be downloaded from RealPlayer.
More info can be found here at JPL.

This talk is part of the JPL von Kármán Lecture Series.
Here is the Summary from the JPL Website:

New Wheels on Mars: The Mars Science Laboratory
Dr. Richard Cook
Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager

Building on the success of the two rover geologists that arrived at Mars in January, 2004, NASA’s next rover mission will depart for the Red Planet in 2009. Twice as long and five times as heavy as the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Science Laboratory will collect Martian soil and rock samples and analyze them for organic compounds and minerals which demonstrate that Mars can or did support life. This sophisticated science laboratory will be delivered to the Martian surface using an innovative new landing system. The spacecraft will start by steering itself through the Martian atmosphere in a fashion similar to the way the Apollo entry capsule controlled its entry through Earth’s upper atmosphere. This approach will allow the spacecraft to fly to a desired location above the surface of Mars before deploying its parachute for the final landing. Then, in the final minutes before touchdown, the spacecraft will activate its parachute and retro rockets before lowering the rover package to the surface on a tether.

If you are local, you may be able to attend the talk:

Thursday, October 16, 2008, 7p.m.
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

Friday, October 17, 2008, 7p.m.
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

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Posted under Astrobiology, Exploration, Mars, Research, Robotics, Space, Technology

These guys are publishing these images faster than I can blog!

This image shows the horizon.  This is again a very flat region, but there is interesting patterning on the surface.  Perhaps this is due to freezing/thawing mechanisms.

Here is the link to the incoming images at the Phoenix Mission site.

Enjoy!
Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

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Posted under Astrobiology, Astronomy, Exploration, Mars, Robotics, Space, Uncategorized

At 4:53:44 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time) NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory received radio signals from the Mars Phoenix Lander confirming that it survived its landing in the north polar region of Mars.

The probe enters the Martian atmosphere at about 78 miles above the surface and begins decelerating from its space cruise velocity of 12,500 miles per hour down to Mach 1.7 (1.7 times the speed of sound) when its parachute deployed.  The parachute is jettisoned at 1 km above the surface when the probe fires its rocket thrusters to decelerate it further until it reaches either 12 meters altitude or a speed of 5 miles per hour.  At this point the rocket engines stop and the probe drops to the surface.

Above is an artist’s conception.
I cant wait to see how it really will look!
Tomorrow…

Check the Phoenix Mission Site for updates!

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

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Posted under Astrobiology, Astronomy, Exploration, Mars, Robotics, Space

The current issue of the IEEE Spectrum Insider has a video interview with Dean Kamen founder of DEKA Research (and inventor of the segway, iBOT, and founder of the FIRST robotics competitions).  He answers five questions on the future of robotics, the hype surrounding the segway, and education.

Watch Dean Kamen’s interview here.

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

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Posted under Entrepreneurship, Inventions, Research, Robotics, Technology

During the second spacewalk of the STS-123 mission, the crew began assembling Dextre.  Dextre is the newest member of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System, and will act as a repair and construction robot for the ISS’s exterior.  Dextre is enormous “standing” or rather floating at 12 feet tall.  He has an 8 foot shoulder space and two 11 foot arms!

From National Geographic News, Astronaut Garrett Reisman stated,

“Now I wouldn’t go as far to say that we’re worried it’s going to go run amok and take over the space station or turn evil or anything because we all know how it’s operated and it doesn’t have a lot of its own intelligence,” Reisman told the Associated Press last week.

“But I’ll tell you something,” Reisman said. “He’s enormous, and to see him with his giant arms, it is a little scary. It’s a little monstrous, it is.”

Dextre is provided by the Canada Space Agency, who has for years supported the robotic arm on the shuttle.

This is a video of the installation:
High resolution – 50.3 MB
Low resolution – 2.6 MB
More videos and images can be found here.

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

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Posted under Exploration, Intelligent Systems, Research, Robotics, Space, Technology