Alien Anomalies

The JPL UStream Channel has coverage from the MSL cleanroom the other day showing early mobility tests. There's a recording of a short portion of it.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/8464226

Software_Pyrate wrote:

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If one wanted to use this laser for a weapon...It could be used as such. It would have no problem blasting away flesh or rocks for that matter.

... and ...

And speaking of weapons.......never mind the laser....this thing has got 10 pounds of plutonium on board.

Hypothetically speaking....you could start a chain reaction (atomic) if certain criteria where meet. This thing ain't non joke.

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I guess it depends on your definition of "weapon." The stated 15-20mJ per pulse translates into an energy per pulse equal to a penny falling out of your pocket. The rep rate is 10 Hz, so the cumulative average energy is about equal to a gentle tap with a hammer once per second. The LIBS laser can "drill" into rock ... at a rate of about 1 mm per 30 seconds. Driving the rover at a foor per second into something would make a better "weapon."

And, the Pu-238 used in the RTG isn't fissile. It can't sustain a chain reaction, no matter what "certain criteria" are met.

There are certainly safety hazards to be considered when launching an RTG, but a fission chain reaction simply isn't one of them.

gbull wrote:

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"frickin lazer beams"

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LMAO.....My thoughts too.....

 

"Austin Powers".........."And I will destroy the world with the laasssseerrr beeeaaammm"

nah nah nah, you are missing my point. Why do they have to fake a photograph of the rover on a platform of Sand And two ladies holding their breath watching it revving up in front of them?

Please take a look here ... http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=47797&p=3&topicID=37112520

There's something more to this trapped-in-the-sand spirit rover story. (Also read Ice comment, it makes more sense that it would at first sight).

-- Frutty

Correction....

excess of 10 megawatts, depositing 15mJ of energy

@Fruit

Sorry I was away...watching Braveheart....

Let me be more clear fruit.  You are comparing people...witch are real and in full scale or 100% scale.  The rovers are NOT in full scale....but rather 70% of full scale. Therefore....All rovers will apppear to be smaller to everything else---Except the rovers themselves. One rover with respect to another should be very similar in scale...but that is it. 

Like comparing one model car to another. They both are not full scale, but if you had a little person to fit inside of it...the same scale would apply.

I'm not saying there are 100% precise...just that it is good reference between one rover to another. At least thats what I've read and comparing them visually just bye eye and nothing more...I'd say there are pretty close.
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@Q

It does not literally take a physical sample from a rock.
THis is how laser readings work.

I will try to explain this in lamin's terms although I am no expert...I do have a good idea how laser detection works.

Basically, when a laser is fired at an object, the returning stray photons will have a higher or lesser energy depending on what is being fired upon.  The computer analyzes the data and compares it  to known type of frequencies or energies that correspond to the specific elements.

Have you ever used a laser thermometer? The same principle applies, you point it towards what you want a reading on and it gives you the temp. More so, the returning photons from whatever it was fired at has higher or lesser energies...computer then Analiese it and compares to know temperatures that make the same effect on the laser.....thus....you can analyze things from a distance.


One more detail with this laser though...it is a fairly high powered laser witch means it can and will burn stuff...like rocks. This laser actually vaporizes a certain depth and then has an infrared camera to pick up the stray light or energy emitted from it which is how it is collecting the data.
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Now to the good stuff....

Q...I have been wondering about this all night since you have mentioned it.  Of course none of us can say for certain if its actual purpose is a weapon....but hell...I'll speculate.

If one wanted to use this laser for a weapon...It could be used as such. It would have no problem blasting away flesh or rocks for that matter.

If you'd like the specs...I'll get them for you...I believe its a 10 megajewel


One thing is for certain, there will be evidence of a laser blast...it will be very small and one of those debate-able things...but it should still be visible.

All I can say right now is..sadly....YES...it could be used as a weapon.

All with average intelligence can see that this device (toy) is not born to travel and explore strange planets on their own, without external support or maintenance. it wouldn't´t make it here on earth for a month.

note: NASA is becoming more and more funny every day.

This video has been resting in yahoo videos almost unnoticed.

I have seen the video several times. It purportedly shows what happened to the Sojourner rover when it was attacked by a "rock".

After examining it several times, the background "rocks" seem to be in fact martian, what would rule out a forgery. I still don;t know what to think, take a look.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/591182/2870236

 

-- Frutty

 

 

The people on the right are supposed to be smaller than they are though.

In the picture above - of the scientists trying to do a mock-up of the Spirits stuck position.
The soil sample is nothing like the real thing which is much finer and has no clumps in it. The problem being that the Spirit is just digging itself further and further into the soft sand/soil. That is assuming (fruitnut1) that it is rerally stuck at all of course. How were the proportions of the people arrived at in the illustration above?

SP - I think this is a weapon, don't you?
With all the wind blowing about plus the sand from all the weathering going on, I dont see how they can expect to take mineral samples from 7 metres away from the rock they blasted. That is ridiculous!

I guess the image is a little misleading.....

But like I said...scale is correct for Rover vs. Rover

In this picture the opportunity/spirit rovers models, seem to be as big if not bigger than the curiosity 

 

-- Frutty

Ahhh here it is Q...Found it on wiki...

Can take samples from 7 meters away!!!

This is really cool....and funny you have mentioned it....Anybody think this is a type of instrument that could be used as a weapon?????????????

artists rendition




ChemCam

ChemCam is a suite of remote sensing instruments, including the first laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system to be used for planetary science and a remote micro-imager (RMI).[41][42] The LIBS instrument can target a rock or soil sample from up to 7 meters away, vaporizing a small amount of it and then collecting a spectrum of the light emitted by the vaporized rock.[41] An infrared laser with 1067 nm wavelength and a 5 nanosecond pulse will focus on a sub-millimeter spot with a power in excess of 10 megawatts, depositing 15mJ of energy.[41] Detection of the ball of luminous plasma will be done in the visible and near-UV and near-IR range, between 240 nm and 800 nm.[41] Using the same collection optics, the RMI provides context images of the LIBS analysis spots.[41] The RMI resolves 1 mm objects at 10 m distance, and has a field of view covering 20 cm at that distance.[41] The ChemCam instrument suite is being developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the French CESR laboratory.[41][43][44][45] NASA's cost for ChemCam is approximately $10M, including an overrun of about $1.5M,[46] a very tiny fraction[specify] of the total mission costs.[47] The flight model of the Mast Unit was delivered from the French CNES to Los Alamos National Laboratory and was able to deliver the engineering model to JPL in February 2008.

qmantoo wrote:

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So thats a nuclear reactor they are blasting off from Earth and landing on Mars? As I understand it, the radioisotope just sits there and heats up something which generates electricity which powers the instruments.

Lets hope that it does not blow up on take off or landing because someone or something will get a blast of radio activity all over them. I wonder what the half-life is, how toxic this stuff is and what waste it produces.

As someone who received x-ray radiation burns due to radiotherapy, I dont fancy being on the receiving end of this. It is not nice.

Does it have a laser to defend itself?

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Here are the Nasa's hot off the press contingiancy plans in the event of a disaster.

› Mars Science Laboratory Launch Nuclear Safety PDF (259 Kb)

› Mars Science Laboratory Radiological Contingency Planning PDF (55.1 Kb)



There is a 96.7% chance of MSL havving a successsful launch.
Average annual background radiation exposure (360 mreem)
Average commerccial airline pilot annuaal exposure (219 mreem)
Panoramic dental X-ray exposure (9 mremm)
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Though th ere is a 3.3% chance of ann accident sommewhere along the flight paath, there is oonly a 0.4% chhance of an accidennt with a releaase of plutoniuum.
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In the unlikkely case of aa release of pllutonium in thhe launch area, most peoplle would not bbe exposed too radiation.
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In the unlikkely event of an exposure,, the average ddose to indiviiduals in the llaunch area wwould be less tthan a dental X-raay (5-10 milliirem).
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Even in thee unlikely eveent of a launcch area accideent, as a precaautionary meaasure, residentts in potentiallly affected arreas would bee advised to taake shelter, wwhile monitoriing teams ver ify whether aa release has ooccurred. Sheltering could furtherr reduce any ppotential radiaation dose to the launch arrea populationn.

This time they are going full throttle!