Pillownaut Muse

After my follow-up DEXA Bone Scan last winter, and the nice article NASA's Human Research Program published about me and other past pillownauts in preparation for the new simulation protocols, I didn't expect much more to happen. It's been many years since my studies, and my blog is now only rarely updated.

I pondered perhaps "over-hauling" this site to be a #SciComm hub -- but honestly, I think there are so many great existing Science Communication sites, and I will work to amplify those. I figured I'd had my 15 minutes of fame, and decided to leave my old blog "as-is" as a historical record of how I lived through the unique experiences of Space Flight Simulations projects at NASA.

But. Every time I think I'll never hear about it again, another author or press outlet comes knocking. Last time it was Charles Wohlforth, and you should definitely still read his great book, "Beyond Earth: Our Path To a New Home in the Planet." My father was very impressed they devoted more space to me than to Neil Armstrong, so we may have to put that on my tombstone.

Along came Minute Number 16...

Muse Magazine asked to feature my studies and chose the same title, just spelled a bit differently! In "Beyawned Earth," writer Jen Mason compiled many of my past blog excerpts, a few older press turns, and many of my personal photographs from quarantine into an exceptional article designed to teach students about space flight and how it affects the "biological packages" that travel in spacecrafts.

Reading the finished product, I was definitely the happiest I've ever been with an interview. I've had TV and radio stations ask me exhaustingly inappropriate questions; sometimes even reputable outlets go for the sensationalist spin by giving the study clever little [incorrect] nicknames or dwelling on incidental details, like how we manage to shower during simulations, or that we cannot have sugar or caffeine or salt in quarantine. Sure, those things are challenging, but not life-threatening. They pale in the quest for good data.

However, MUSE Magazine hired a skilled and serious writer who truly nailed the science. After literally a decade of interviews in varied formats, and even being featured on the NASA website itself, this was really the first full-length article that revolved around MY OWN WORDS REGARDING MY OWN EXPERIENCES. This is the closest article to what I would have written myself. Maybe someday, some outlet will invite me to do so. Hope springs eternal.

I was gratified that this particular entity put the science in detailed and accurate terms, because it's directed at students and young adults potentially getting started in scholastic concentrations, and beginning to think about choosing majors.

Issue came out in March, and I was thrilled to receive copies by May, after I returned from my 6-week trek in Europe. You can order back issues of Muse Magazine yourself, or subscribe your teens, at Cricket Media.

My entire list of articles has been updated to include the last 2 years.

Space Junk 2: Surface Litter

Continuing on from yesterday's essay about the floating trash heaps we clever little monkeys keep unleashing into space, I though it was also worth mentioning the things we have sent to the orbit or surface of other celestial bodies.

Click for list of objects on Mars

Did you know the United States sent five probes to planet Venus in 1978? Then an orbiter in 1989. The Soviet Union sent 16 crafts to Venus between 1966 and 1985, including capsules, landers and even "balloon gondolas". You read that right. Balloon gondolas. No space-faring nation has sent anything since around the time the movie "Back To The Future" came out.

Still, even bringing up the rear of mysteries we have explored in our inner solar system, the scattering of major hardware on Venus amounts to 50,000 pounds or 25 tons. That's an awful lot of metal, slowly melting on the hot Venusian crust!

Click for a graphic of large objects mapped on the Moon

We hear far more about Mars in the news and popular culture, but only a fraction of similar metal exists on the red planet. And here, of course, some are still operational and moving about!

As of last summer, when the Curiosity MSL Rover landed successfully,  all the artificial objects on Mars, compliments of NASA, RFSA, and the ESA, come to 20,000 pounds or 10 tons.

It may sound like a substantial heap of hardware, but it's a relatively meager showing, considering that's only 13 crafts total out of 42 attempts! It's also a mere 5% of what we have landed or smashed into the moon.

It is not as easy to reach Mars and land as we might think. The majority of crafts sent up have either failed somewhere along the way, or suffered communication malfunctions, leaving their fate a mystery.


However, the list of lunar junk truly sets the record for off-world trash heaps. Our moon holds a whopping 393,000 pounds of space crafts, or just under 200 tons of human-made objects.

The USA, USSR, Japan, the European Union, India, and China now have 73 probes, [intentionally] crashed orbiters, landers and rovers on the lunar surface.

Wonder which of these will be heritage sites, national parks or Earth Monuments when we are finally a space-faring species? Or will we just send a clean-up crew? Either way, each of the lists linked above have convenient coordinates listed, so it's fun to go to Google Moon or Google Mars and map the human hardware!

The Year of Curiosity

One year ago today, Curiosity Rover, carrying the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), landed on Mars. There were 127 landing parties in the USA and 15 other countries, and thousands of people watched breathlessly until news of the successful landing gave way to raucous celebrations all over the globe!


NASA Television had a record number of viewers. NASA.gov went DOWN. Ustream froze. Live data feeds tanked due to the onslaught of online demand. The world watched. Together. And believe it or not, the fun has just barely begun...!

Neil deGrasse Tyson predicted the risky Entry, Descent, & Landing (EDL) would fail. Many of us writers considered preparing two articles -- one for success and one for a crash. I spent days feeling sick to my stomach at the idea of what would happen to the NASA budget for Mars missions if Curiosity didn't land safely. (Humanity doesn't exactly have a stellar success rate with missions to the red planet!)

Everything that could have gone right, went right. Every expected signal arrived. Everyone who worked on this magnificent mission of space exploration can be proud, choked up, relieved and sleepless-for-days jubilant! And millions of us who had followed this mission for years could finally say that our most cutting edge technology now roves on the fourth rock from the sun.

I saw the very first images on a huge screen at the largest landing party on Earth. By the time the EDL was in progress, more than 7,000+ people had congregated at NASA Ames Research Center near Moffett Field in California. The cheer that rose from that crowd when we knew Curiosity had landed safely was utterly EPIC!  The roar upon receiving the first photograph on Martian terrain...? Well, I'm pretty sure people in Las Vegas heard us.


MSL Curiosity has since drilled rocks, fired lasers at soil target, photographed landslides, ound streambeds, and even photographed the Martian moon Phobos overhead!

From Bradbury to Glenelg,from Rocknest to Point Lake, from Shaler to Cumberland, and on to the base of Mt, Sharp, MSL is making herself at home in Gale Crater, teaching us more about Mars than we ever thought possible: radiation, what was once under water, volcanic vs. sedimentary rocks, determined temperature and humidity, nature of Martian minerals, and most importantly -- what is now almost certainly proof of ancient habitability.

This advanced rover found evidence that geochemical conditions were once suitable for microbial life.  MSL Curiosity detected water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, chloromethane, and dichloromethane.What happened to the Martian atmosphere over the last billion years? We know it was there.  And now, thanks to MSL, scientists finally know why Mars changed!

Curiosity, which may last as long as a decade on Mars, may be able to tell us so much more! So stay tuned for good science.  A toast to the first 354 sols!  May there be thousands!

NOTE: The anniversary being celebrated today and tomorrow represent one Earth year. 668 sols of the Martian year (687 equivalent Earth days) would put the Martian Anniversary on July 14, 2014 .

Venus on Mars

Another year, another orbit around the sun! And one of my favorite annual events is honoring Yuri's first orbit around the Earth. I had the pleasure of spending Yuri's Night at the Chabot Space and Science Center in the Joaquin Park hills, and was further treated to an all-female panel of professionals who each drew upon their particular life expertise to discuss human fascination with planet Mars.

The draw of the evening was MBA Sharon Wright, mother of Bobak "Mohawk Guy" Ferdowsi. Yeah, remember that dude from NASA JPL? The one who became an internet sensation, but was too busy landing a rover on Mars to notice.

Very pleased to meet Mohawk Guy's Mom

Overall, the theme was kinda... MARS NEEDS WOMEN! Excuse the devolution into meme, but of course, listening to each speaker, it was difficult not to feel the reality of how "under-represented" women are in STEM fields. We are quite nearly non-existent in Mars analog experiments, efforts to explore Mars, and even in science fiction about Mars over the past few centuries.

Happily, SF State professor Jan Millsapps, who hosted the proceedings, opened with a history of Mars in literature (both observational and creative), and seeks to rectify the lack of XX-Chromosomes with her new novel. "Venus on Mars" follows the Martian discoveries of Wrexie Louise Leonard, real-life secretary to astronomer Percival Lowell in the Victorian era, at a time when women weren't even allowed to look through telescopes.

Venus on Mars

NASA Ames Planetary Scientist Carol Stoker covered the technical challenges to reaching Mars, detailing her long-term work with red planet landers and rovers, and the parameters of our hopes and dreams in extra-terrestrial astrobiology.  In terms of seek life as we know it, or more probably "life as we don't know it", she uttered perhaps my favorite quotable quip of the evening -- that she is "convinced robots or rovers won't find life. We need the hardware between brains and eyes for that."

Filmmaker-Producer Susan Bell and I tweeted Carol's quips, and many other gems from the event (with hashtag #ChabotMars) as part of Susan's Prezi presentation and promotion of NASA Socials, popular space agency events that have covered MSL Curiosity's construction, launch and landing.

@Tweetsoutloud

Nadia Drake, WIRED Magazine science reporter, then ran a slideshow about modern Mars exploration, including the fundraising efforts of MarsOne, and the philanthropic Inspiration Mars. Female volunteers for the one-way trip? Send in your audition tape! Married couple for Mars flyby?  Well, commercial companies are determined to reach these milestones with the help of both genders, even if government space agencies are not.

Sharon Wright was last to discuss our fascination with Mars, both as a scientific curiosity and a destination.  Per her arrangements, her son, Bobak Ferdowsi (one of the flight directors of the Curiosity Mars Rover) surprised us briefly via video feed, and provided the finale to the presentations before Q&A.

Q&A with Sharon Wright & Carol Stoker (NASA Ames)

All in all, a rare and wonderful night for female Mars enthusiasts, and I was gratified to see parents with daughters in tow.  We wrapped the evening by visiting the rooftop telescopes to view three of the four Galilean Moons of the Jovian system, and a beautiful nebula! The perfect ending to Yuri's Night!

To see group photos and slide show highlights of the evening, as well as various space exhibits at Chabot, click on any picture above to visit the Pillownaut Picasa Gallery on Google!

MarsFest!

This weekend, is anyone heading out to the desert for MarsFest? Sure wish I'd heard the details earlier, so I could have planned a road trip! At the very least, I hope to give a heads up to other Californians who may be able to drive to Mojave.

Then, it's all about the ANALOG world!

Having done medical analog projects with future Mars missions in mind, and having followed the Mars500analog experiment so closely, I'm always gratified to see scientists and space enthusiasts spread the word about how important it is to examine all the issues involved in reaching the Red Planet.

 Don't let the name "Death Valley" scare you off. The location is all part of the point. These days, we have dependable trucks, bottled water, and a healthy knowledge of the survival techniques needed to hold an "other-planetary" educational festival, even in the desert! Like the continual Mars habitat experiments in Utah and Devon Island, the environment drives home just how inhospitable our closest planetary neighbor might be.  How can we prepare ourselves to examine the alien environment, survive in hostile conditions, and recognize other-worldly forms of life that might surprise us?

The full MarsFest schedule is wondrously packed with practical activities, field trips, meals and lectures across many Mars-analog terrains, including the Ubehebe Volcano Crater, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Inyo (Curiosity Rover's "rehearsal" site), and Badwater Basin, for examination of isolated microbial life.

So say the many press releases from MarsFest sponsors:

The goal of MarsFest is to raise public awareness about planetary research as well as celebrate the scientific endeavor of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. A suite of instruments, mounted on the Curiosity Rover, is helping to determine if Mars can currently sustain or has ever supported life. Several of Curiosity's experiments were designed by Ames scientists who have also worked in Death Valley, and will be actively supporting the festival. MarsFest will offer insight into these excursions and about Curiosity's findings since landing on Mars in August 2012.

The MarsFest (this is only the second one, but I hope this continues as an annual event in the future!) is created, planned, hosted and conducted by the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI), NASA Ames, NASA Goddard, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the United States National Park Service.

Hats! Sunblock! Sturdy shoes! And remember to bring your Mars Rover Hot Wheels! ;)

The 10 Most Bizarre Space Experiments

My first appearance in a textbook! After numerous turns on the internet, radio and television, I'm truly proud that I've been able to contribute to an educational resource for children. Hopefully it will serve to initiate a fascination with space research for some young minds.

Rubicon Publishing has recently released "The 10 Most Bizarre Space Experiments", a fun and fascinating look into various space projects around the world... and off the world!

TheCanadian company who writes "The 10" series of books contacted me with a request for personal photographs insights into my personal experience with bedrest studies. These programs are used to simulate spaceflight so scientists and doctors can study changes in human bodies in prolonged weightlessness.

It was refreshing to talk about the details of the studies again, since of course it's been quite awhile now since I did extended quarantine with spaceflight protocols. Happily, however, these studies are still going strong, and many new studies are also developed each year for new participants.  Johnson Space Center is still seeking healthy paid volunteers for studies like the one I shared here with Rubicon, and new programs involving the newest space station treadmill.

Ah, memories... but, I was not the star of the tiny tome by any means. A complete list of all the featured stories include:

1. LEGO on ISS
2. Six-legged Astronauts
3. Newts in Space
4. Cola Wars
5. Mars500
6. The Bedrest Experiment
7. Balloon Jump From Space
8. Moon Bricks
9. Space Underwear
10. Telepathy From Space

One of my favorite simulations, performed as a joint project by the European and Russian space agencies, is the Mars500. I followed all three of their missions for years! My feature ends on page 5, and the Mars500 feature begins on page 6! What an absolute honor to be in the same pages of a book with them. Of course, perhaps they would also consider it an honor to be included with a book of long-term space experiments and yeeeeeeears of comparable NASA studies.

I sure wish I could give a link to where the book can be purchased that would work for everyone! However, the target audience is Canadian educators, so it won't be made widely available.  However, if anyone has connections to any of the experiments and would like a look at the particular pages, please let me know!

Next Step: HUMANS ON MARS

I'm leaping, sure. I'm arguably so over-excited about a 6-wheel drive science lab on the Red Planet, that I hope people are energized to support space exploration! Come on, even Britney Spears tweeted about the Curiosity Rover.

We have the admiration of the president, the attention of the nation -- indeed, of many nations. Can we suggest a truly renewed effort to get HUMANS to Mars?


Most space enthusiasts, from Neil deGrasse Tyson on PBS to anyone attending the average Star Trek Con (that would be me) can tell you the iconic "5 Greatest Challenges In Getting Humans To Mars"...
1. Need for quicker propulsion craft with less fuel
2. Long duration weightlessness causes bone and muscle deterioration
3. Radiation, radiation, radiation
4. Appetizing and non-perishable food
5. Meteoroids pummeling the spaceship along the way...

And of course, the unspoken elephant in the rooms are always the massive costs and collaboration of nations.


As to the technical difficulties, from NASA bedrest studies to Hawaii's new space food trials, from Franklin Chang-Diaz's plasma rocket to Mars500 and other analog simulations, agencies and universities all over the world are trying to tackle these problems from all angles.

I personally participated in the bed rest studies as a form of "space flight simulation", mimicking the body processes that change during weightlessness. While I appreciated the Earthbound uses for the data in terms of osteoporosis and pregnant women on bedrest, my primary reason for participating was for the sake of getting humans to planet Mars, no doubt.

The same can be said for all these bodies of research. Real-world applications? Absolutely. Yet, the primary reason they inspire and go forward is the long-term dream of planetary exploration.

Or, if you're of the "Reality Television" type, click here ;)

However you do it, support these initiatives! Even if you just comb SPACEHACK and look for a project to engage in from your laptop -- hey, tweet it, Facebook it, get the word out! Support research and support space agencies! In terms of survival and progress, they are the bet Bang For Buck the Earth has ever known...

Mars Curiosity Landing Weekend

CheMin! #NASASocial! Camilla SDO! Mars Science Lab developers! Landing Party! Ames Expo! Mohawk Guy! Good Luck Peanuts! Wheels Down! Celebration!

It's all there. And more. In my Mars Curiosity Weekend Photograph Gallery... and a treasured picture album this will always be. Well, expect the part apart about being freezing cold, sitting outside in the wind until midnight, then sneezing my way through the press conference at the end.

#NASASocial & Ames Landing Party

Still, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world... what a ride! Literally! What a drop! What a landing! And soon, when all the systems are tested, we will begin roving, photographing, sampling and analyzing.

Major shout-out to our Los Altos homeboy, David Blake. Having been featured in the hometown newspapers of late, we natives of the San Francisco Bay Area are all very proud of and happy for Blake, also featured recently on KQED Quest.

With David Blake in his lab

Blake spent 22 years perfecting the CheMin instruments, now safely landed on Mars. His devices should tell us all we need to know about conditions for life, and possible past life on the Red Planet!

Events at the NASA Ames Research Center included booths, toys, lectures, and NASA TV feeds on two giant screens at either of the parade grounds. It was cold. It was windy. It was nerve-wracking. However, I didn't see anyone bail. Everyone hung on until nearly midnight, watching the commentary, signals, landing and ensuing celebrations and tests. Unfortunately, it was too dark to take pictures by the time we had something to celebrate... so it was hard to "see" all the jubilation, but I will never forget the sound of it!

At the Ames Expo booths prior to evening landing

Many folks at all the 6 NASA Socials and major Landing Parties at JPL, Ames, KSC, JSC, Goddard, Glen and Langley met tons of designers, engineers, builders, testers, drivers, mission controllers and launch crew who sent to her to Mars. Seems like just about all these chaps have groupies and disciples now, particularly if they are busy on Twitter, where they accrued thousands of followers almost overnight! So far, my favorite is Master of Mars, Adam Steltzner.

Mohawk Guy!

All the attention must be blowing their minds! But wow, I don't think anyone is more shocked than poor Flight Director Bobak Ferdowsi. He must think he is in the Twilight Zone, or something. Really, even after all the style variables on the native American warrior 'do in the 1980s, basic mohawk haircuts can still cause this much of a ruckus?! I picture people stopping him in the grocery store now, "Hey, you're Mohawk Man from NASA TV." Surreal.

Ah well, enjoy it while you can. This is the moment for everyone who worked on MSL over the years, at every NASA center, to shine! Click on any of the pictures above, or click here to see the entire MSL Landing Weekend gallery over at Pillownaut Picasa.

Because This Is What Inspiration Looks Like

I almost pulled an Apollo-Nixon speech-writing routine on this event. I always plan and begin writing blog posts days or even weeks ahead. While preparing for MSL events, I thought, "Perhaps I should prepare two blog posts... one for if it lands safely and roves, and one for if it crashes and we are all devastated and mourning."


We don't have a great record against Mars. But then I thought... no. This is a moment to trust the brains behind the hardware, and hold to the credible hope that a positive outcome would be momentous if it was the only one expected.

The celebration of Mars Curiosity's triumphant EDL was then even more amazing than any of us had dared to imagine. Everything that could have gone right, went right. Every sign and signal expected, came. Everyone who worked on this magnificent mission of space exploration can be proud, choked up, relieved and sleepless-for-days jubilant! And millions of us who have been following this mission for years can finally say we are on the fourth rock from the sun:


I enjoyed seeing the sci-fives and hugs at the lead center, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, though I was happy and grateful to watch from NASA Ames Research Center -- which hosted one of the largest landing parties on Earth! By the time the EDL was in progress, more than 7,000+ people had congregated near Moffett Field in California. The cheer that rose from that crowd when we knew Curiosity had landed safely was absolutely EPIC!

Say what you want about us crazy Yanks, but we work longer hours and take fewer vacations than any culture in the world. Our failures are sometimes acute, but unlike many other space agencies, we've never tried to hide them or keep them secret. We do it all in public, for better or for worse. Our successes have been grand, and at times that makes our exhibitionism a point of national pride.

This is one of those times. Love us or hate us, we attempt huge endeavours, and our finales are blaring loud. Now, I know there are always going to be naysayers who do not understand that their entire lifestyles are dependent upon space programs. There will always be people who think space is a waste of money, and here is why they will always, always be wrong:

Because this is what INSPIRATION looks like...


Because this is how PIONEERS do it...


Because this is how HARD WORK and SUCCESS feel...


Because this is how LEADERS OF WORLDS behave.

Some people were more dignified than others ;)

As a nation, nobody else knocks it out of the park quite like we do, and yes, I used a baseball analogy right there on purpose. When you lead the way through inspiring intellectual feats, you stimulate everything from hearts to minds to education to science to commerce to GNP to peace.

All told, there were 127 landing parties all over the globe for this event, in the United States and 15 other countries.

NASA Television had a record number of viewers. NASA.gov went DOWN. Ustream froze. Live data feeds tanked due to the onslaught of online demand. The world watched. Together. And believe it or not, the fun has just barely begun...!

NASA Ames Social

Back at the Cathedral of Flow! Yes, NASA Ames, land of the Wind Tunnels.

The last awesome event at Ames Research Center (ARC) centered around Kepler, but this time, it's all about the Mars Curiosity Rover!

Ames from the Air, from my Cessna Skyhawk Tour!

As per my description of all the onboard science equipment and the EDL sequence for the newest and largest-ever Mars rover, much of the design came from ARC!

Ames engineers conducted a full-scale MSL parachute deployment, small-scale verification tests, as well as supersonic tests to study the interaction between the MSL Capsule and parachute during atmospheric entry. All tested in the famed Supersonic Wind Tunnels... and rumor has it we may get to see one.

We are beginning bright and early today, and will start by hooking up with the other 5 NASA socials being held today in various NASA field centers. The lead center for the Mars Science Laboratory events will be the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California.

Mission Emblem & Pins, designed by Susan Bell

To follow along throughout the weekend, see the NASA Television Schedule for engineering and science briefings, live streams from the media socials, the Sunday landing, and recaps up until August 10th. Our sturdy MSL buddy should be roving madly by then, and taking all manner of awesome panoramic pictures near Gale Crater.

For my and Team Camilla's updates, you can follow @Pillownaut, @Camilla_SDO and @acwynn!

Fourth Rock From The Sun

As of late yesterday, the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) sequence for Mars Curiosity has begun! As MSL prepares for landing on or solar system's "Fourth Rock", it's a good time to learn about what it will be doing on the surface for the next two years!

Well, it's expected to last two years... though with its nuclear power source fueled by plutonium-238, it could conceivably last a decade. I hope.

Click for Mars Curiosity Rover Press Kit

Behold the miniature laboratory! The Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity Rover, comes with advanced sensors and experimentation equipment, laser, a 7-foot-long robotic arm, and 17 cameras!

NASA Engineers and project managers compiled a beautiful 60-page Press Kit for MSL that contains an overview of planet Mars, MSL mission objectives, history of Mars exploratory treks, Curiosity's landing site and EDL breakdown, and a complete -- one might even say exhaustive -- description of all onboard instruments.

Absolutely worth the read...

Camilla SDO visits the Curiosity Clean Room

Here are the major highlights, wildly, wildly condensed:

• MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrument (MEDLI): Engineers from Ames & Langley collaborated to design and build sophisticated plugs with multiple temperature sensors that measure atmospheric conditions and performance of the heat shield.

• Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA): Ames researchers invented the unique thermal protection system consisting of tiles that the MSL spacecraft will use to safely reach the Martian surface.

• Parachute: Ames engineers conducted a full-scale MSL parachute deployment, small-scale verification tests, as well as supersonic tests to study the interaction between the MSL Capsule and parachute during atmospheric entry. All tested in the NASA Ames wind tunnels.


• Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument (CheMin): Ames scientists developed this definitive mineralogy instrument to identify and quantify the minerals in Martian rocks and soils, delivered by the ...um, robotic arm shovel, otherwise known as the Sample Acquisition, Sample Processing and Handling (SA/SPaH) system.

• MSL InterfaCE (MSLICE): JPL and Ames engineers developed this software tool to plan the science activities of the Mars rover and maximize scientific research.

Live inside the Mars Rover clean room (2011)

Also on board:

• Spectrometers:
Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam), Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction/X-Ray Fluorescence Instrument (inside the CheMin), Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite

• Radiation Detectors:
Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN)

• Environmental Sensors:
Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)

• Atmospheric Sensors:
Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI)

Cost? $2.5 billion. Oh baby, you'd better not crash...

Mars Curiosity: Big Deal!

Mars Curiosity is a big deal. In fact, in terms of the chronological history of all Mars exploration hardware, it's the biggest!

Spirit/Oppy Rover model, Sojourner and Curiosity

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), built at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is 2.7 metres long (8.8 feet) and weighs in at 900 kilograms, or just under 1 ton. About 80kg of that bulk is an array scientific instruments (that I will describe in tomorrow's post).

The last two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity, were each 1.57 metres and weighed 174 kilograms, each with about 7kg of instruments.

Rover Sojourner? The baby of the bunch, at 10.6kg...roughly the size of your microwave oven.


The Apollo LRV or Lunar Roving Vehicle, is truly the only space auto that matches Curiosity for size. Used for moon driving on Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions, the battery-powered LRV was 3 metres long, though considerably lighter than MSL at a bouncy 210kg.

Curiosity, in comparison to past robots, could truly be considered the first "Mega-Rover" of the American space program. As the largest and most complex mobile science lab designed to visit another planet, MSL will attempt to determine if planet Mars ever had or still has any environmental conditions favorable to supporting life and search for clues in the terrain about possible past microbial life.

Note, that is somewhat different and more precise an objective than some of the spurious claims in the press about how Curiosity is "searching for life on Mars".


Only a few more days to go now before the mega-rover touches down! Curiosity's target will be a small landing ellipse at Gale Crater near the Martian equator. MSL, if not blown off course, will land near the base of Aeolis Mons, also often called "Mount Sharp", in Aelois Palus.

Curiosity is currently scheduled to land at approximately 1:31 am EDT Aug. 6 (10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5)... and even the dual LED large screens in New York's Time Square will be carrying the NASA TV feed live!