NASA's Curiosity picks up new skills

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/marking-13-years-on-mars-nasas-curiosity-picks-up-new-skills/

by Bluestein • 12 months ago

160 52 12 months ago

jpl.nasa.gov

shmeeed2• 12 months ago

Go Curiosity!

accrual• 12 months ago

I hope one day Curiosity will be an exhibit in one of the first Martian exploration museums established on the red planet. The rover can stand proudly in warm, cozy structure after decades of research on the brutal surface.

Bluestein10• 12 months ago

What was that movie (one of many I am sure) ...

... were our imperiled heroes save their 'hinds by locating and jerryrigging a defunct piece of hardware that was left behind from a previous mission?

_Algernon_• 12 months ago

The happy ending: https://imgur.com/he-did-good-job-VbKV9DF

svdr• 12 months ago

When images of Mars are shown on social media, there always is a flood of 'Devon island, Canada' comments, so depressing!

simpaticoder2• 12 months ago

One of the most curious aspects of the internet is how it creates the illusion of providing insight into public opinion. There is a strong desire to understand not only what is happening in the world but also how people are responding to it. In the absence of more reliable indicators, we tend to rely on whatever signals the internet offers. Even when, as internet- and media-saavy technologists, we know very well how personal behavior is distorted by anonymity, the desire for attention and clout, and the lack of accountability. Why do we all (and I include myself) so easily and often forget this simple truth, and fall into the trap of believing the world population consists mostly of the ignorant and malicious people that haunt public comment sections?

kevinventullo3• 12 months ago

If only there was some kind of major indicator of overall public sentiment, conducted nationally, say every four years, which might allow one to draw conclusions about the portion of the population who is either ignorant or malicious. Surely the data would show the vast majority of my countrymen are rational, thoughtful people.

plemer• 12 months ago

In the absence of more reliable indicators

This is half the answer, though we'd also need those indicators to be plentiful and compelling.

we know very well how personal behavior is distorted

This points to the other half: humans are irrational by default. We tend to believe what we "experience" - see, hear, etc. - even if we know it's a lie. Have you seen those videos of people in VR glasses panicking as if they're about to die because they've just fallen off a virtual cliff?

Consider also the Illusory Consensus Effect: mere repetition of information increases the estimates of group members that other group members believe or already know that information. Logically redundant, rhetorically effective.

We're apes with a souped up prefrontal cortex - critical thinking is expensive so applied selectively (see Tversky and Kahneman, System 1 vs System 2 thinking).

Intralexical4• 12 months ago

I used to think social media algorithms created a distorted view of public opinion on the Internet.

Now I know that even without engagement-maximizing algorithms or anonymity, most content on the Internet is still from self-selecting outliers. You don't walk down the street and listen to whoever shouts at you the loudest to gauge public opinion, so why care about Internet commenters (including me or you) when statistically normal people are "lurkers" who read and move on?

Why do we all (and I include myself) so easily and often forget this simple truth, and fall into the trap of believing the world population consists mostly of the ignorant and malicious people that haunt public comment sections?

Because we've had millions of years to evolve our social instincts, and not even a single generation to adapt to the current state of public comment sections? In real life, where there aren't the same sampling biases, it makes perfect sense to believe the perspectives that are repeated by peers (as honest indicators of public opinion, if not at face value).

Also because there are major profit incentives for social media companies to make people think they're important fora for public discourse.

I think for-profit social media should probably be viewed as adversarial attackers. Their incentives are not aligned with what we need for healthy relationships and discussions. But even if you remove the profit incentive, it's still a new environment that we lack natural immunity to.

Intralexical4• 12 months ago

That makes Devon Island, Canada sound really cool, though.

johnklos• 12 months ago

It's a little bit nitpicky, but I really wish technical people wouldn't generalize incorrectly:

"...maximizing the life of the MMRTG for more science and exploration down the road"

Will the MMRTG's plutonium decay more slowly if more electricity is used? No. So where's the value in generalizing poorly?

Bluestein10• 12 months ago

Good point-

I guess in a way less overall consumption might prolong life? (heat, wear on the electronics ...)

justinrubek• 12 months ago

It could be that it prolongs the useful life by reducing the power needs such that it can be used for longer

hnuser123456• 12 months ago

Yeah, sloppy writing. They're maximizing how quickly they can complete tasks by multi-tasking and enter sleep mode sooner, reducing recharge time and reducing the amount of energy wasted on systems that are in active standby. They rediscovered race to idle.

imoverclocked• 12 months ago

I think "rediscovered" is a bit dismissive. Upgrading software on a computer whose capabilities are akin to the state-of-the-art in the late 1990s and is 12-13 light minutes away is non-trivial. Also, no pressure because losing contact means the end of a whole team. I'm pretty sure they know a lot of things they could do but don't because the risk/reward ratio is too high... all without "rediscovering" it.

zokier• 12 months ago

More generous reading of the entire sentence would be that the usable life of the mmrtg is increased by improving the energy efficiency of the rover. The mmrtg power output is constantly decreasing, and so it is reasonable to say that the mmrtg reaches end of life when the power output is not enough to operate the rover. So that cutoff point depends on the power demands of the rover.

Intralexical4• 12 months ago

Yeah. There's nothing wrong with that statement. Reducing the minimum power required will obviously prolong the life of a system that has a monotonically decaying power supply.

The problem with being nitpicky is that fixating on isolated/arbitrary details often just means missing the bigger picture in a way that's even more incorrect. Good for "gotchas", but not intellectually productive.

protocolture• 12 months ago

maximizing the life

Getting the most out of its life. Doing more science per time remaining. It reads fine to me.

colechristensen3• 12 months ago

I really wish technical people wouldn't generalize incorrectly

I really wish technical people from other fields wouldn't come in and nitpick so much when the meaning is obvious.

Will the MMRTG's plutonium decay more slowly if more electricity is used?

Nobody would think this is what they meant.

paulmooreparks• 12 months ago

From the article:

Providing ample power for the rovers’ many science instruments, MMRTGs are known for their longevity (the twin Voyager spacecraft have relied on RTGs since 1977). But as the plutonium decays over time, it takes longer to recharge Curiosity’s batteries, leaving less energy for science each day.

Intralexical4• 12 months ago

For example, Curiosity’s radio regularly sends data and images to a passing orbiter, which relays them to Earth. Could the rover talk to an orbiter while driving, moving its robotic arm, or snapping images?

Love the imagery this conjures.

One man band Curiosity, patting its head and rubbing its stomach at the same time!

russellbeattie• 12 months ago

Over the next year, Curiosity and other exploration programs will most likely be shut down as a waste of taxpayer money.

The administration has proposed a 50% cut to NASA's budget for the next fiscal year, but Congress pushed back and it looks like it'll "only" be a ~25% cut. Still a total bloodbath.

It's incredibly sad that we're seeing the dismantling of American science by leaders who have no understanding nor respect for it. The damage being done to our country right now is incalculable.

colechristensen3• 12 months ago

I'm sick of people blaming leaders. The people voted for this. The entire country is in a bad place, we are not being held hostage by our elected leaders, we created this monster through our actions and inactions.

Cthulhu_• 12 months ago

Some Republican voters are still doing mental gymnastics and saying the Democrats should've done something to stop the Republicans, or it's their own fault for not having a better candiate, or other such things themselves.

The whole system / society is broken by people and leaders who refuse to take responsibility, on both sides of the aisle. And it's intentional.

potato3732842• 12 months ago

Whenever I hear about them doing cool new things with the various space probes and rovers I can't help but think the situation was along the lines of "now that we're done with the core mission stuff and Sauron's gaze has averted (i.e. management has a new shiny to care about) we can really play cowboy putting it through its paces".

Bluestein10• 12 months ago

I would not discard this is oft where a lot - if not most of the actual discovery happens ...

... pushing the envelope.-

thread_id• 12 months ago

Does anyone consider the possibiity that this site and content are neither NASA nor JPL? The URL is suspicious and certificate is not trusted.

Update: It's actually my Safari Browser which is giving me this message. Works fine on google.

slater• 12 months ago

It's JPL's site, under NASA.gov. It's legitimate, and the certificate works for me.

NASA's Curiosity picks up new skills

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