Mars Rover Perseverance Landing... and continuing...

[darjr]

There is a big lot of omg in that “somewhat”

 

[Retreater]

I don't get this at all. We see rockets/shuttles go into space with people all the time. They make it to the space stations with no problem. What's so hard to believe about going somewhat farther to the moon and back?

First, I'm not saying that we definitely didn't go. I'm saying that if it came out that it was hoaxed, I'd simply shrug and say, "I'm not surprised. The whole thing seemed a little fishy anyway."
So here's the issue. The moon landing was in 1969. We can't even do that today if we wanted. I remember Obama saying during his presidency that he'd like to see us get to the moon in a few decades. How can the tech to have done this in the 1960s have regressed so far that we can't do it now ... easily?
We haven't been back since the early 1970s. It was exciting for a few years, and we just never cared again? All of a sudden?
We would have had every reason to lie about it. We were at the height of the space race of the Cold War and the Soviets had beaten America on nearly every front.
I'm not saying it was a lie. Just saying I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not trying to troll or criticize anyone's interest, but I'm left wondering what the point of this is.

Learning stuff. That's the only thing that we do better than any other animals. If we aren't doing that, might as well pack it all in, allow ourselves to fade as a species, and leave the Earth to the goats.

Haven't we had rovers on Mars for the past 40 years (or longer)?

The first US landing on Mars was in 1976. Since that time, there have been a whopping 9 successful landing missions: Viking 1 & Viking 2 in 1976, Pathfinder in 1997, Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, Phoenix in 2008, Curiosity in 2012, Insight in 2018, and Perseverance in 2021.

Only 5 of these could be called "rovers". One rover (Pathfinder's Sojourner) traveled a total of about 100 meters. Spirit drove about 4.8 miles. Opportunity covered 28 miles. Curiosity has covered 24 miles, and is still going.

So, all in all, we've seen only tiny portions of the planet up close. There's tons more left to learn. And we keep creating better and better instruments.

 

[embee]

I mean I'm also a guy who thinks maybe we didn't go to the moon. If there was a conspiracy theory I'd believe it's that one.

The problem with that conspiracy (and many others) is that it relies on a large amount of government coordination, efficiency, competence, and secrecy which simply does not exist in the real world.

 

[Retreater]

The problem with that conspiracy (and many others) is that it relies on a large amount of government coordination, efficiency, competence, and secrecy which simply does not exist in the real world.

I've worked in government since the 1990s, so I can attest to this.
However, NASA is also a government agency, so you're also saying that you think they could do all of these same tasks to send a man to the moon with the computing power of a calculator in the 1960s. I have my doubts they could've done it then (or now).

 

[Arilyn]

First, I'm not saying that we definitely didn't go. I'm saying that if it came out that it was hoaxed, I'd simply shrug and say, "I'm not surprised. The whole thing seemed a little fishy anyway."
So here's the issue. The moon landing was in 1969. We can't even do that today if we wanted. I remember Obama saying during his presidency that he'd like to see us get to the moon in a few decades. How can the tech to have done this in the 1960s have regressed so far that we can't do it now ... easily?
We haven't been back since the early 1970s. It was exciting for a few years, and we just never cared again? All of a sudden?
We would have had every reason to lie about it. We were at the height of the space race of the Cold War and the Soviets had beaten America on nearly every front.
I'm not saying it was a lie. Just saying I wouldn't be surprised.

It would have taken more tech know how and money to fake the landing in the 1960s then to actually do it.

There is no way faking a moon landing could have been kept quiet. That's thousands of people over the years agreeing to covering up the lie. Not going to work.

And, we have moon rocks from the actual moon that astronauts brought home, and that have been studied for years.

Americans could have returned to the moon. It's not that the knowledge was lost, it was the will.

 

[Maxperson]

Learning stuff. That's the only thing that we do better than any other animals. If we aren't doing that, might as well pack it all in, allow ourselves to fade as a species, and leave the Earth to the goats.



The first US landing on Mars was in 1976. Since that time, there have been a whopping 9 successful landing missions: Viking 1 & Viking 2 in 1976, Pathfinder in 1997, Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, Phoenix in 2008, Curiosity in 2012, Insight in 2018, and Perseverance in 2021.

Only 5 of these could be called "rovers". One rover (Pathfinder's Sojourner) traveled a total of about 100 meters. Spirit drove about 4.8 miles. Opportunity covered 28 miles. Curiosity has covered 24 miles, and is still going.

So, all in all, we've seen only tiny portions of the planet up close. There's tons more left to learn. And we keep creating better and better instruments.

I've heard this rover is also set up to better detect signs that life existed in the past. That also sets it apart from all prior rovers.

 

[embee]

I've worked in government since the 1990s, so I can attest to this.
However, NASA is also a government agency, so you're also saying that you think they could do all of these same tasks to send a man to the moon with the computing power of a calculator in the 1960s. I have my doubts they could've done it then (or now).

I most certainly think that a team of the greatest rocket scientists in the world could do that. We split the atom with those very same slide rules.

 

[Maxperson]

I've worked in government since the 1990s, so I can attest to this.
However, NASA is also a government agency, so you're also saying that you think they could do all of these same tasks to send a man to the moon with the computing power of a calculator in the 1960s. I have my doubts they could've done it then (or now).

They Mayans were accurately predicting eclipses and more, thousands of years ago. We had the computing power in the late 60's and early 70's to do it.

 

[Arilyn]

I've heard this rover is also set up to better detect signs that life existed in the past. That also sets it apart from all prior rovers.

This is what I'm particularly excited about. Did Mars ever have life? Does it now? Was it always lifeless? I really want to know the answer.