21.6.07

Giant Robots

Phoenix is the next Mars rover lander to be launched (in August, I believe), but after that (at the end of 2009) we have Mars Science Laboratory. Now, if I already knew that the reason these two landers aren't touching down the same way the current two Mars rovers did* is because they are too large, I never took on board just how bloody enormous MSL is going to be. Take a look at Emily Lakdawalla's post on the Planetary Society blog here, including images and video of the MSL 'mobility model'.

This is how The Terminator gets started, I'm sure.

*A barmy method by which they fell out of the sky surrounded by airbags before bouncing to a halt.

4 comments:

Udge said...

Now you've got me curious too, I shall have to go and look up the project to see how they will be landing those. A suitable task for the weekend.

Pacian said...

This may be of interest, in that case.

Phoenix will be landing using thrusters, in a pretty similar fashion to the Viking landers. (And I now realise that Phoenix is a lander and not a rover. Whoops!)

AfKaP said...

Hmm, I think pink recycling trucks would be great home bases for invading mobile lab terminators. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, anyone?

Udge said...

Cool. What a strange idea (lowered on cables). I presume that the inventors were fans of Thunderbirds.