Summary
With the Mars rover now ready to proceed with its investigation of the
Red planet, scientists on planet Earth, are extremely excited about the
potential for scientific knowledge that the rover may offer us. These
articles keep referring to the 90-day lifespan of the rover, however,
and this seems rather confusing. Isn't the Mars rover solar powered?
And if so, can't you just sit in the sun for a couple of days, recharge
its batteries, and then proceed with a few more hours of roving? It
seems that for $800 million, we ought to get more than 90 days out of
his rover, and with the unlimited energy potential of the solar panel,
there seems to be no limit to the lifespan of the rover if it can stay
mechanically sound. Nevertheless, even if the rover stays active for a
mere 90 days, it's going to be an exciting 90 days that will hopefully
return some very good science to planet Earth.
Original source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/science/16MARS.html?ex=1074834000&
;en=7420461ab1119f9b&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
Details
NASAThe Spirit rover made its first foray onto the surface of Mars on
Thursday, covering 10 feet in 78 seconds from its landing platform.
All six metal wheels of the robotic rover Spirit rested on the reddish
surface of Mars early yesterday after the successful drive off its
landing platform.
The 5-foot-long 400-pound rover is a self-contained vehicle with its
own solar-power system, computer and other controls, transmitters and
antennas and a set of advanced cameras and instruments.
It is designed to operate four to five hours a day on detailed
instructions for each day's automated operations fed into its computer
by scientists and engineers at the control center.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds.
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