Explanation: Mars looks pretty sharp in this backyard telescope image captured on July 23 from Hoegaarden, Belgium, planet Earth. The Red Planet's bright south polar cap is bathed in sunlight at the top of the inverted view, while the dark feature known as Syrtis Major extends toward the right (eastern) edge. Rising around midnight for now, the Red Planet is months away from its own opposition in early October. Telescopic views will improve even more as Earth, in its faster orbit, catches up to Mars, the ruddy disk growing larger and brighter still. The martian Jezero Crater is within the Syrtis Major region. That's the landing site for NASA's 2020 Mars Rover Perseverance, scheduled for launch today.
One can only imagine Waring states on this planet. If the shadows were filled with water and the seas of long ago filled with life. Only the red oxide remaining. So we may build vessels to carry us. With our simple red blood.
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:27 am
by orin stepanek
Pack your bags; were going to Mars!
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 12:21 pm
by XgeoX
I worry this latest dust storm is going to ruin the view like at the last opposition. All I ever got to see was the brilliant ice cap. That was great and always a thrill but I keep thinking of what I missed.
Please o God of War keep your skies clear this time so I may gaze at your blood red beauty!!!
NASA’s Perseverance rover is headed to Mars, the third spacecraft to head that way this month.
Perseverance, a robotic wheeled vehicle designed to look for signs of past life on Mars, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday at 7:50 a.m. Eastern time. The launch was pushed back a couple of weeks by a series of technical delays and overcame challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, which required many of its engineers to work from home.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is headed to Mars, the third spacecraft to head that way this month.
Perseverance, a robotic wheeled vehicle designed to look for signs of past life on Mars, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday at 7:50 a.m. Eastern time. The launch was pushed back a couple of weeks by a series of technical delays and overcame challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, which required many of its engineers to work from home.
Damn. I wanted to watch live but I mistook the launch time as PM instead of AM! I was thinking of the Space X launch a few months ago, which was PM. So glad it all went well. With NASA always strapped for cash, I wonder why some U.S. billionaires don't ever contribute to keep important science missions funded, or even sponsor new ones. I would have thought someone like Paul Allen (a Microsoft founder who died in 2018 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma leaving an estimated 20+ billion estate) would have put NASA funding in his will. Of course, he did do a lot of scientific and medical philanthropy while still living, and it is his money after all, so I can't really complain
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm
by heehaw
As Mars lacks any significant amount of water, and Mars has no magnetic field to deflect cosmic rays, would anyone care to take a stab at guessing the total human population of Mars: say one century from now?
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:17 pm
by nam888id
(in response to heehaw) I think you make a good point.
My sentiment is that NASA should be focused on robotic missions. Even when there are manned missions to the moon or mars the development of robotics in these harsh environments would be very useful and necessary. And it would help in work on earth. I am thinking of very intelligent capability to set up farming and build and fix things.
My understanding is the human missions to mars this soon is more a result of presidents trying to act old time macho and redirecting the scientists.
One other note: my sense is that humans are very specialized to life on earth and without great expansion of knowledge are like a fish out of water beyond the earth sphere.
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:42 pm
by Chris Peterson
heehaw wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm
As Mars lacks any significant amount of water, and Mars has no magnetic field to deflect cosmic rays, would anyone care to take a stab at guessing the total human population of Mars: say one century from now?
Pretty near zero. What would be the point? (Unless we decide to make it a penal colony.)
heehaw wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm
As Mars lacks any significant amount of water, and Mars has no magnetic field to deflect cosmic rays, would anyone care to take a stab at guessing the total human population of Mars: say one century from now?
Pretty near zero. What would be the point? (Unless we decide to make it a penal colony.)
The scientific population of Antarctica is 1,000 to 5,000 (depending on season).
I wouldn't be surprised if the scientific population of Mars in 2120 is 10 to 50.
(Some country is going to start and others will feel obligated to follow.)
heehaw wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm
As Mars lacks any significant amount of water, and Mars has no magnetic field to deflect cosmic rays, would anyone care to take a stab at guessing the total human population of Mars: say one century from now?
Pretty near zero. What would be the point? (Unless we decide to make it a penal colony.)
The scientific population of Antarctica is 1,000 to 5,000 (depending on season).
I wouldn't be surprised if the scientific population of Mars in 2120 is 10 to 50.
(Some country is going to start and others will feel obligated to follow.)
Everybody on Antarctica is a temporary resident, though. Nobody lives there. Which is how I took the meaning of "population".
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:19 pm
by orin stepanek
I almost missed it; but I got in the room just is it lifted off!
neufer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:36 pm
The scientific population of Antarctica is 1,000 to 5,000 (depending on season).
I wouldn't be surprised if the scientific population of Mars in 2120 is 10 to 50.
(Some country is going to start and others will feel obligated to follow.)
Everybody on Antarctica is a temporary resident, though.
Nobody lives there. Which is how I took the meaning of "population".
There's plenty more than 50 persons willing to volunteer for a one way trip.
neufer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:36 pm
The scientific population of Antarctica is 1,000 to 5,000 (depending on season).
I wouldn't be surprised if the scientific population of Mars in 2120 is 10 to 50.
(Some country is going to start and others will feel obligated to follow.)
Everybody on Antarctica is a temporary resident, though.
Nobody lives there. Which is how I took the meaning of "population".
There's plenty more than 50 persons willing to volunteer for a one way trip.
If there is a population there by then; someone will say Art predicted it a hundred years ago!
neufer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:36 pm
The scientific population of Antarctica is 1,000 to 5,000 (depending on season).
I wouldn't be surprised if the scientific population of Mars in 2120 is 10 to 50.
(Some country is going to start and others will feel obligated to follow.)
There's plenty more than 50 persons willing to volunteer for a one way trip.
If there is a population there by then; someone will say Art predicted it a hundred years ago!
Neuferdamus will be expecting a ticker tape parade at that time.
orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:47 am
If there is a population there by then; someone will say Art predicted it a hundred years ago!
Neuferdamus will be expecting a ticker tape parade at that time.
+++++!!
Re: APOD: The Red Planet Mars (2020 Jul 30)
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 4:41 am
by XgeoX
heehaw wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm
As Mars lacks any significant amount of water, and Mars has no magnetic field to deflect cosmic rays, would anyone care to take a stab at guessing the total human population of Mars: say one century from now?
Mars actually has significant amounts of water, most of it is underground though a large amount is in the icecaps.
The Red Planet Mars
+++++!!