gyro

Ray, the wheels fold out to normal position, when suspended from the sky crane, prior to touch down.

Some of that damage looks more like brittle breakage rather than abrasive wear. - maybe the landing impact was heavier than calculated and we are now seeing metal fatigue. We will have to wait for the next JPL Ustream media report explanation - I'll post it.

I think its a case of "Houston - we have a problem" http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/msl/traverse-map-20140219/#.UwpJkfl_uSo

I don't think NASA expected this amount of wear and tear just yet, this doesn't bode well fora lengthy mission scrambling around the foot hills of Mt Sharp.

Is it possible to modify the ISS as a Mars vehicle. Add propulsion modukes, Mars lander module and a improved dedicated safe area from radiation etc.

Latest JPL media briefing on Mars activity. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/43015386

If we look back fifty odd years Sputnik 1 managed just 8km/s

Yesterdays media tele-cast. If it doesn't start click the top right thumbnail . takes a few seconds to stream. http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl

On 20 January 2014, ESA?s comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up from 957 days in deep-space hibernation to rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko where it will study the nucleus of the comet and its environment for nearly two years, and land a probe on its surface.

Have a good one folks.

Well done China - but again a pity their resources not part of a international Lunar project.

Ray, EH was a friend of Newton - he used his Gravity theory and the observed positions, as a function of time, to predict the orbit. Good luck with the maths mate :bah:

I'm confused ..... SOHO is in a halo orbit at L1, so how do we convert a position/track of ISON from a SoHO image to the co-ords from Earth to answer Radars's question.

Hopefully ISON isn't the comet of the century - there is still a long time to go :eartoear:

The good news for UK members is that the weather is set fair and clear for dawn tomorrow (Sat 30th) - here's hoping there is something left to observe.