NASA crew behind Mars Curiosity rover answer questions on Reddit

by John Bowman Posted: August 17, 2012 3:50 PM Last Updated: August 17, 2012 3:55 PM

Categories: Community, Science & Technology

View the story "NASA crew behind Mars Curiosity rover answer questions on Reddit " on StorifyNASA crew behind Mars Curiosity rover answer questions on Reddit Storified by CBC News Community · Fri, Aug 17 2012 12:48:46The engineers and scientists working on the Mars Science Laboratory mission went on the social news site Reddit yesterday to do an "AMA" or "ask me anything", a crowd-sourced interview in which Reddit members vote on the questions.
Ask Us Anything! My team answers your Qs live on @Reddit Aug 16 8-11am PT (1500-1800 UT) http://bit.ly/THrcQ1 #AMACuriosity RoverAmong the team answering questions were Bobak Ferdowsi, or "Mohawk Guy," Steve Collins, or "Hippy NASA Guy" and other members of the flight team made internet-famous after they were featured on the video stream of the Curiosity rover landing on Mars on Aug. 6.
Let's get ready to #Reddit! @NASAJPL scientists & engineers (& social media team) ready for your Qs: http://twitpic.com/ak5p5eCuriosity RoverHere are a few of the best questions and answers:
Do you consider that earth-born bacteria could survive on Curiosity and then spread on Mars? Was it ever considered to take bacteria or other life and see if it could survive in the soil/environment (even if isolated within Curiosity)? - windward_life

We take great care to not take Earth-borne microbes to other planets. We don't want to go looking for building blocks of life only to find we brought it with us. This is why we work in a clean room wearing full-body "bunny suits" while assembling and testing the rover, and that all parts of the spacecraft are cleaned before launch. Those that can be baked are baked; others are swabbed with cleaning solution. Will you guys take a nice "Earthrise" picture from Mars, similar to one taken on The Moon? I like how it puts things in perspective. - Incongruity7

We will eventually take pictures of Earth with Mastcam, along with other constellations. To tide you over, this is one from Spirit.
undefinedWikimediaWhat is your favorite image--so far--from the Rover? - videonerd

(Surface systems engineer Eric Blood replied with a link to this image:)
undefinedNasaSo far, mine is this one. -Keri/@KeriOnMarsundefinedNasaDoes Curiosity get wake-up songs every morning like the other Mars rovers got? If so, what have some of the songs been so far? - potato_near_my_anus

Yup! She tends to be less cranky with a good wakeup song.

Sol 2: "Good Morning Good Morning" Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club
Sol 3: "Good morning, good morning" from Singing in the Rain.
Sol 5: Wagner "The ride of the valkyries" R10 Victory Song: Theme from "Mission Impossible"
Sol 6: "Got the Time" by Anthrax, and "Echelon" by 30 Seconds to Mars
Sol 7: The Doors - "Break on Through", and George Harrison - "Got My Mind Set on You"
Sol 8: Theme from Star Wars by John Williams
Sol 9: Wake Up Little Susie by Simon and Garfunkel
Sol 10: Frank Sinatra "Come Fly with me"

Ferdowsi tweeted today's wake-up song early this morning.
Waking up @MarsCuriosity on Sol 11 to "Cosmic Love" by @flo_tweet and a medley played by SAM instrument. Thanks @CourtOConnor @NASAGoddardBobak F.Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Loveflorencemachinevevo@I_Am_Edna @marscuriosity @flo_tweet @courtoconnor tradition to play wake up song each morning to the rover. A nice way to start your day.Bobak F.whats one cool trivia fact about curiosity that everybody should know? - kingbinji

Its got a friggin' laser on its head, that can VAPORIZE rocks!

Why do you want to VAPORIZE rocks? - Juliross

Don't worry -- we won't blow up rocks. The laser on the ChemCam can turn a very small amount of rocks or soil to plasma, then the camera part of the instrument can analyze that light to tell the composition of the sample. Since the Martian Day is 24 hours, 40 minutes, 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, do the JPL scientists and engineers live their lives on Martian days to stay in sync? - Indeed

Yes. All of the operators (engineers, scientists, drivers, planners) live on Mars time, by shifting the schedule +40 minutes each day. This is order to maximize the efficiency of each sol.

It is a bit painful....we re-program our alarm clocks every day.I was basically wondering how I could become one of you? What did you all go to school for, and how did you get jobs at NASA? - ikma

Most of us are engineering graduates of one discipline or another (Computer, Electrical, Aerospace). NASA/JPL recruits in these fields at various schools with the expertise in the fields.

I actually started here as an intern during college and continued after graduation.

How many of you have PhDs? - adamfutur

None of us in the room (14 of us) have a PhD. (Though there are lots of them running around just outside!)
Any time during descent that you guys thought 'we're gonna mess this up' but instead turned out to be alright? Something that you might not have anticipated that you were able to correct... etc. - punksnotred

One interesting thing that not a lot of people realize is that due to the long distance between Earth and Mars, there was a ~14 minute delay (even at the speed of light!) between our transmitter and the vehicle. We lost our ability to send commands or make corrections well before entry even occurred. We had to trust the vehicle to land herself.
How does it feel to have something that's on F---ING MARS ? seriously, I don't understand the feeling, it must be out of this world. - Thergal

yeah, it feels pretty amazing. One of the mechanical engineers posted this video about how it felt for him: Curiosity's landing- 1 of her creator's POVonemeeeliondollarsIf you described yourself as a Pokemon what would it be? - ThunderBuddys

I guess Charizard, because the landing system flies and shoots fire. Also this is the third generation of Rovers.Charizard http://pic.twitter.com/CiEgnIciSonicVengeanceAfter the AMA was over, the Curiosity crew tweeted their McKayla Maroney-esque reaction to the end of the Q&A session.
My @NASAJPL #MSL team is unimpressed that today's @Reddit #AMA is over. So long & thx for all the karma! http://twitpic.com/ak7mclCuriosity Rover

Tags: Science, Science & Technology, social media, space

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