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Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation
PRESS RELEASE
Aeronautical News Network, London 05:43 GMT, 2008-04-01 Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation. NASA's Planetary Science Division last week announced a $16 million cut to the Mars program, including $4 million in rover operations this year. When these cuts are implemented they will require that at least one of the rovers, likely Spirit, be put in a state of hibernation. Spirit already is curtailing operations for the Martian winter and this is not expected to pose a immediate major threat to the rover program. But, more ominously, larger cuts might be necessary later on. Since 2004, Spirit and Opportunity have been astonishing scientists and the public alike as the instrumented six-wheeled vehicles explored desert Martian sands, deep meteor craters and rocky terrain in search of evidence of ancient life-giving water and sent stunning photographs back to Earth. The Mars Rover photos are one of the most popular NASA programs as evidenced by over one hundred million photo downloads by the general public. NASA had planned to put the solar-powered rover Spirit into a kind of hibernation for the coming Martian winter, with its wheels immobile and almost all its instruments shut down. Opportunity, now probing a layer of puzzling bedrock inside a huge crater named Victoria halfway across the planet from Spirit, would have had its movements limited. An additional $8 million might be cut from the rover program. The budget cut order sent a shudder not only through the rover operating office at JPL in Pasadena, but also through the wider science community that views the rovers as one of NASA's most glittering successes. However the Press and space aficionados were delighted today when NASA spokesperson Flair Pool announced that a volunteer pilot has offered to take over operation of the Mars Rover Spirit to keep it from being put into hibernation. Ms. Pool introduced Pilot-Journalist Jim Campbell as the new Mars Rover pilot. Speaking from his secret undisclosed location in Florida (or perhaps North Carolina) Campbell announced that he'll begin piloting the Mars Rover Spirit immediately. "As a former world altitude record holder for Ultralight Aircraft, I'm well prepared for any piloting challenge", Campbell told the press conference, "As the current world record holder for the most different types of aircraft piloted I've already logged thousands of hours as Mars Rover Pilot in Command." Campbell, sometimes called 'Captain Zoom' by his fans (both of them), continued "I've spun and rolled and looped the Mars Rover and I'm happy to report that it has wonderfully linear control harmony and it displays minimal phugoid oscillations blasting through the Mojave desert at well over Mach One, or boogying along at 400 kph - wingtip to wingtip in a flight of nearly a dozen, or free falling all alone - from nearly ten miles up." |
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Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation
In article , Flair Pool says...
PRESS RELEASE Aeronautical News Network, London 05:43 GMT, 2008-04-01 Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation. NASA's Planetary Science Division last week announced a $16 million cut to the Mars program, including $4 million in rover operations this year. When these cuts are implemented they will require that at least one of the rovers, likely Spirit, be put in a state of hibernation. Spirit already is curtailing operations for the Martian winter and this is not expected to pose a immediate major threat to the rover program. But, more ominously, larger cuts might be necessary later on. Since 2004, Spirit and Opportunity have been astonishing scientists and the public alike as the instrumented six-wheeled vehicles explored desert Martian sands, deep meteor craters and rocky terrain in search of evidence of ancient life-giving water and sent stunning photographs back to Earth. The Mars Rover photos are one of the most popular NASA programs as evidenced by over one hundred million photo downloads by the general public. NASA had planned to put the solar-powered rover Spirit into a kind of hibernation for the coming Martian winter, with its wheels immobile and almost all its instruments shut down. Opportunity, now probing a layer of puzzling bedrock inside a huge crater named Victoria halfway across the planet from Spirit, would have had its movements limited. An additional $8 million might be cut from the rover program. The budget cut order sent a shudder not only through the rover operating office at JPL in Pasadena, but also through the wider science community that views the rovers as one of NASA's most glittering successes. However the Press and space aficionados were delighted today when NASA spokesperson Flair Pool announced that a volunteer pilot has offered to take over operation of the Mars Rover Spirit to keep it from being put into hibernation. Ms. Pool introduced Pilot-Journalist Jim Campbell as the new Mars Rover pilot. Speaking from his secret undisclosed location in Florida (or perhaps North Carolina) Campbell announced that he'll begin piloting the Mars Rover Spirit immediately. "As a former world altitude record holder for Ultralight Aircraft, I'm well prepared for any piloting challenge", Campbell told the press conference, "As the current world record holder for the most different types of aircraft piloted I've already logged thousands of hours as Mars Rover Pilot in Command." Campbell, sometimes called 'Captain Zoom' by his fans (both of them), continued "I've spun and rolled and looped the Mars Rover and I'm happy to report that it has wonderfully linear control harmony and it displays minimal phugoid oscillations blasting through the Mojave desert at well over Mach One, or boogying along at 400 kph - wingtip to wingtip in a flight of nearly a dozen, or free falling all alone - from nearly ten miles up." Ya got me !!April Fools!!! Boy did I bite Good one :-) Funny I looked at ANN today for the annual April fool issue and found zoom said he was doing a half serious, half April Fool issue today. I wasn't able to tell which was which LOL!!! Chuck S RAH-14/1 ret |
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Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation
Flair Pool wrote:
PRESS RELEASE Aeronautical News Network, London 05:43 GMT, 2008-04-01 Volunteer pilot to save NASA Mars Rover Spirit from hibernation. April Fools! |
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