BattleBots on Mars maybe???

Last edited:
I loved the comment I read that "the Chinese did in one go what it took the US decades to do"... Um. Uh-huh. Our first lander has been on Mars since, what, 1976? And our first rover started making tracks in the Martian soil in 1997.

Kudos to the Chinese for making the trip, and welcome to the party. Parking right over there, and please try not to hit one of our old cars, OK? Nothing to do with Mars is easy, but It's always easier to do something when you can watch someone else do it for 45 years and see in great detail exactly what has worked for them, I guess.
 
I loved the comment I read that "the Chinese did in one go what it took the US decades to do"... Um. Uh-huh. Our first lander has been on Mars since, what, 1976? And our first rover started making tracks in the Martian soil in 1997.

Kudos to the Chinese for making the trip, and welcome to the party. Parking right over there, and please try not to hit one of our old cars, OK? Nothing to do with Mars is easy, but It's always easier to do something when you can watch someone else do it for 45 years and see in great detail exactly what has worked for them, I guess.


I didn’t read too closely, but it sounds like they also used a similar landing technique: entry vehicle with heat shield, parachute, rocket hover to touchdown.

Our first rovers were delivered by parachute and then airbags to cushion an airdrop. Vikings landed themselves with a landing rocket and were immobile once on the surface.
 
I loved the comment I read that "the Chinese did in one go what it took the US decades to do"...

That made me chuckle when reading that line. You can bet there was a lot of shared technology between the US and China, and probably a little stolen technology as well.

We must not forget that years ago Texas A&M developed and sent a exploratory landing craft to the sun.



They went at night....
 
.. but It's always easier to do something when you can watch someone else do it ...

That made me chuckle when reading that line. You can bet there was a lot of shared technology between the US and China, and probably a little stolen technology as well.

yeah, "watch someone"...and "probably a little stolen technology"

definitely elicited a chuckle from me...
 
yeah, "watch someone"...and "probably a little stolen technology"

definitely elicited a chuckle from me...
Hey, watched, stolen, whatever. I figure some things are or should rightfully be knowledge in the public domain for the good of mankind, regardless of who paid to develop that knowledge. So sure, let them stand on the shoulder of giants. Let’s just not pretend they did it without those giants and their shoulders.
 
Reminds me of a tweet I saw recently:
------------------------------------------------------------
USSR: We will hide out failures at all costs

US: As a free nation, we shall be public with all out space endeavors, except the secret stuff.

SpaceX: WOOO! HOLY S***! DID YOU SEE HOW AWESOMELY OUR HARDWARE JUST EXPLODED???!!!
------------------------------------------------------------

The fact is, all the NASA stuff is public, and information is freely disseminated. It's *supposed* to be picked up and used by other entities.

Ron Wanttaja
 
There was a technical paper that ended up inspiring a documentary with the same name:

FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL: A ROBOT INVASION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
https://people.csail.mit.edu/brooks/papers/fast-cheap.pdf

And the movie:
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119107/

The premise is: It's better to send 100 1kg robots on a mission than it is to send 1 100kg robot. Let the swarm do the exploring, and if a few don't make it, well, the rest will be able to fill in the knowledge gaps.
 
Back
Top