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- Murrdogg, on 11/24/2008, -0/+84Newest is on the right, the Mars Science Laboratory, due to be launched next October 8th.
The one on the very left is a clone of Spirit and Opportunity, both launched in 2004
And the baby one in the middle is the first generation rover, Sojourner, launched in 1996.
So yes, they keep getting bigger and bigger. Sojourner was microwave-sized... the one going up next year is JEEP sized - MichaelMelen, on 11/24/2008, -6/+67okay i'm definitely not the only one wondering this: which one is the newest an which is the oldest?
- binky79, on 11/24/2008, -6/+49I'm waiting for 4G...
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/ ... - fathermarlow, on 11/24/2008, -0/+41http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqqBy7C8gyU
Check out the plans for the Mars Science Laboratory....scheduled for departure Oct. 2009! - jgilbs, on 11/24/2008, -1/+35that picture really doesnt give any sense of scale as to just how big MSL is.
here is a picture from wikipedia that gives a better picture of the size of the MSL:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b ... - icenine6, on 11/24/2008, -3/+36They got nothing on WALL-E
- solarweasel, on 11/24/2008, -0/+28phoenix was not a rover... it was stationary
- rdmorley, on 11/24/2008, -1/+28They grow up so fast
- Ardeet, on 11/24/2008, -1/+24The oldest is the small one. If you zoom in you can see it has a beard.
- pumah, on 11/24/2008, -0/+14Wikipedia says about the size of a Mini Cooper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laborato ...
Picture with better scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mars_Science_La ... - brycehebert, on 05/03/2009, -1/+13*Sigh* I miss @MarsPhoenix ;_;
(Not pictured here) - patpl22391, on 11/24/2008, -1/+13Wow! Mars looks pretty advanced!
- zapwow, on 11/24/2008, -1/+12Notice the lack of solar panels on the newest model! The new radioisotope thermal generator is a very exciting return to 1970s technology.
- TrevorBradley, on 11/24/2008, -0/+11That's actually true...They actually sold kits for it like they did cars. I still have an unopened box here in my house.
http://www.southtexasdiecast.com/hwguide/images/ac ... - Vostok, on 11/24/2008, -0/+10It's hard to tell from this photo, but the MSL is the size of a Mini Cooper. You should also check out it's landing method the Sky Crane.
- R3v0lution, on 11/24/2008, -0/+9Johnny 5 ?
- linagee, on 11/24/2008, -0/+9http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/technology/tec ...
"Mars Science Laboratory will use a radioisotope power system to generate electricity needed to operate the rover and its instruments." - drethedog, on 11/24/2008, -0/+9The small one is made by mattel....
- dipdog21, on 11/24/2008, -0/+8Now that's just a fantastic group photo!
- wem003, on 11/24/2008, -0/+8Not a rover - just a lander.
- TrevorBradley, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7It's correct to scale. Sojourner was tiny!
- Vostok, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7That's pretty much what the MSL is, it uses radioisotope thermoelectric generators.
- linagee, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7More info: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/technology/tec ...
- victorycig, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7Sojourner is so little and cute! Am I the only one who anthropomorphizes my robotic space explorers?
- tarunrs, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7that's what she said.
- TrevorBradley, on 11/24/2008, -0/+7http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/tl_edl_step_b ...
That is going to be an amazing achievement if they can pull it off. - Jektal, on 11/24/2008, -0/+6Translation: It's nuclear.
- Kinneas12, on 11/24/2008, -0/+6Where are the solar panels on the right one?
- badmephisto, on 11/24/2008, -2/+7that can't be correct to scale right?
- Jektal, on 11/24/2008, -0/+5Phoenix. It abandoned airbags in favor of rockets. I believe so they could dig at the landing site.
- sqrt2, on 11/24/2008, -0/+5wow the first one was a lot smaller than I imagined it
- martinezmic, on 11/24/2008, -0/+5"Los locos kick your ass... Los locos kick your face... Los locos kick your balls into outer space!"
- Nearoschyth, on 11/24/2008, -0/+5Wow, you really just took that joke and... went with it. I commend you, sir.
- dynatos, on 11/24/2008, -0/+5Thanks for the info. However it is hard to tell from the picture how the Sojourner is microwave sized and the Mars Science Laboratory is jeep sized. I wish they would have put something next to them for scale.
- UnlivedPhalanx, on 11/24/2008, -2/+7Seems like smaller is less practical for the terrain of mars. Then again, what do I know.
- RogerStrong, on 11/24/2008, -0/+4A lot of the equipment for it - transmitters, etc - were kept in the landing pad. It needed to stay close, but the rover could be smaller.
The newer rovers are self-contained. - immatellyouwhat, on 11/24/2008, -2/+6Wall-E would outlast those turd nuggets ....700 yrs +
- thetanman, on 11/24/2008, -0/+4That looks like a really complicated landing. When did they ditch the airbag technique?
- nOcoNtrol926, on 11/24/2008, -0/+4it runs on Mr. Fusion, didnt you know?
- jman583, on 11/24/2008, -0/+4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mars_Science_La ...
Yah, it is huge. - n0xz, on 11/24/2008, -1/+4Looks like one big happy family. The kid just looks like her mom.
- derlum, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3Not really -- lift capabilities haven't made that much progress in the last 40 years. The US champ is still the Saturn V from the Apollo missions (and Skylab). It really has more to do with our increasing understanding of Mars and confidence that we can get there and drive around reliably. When Sojourner became the first rover to successfully land and roam in 1997, two-thirds of ALL missions to Mars had ended in failure. The Soviets landed two rovers in 1971, but one crashed and the other stopped responding within two minutes of touchdown. In short, no one as of 1997 really knew how traversable the terrain would be by a wheeled vehicle. The more information and mission success that has accumulated since then, the more confidence NASA has had to send larger (and thus more scientifically capable) equipment.
- nOcoNtrol926, on 11/24/2008, -1/+4Jeep sized? If by jeep you mean power wheels...
http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=900000&e=st ...
check the one with the jeep. - RoloTomasie, on 11/24/2008, -1/+4I swear, the one on the left is WALL-E.
- Jektal, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3Correct to scale, but hard to determine scale. The right-most, most-recent MSL is Mini-Cooper sized, the little Sojourner is supposedly microwave-sized.
- dadoughboi, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3The airbag technology was replaced when they realized the new rover is way too heavy. MSL is 2-3 times larger than the previous version.
- Jektal, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3I think Johnny 5 and Wall-E pretty much ensured that for sane people.
- DeathStrawberry, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3You're right. It's not the exact one for sure. Look how the "legs" are chrome/silver in the above pic; the one on wiki has dark metal legs. Maybe the above is a scale model.
- Harabeck, on 11/24/2008, -0/+3Haha, I have one of those too. That was back when the news would actually cover stuff like that. Man I miss pre-911.
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