Mars Rover's Unexpected Behavior Puzzles NASA

Those Mars Rovers have been on Mars for going on 6 years now. I wished I could get the batteries in my cordless drill to last than long. I only get a year at best out of them before they stop taking a charge. That is 6 years in Hell these things have lasted. I bet they would not have lasted that long running around the JPL parking lot. If any machine every deserved a 21 gun salute and a military funeral when it dies the Mars Rovers would be that machine. It will be a sad day when they go off line for good.

Originally posted by TheDarkHorse
RF, my question is: why wait so long? NASA expected it to survive for 3 months to a year max, why not just complete the mission charter and then say it broke? After all, are they not running a tremendous risk by letting them go for all these years? They could stop working at anytime, why wait for 5 years after the mission is complete?

I agree with you TheDarkhorse. NASA could have cut transmission from the Rovers at any given point after the allocated 90 days. The fact they're experiencing issues with at least one of the Rovers at this point in time is completely understandable. In fact, there have been issues before and NASA overcame them... with the help of Dust Demons.

You know, there was a time here at ATS when InfaRedMan and SaviorComplex actually put effort into bring a compelling argument from the skeptical vantage point.

Thankyou for the veiled compliment my man!

I remember it well and respected you guys a great deal but now it seems that you and many other ‘skeptics’ have turned into nothing more than instigators.

Instigators? I believe you're wrong. I have a point of view and it's my intention whether people like it or not to try and bring a bit of rationality to the issue. Not everything is a conspiracy. There's always a prosaic answer that should be considered/investigated before we make assumptions about the extraordinary or fantastic.

I'm not saying Aliens don't exist, I believe they do - I've seen 4 UFO's - 3 up close. I'm also not saying that there aren't hidden agenda's out there. I would be a fool to think so - but I do not see them everywhere.

Wearing out the quote button while whipping up one-liners is weak in my opinion. Another thing, you can use the

face all you want, doesn’t make it humorous.

One-liners? I'm definitely NOT guilty of that! Show me one post where I give nothing but a one-liner! If anything, I over articulate. One-liners aren't a part of my arsenal.

I can only speak for myself but I use happy faces on the occasion to let people know that I am not being cruel, vitriolic or vindictive toward them and that there is a certain air of lightness to my post.

As RF will attest, we disagree on stuff but I speak to him via U2U in a very civil matter. I consider him a respected sparing partner. The same goes for many others here that I may not always agree with... but having said that, there are also things we do agree on. That's the beauty of ATS!

Thank you, drive through.….

Hey! You forgot my fries! I wanna speak to your manager!

IRM

[edit on 30/1/09 by InfaRedMan]

reply to post by SaviorComplex


I have been doing some digging and I have come up with some links as well as other threads here on ATS, to support my opinion that NASA does indeed cover the truth and attempt to hide informationfrom the public.
A short youtube video showing an object that NASA airbrushed fron subsequent photos.

Former personell (various) give tstimony of their experiences with NASA,NSA cover ups. Given the fact that many photos that have been tampered with were taken in the 60's and 70's airbrushing was conveinent because no hi res images were taken.Presently with the current technology availible, more scrutinization of images is possible, so NASA must dynamicly improve the way they hide information.

Below are images showing the "blur" effect created by NASA to hide things from view.


files.abovetopsecret.com...
files.abovetopsecret.com...
files.abovetopsecret.com...
Images
Below are some links that might be helpfull.
www.marsanomalyresearch.com...
www.marsanomalyresearch.com...
www.marsanomalyresearch.com...
www.marsanomalyresearch.com...
www.marsanomalyresearch.com...
www.enterprisemission.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I think this is plenty for now, let me know if you require more I be glad to help

To think that hundreds of millions of dollars would be spent on something that would only last 90 days is rediculous, or if in fact thats what they believed( far cry) then they would have made it a point to aknowledge the peredicted shortcomings ahead and compensate likewise. IMO they knew that the rovers were capable of a stretch beyond 90 days and yet they failed to mention that, that in and of itself is worthy of being called misleading.

[edit on 30-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

Um, does anyone here remember that really old discovery(I think at least) special about the 2 very advanced "rover" type machines that were sent to an alien world(Not mars) and they basically had a personality of their own kind of, and the whole special revolved around their determination to survive the elements and animals of this world and it ends in a really interesting way. They find all sort of unintelligent species which were really weird, but at the end they find a sentinent giant beings kind of like elephants, and the last remaining rover started using light flashes and sound to try to communicate, and btw all this was seen from the camera attached to the rover so you got it's view.

Anyway, it's trying to communicate and the intelligent creature somehow talks back(Through light flashes), but suddenly it attacks the rover in a violent manner and the camera blacks out.

i thought it was kind of cool

reply to post by Deus Ex Machina 42


i'm not familler with that sounds cool though, you wouldn't happen to have a link to the story would you? I'd love to read about it.

Crap, I wish I could find it I just spent a while searching and nothing. It really was interesting, but yet again I first saw it when I was like 11 or 12 so it probably seemed better than it actually was.

All that I can remember is like it was set in the future, and this was a mission I THINK to save humanity, because we were trying to find another place to inhabit. And uh... they sent 3 probes or whatever to some other planet besides mars

reply to post by Deus Ex Machina 42


Well I hope you find the link sometime it sounds cool, maybe alot like what our little oppertunity and spirit are going through now maybe not as "out there" but something fishy is going on.

Originally posted by RFBurns
Well sure it will poof out at some point..perhaps now is the time. But when you get NASA saying "it did not beam home its activity oh and by the way it didnt record Sunday's activity either"...well how are they going to know what the rover did or did not do when the rover did not call home and send that information to begin with?

Even their so called specific reason is contradicting.

No it's not RF. You're taking things too literally. Only certain parts of Spirit are malfunctioning. They are still in contact with it and that's how they know. Contact never ceased.

The Mars rovers' project manager, John Callas of JPL, remained upbeat, however.

"Right now, Spirit is under normal sequence control, reporting good health and responsive to commands from the ground," Callas said.

Source

That right there raises a red flag to me, and suggests that they are not telling us the entire truth..so I dont accept the "its broke" story.

It is possible that you're creating the red flag yourself by not completely understanding the technical issue? Just asking mate! You have to admit that you may be wrong in this instance.

NASA aren't saying it's broke. Your paraphrasing my friend because it gel's into your theory that some greater game is afoot with Spirit right now. Perhaps there isn't, that's all I'm saying. Let's give it time before we start crying foul.

The NASA-JPL team will run diagnostic tests on the rover this week. The problems could be short-lived. It's possible that cosmic rays hit some vital electronics, causing them to temporarily malfunction.

Source

PEACE!

IRM

[edit on 30/1/09 by InfaRedMan]

It's possible that cosmic rays hit some vital electronics, causing them to temporarily malfunction.

Ya right and let me guess, the "swamp gas is " is hiding the sun too the whole thing is fishy really it is, do they expect people to believe them just because they are NASA?

reply to post by alyosha1981


Well you tell me what's more likely... spit it out alyosha1981! You tell me exactly what it is as it appears you have the good oil on it.

A fried circuit due to age or cosmic rays or something alien? You appear very paranoid and frightened of big bad NASA dude! Who mentioned swamp gas? That's simply a straw man argument when you have nothing intelligent to add.

Edit to Add:

Concerning Swamp Gas Blocking The Sun...

BTW, The Rovers do go into hibernation because they don't get enough sun at certain parts of the year... just like earth. Do your research, show some intelligence or would that be too hard in comparison to just making fantasy prone junk up?

Get a grip mate, honestly!

IRM

[edit on 30/1/09 by InfaRedMan]

reply to post by InfaRedMan


The simplest explination I believe to be true, is that NASA is either busy putting the rover through examination of something secret and using the "it's broke" excusse or NASA needs a way to figure out some strange transmissions and have already laid out the "it's broke" carpet. Either way I believe there's something ary here weather or not you do is of no concern to me,

posted by InfaRedman
BTW, The Rovers do go into hibernation because they don't get enough sun at certain parts of the year... just like earth. Do your research, show some intelligence or would that be too hard in comparison to just making fantasy prone junk up?
Get a grip mate, honestly!

I will point out that much of the arguments by myself and other poster's seems to be getting a rise out, and that's not the goal, the point is to express our opinions in the manner allowed. If I had the package of "total proof" trust me I'd provide it, untill then all I can do is muster up what I can, remember to focus on the topic not the poster.





[edit on 30-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

[edit on 30-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

reply to post by watchZEITGEISTnow


LOL!
You read my mind!
I can see the little green guy running home to Mom - "Hey, look what I found, can I keep it Mom, huh, can I keep it"!

Will be interesting to see what NASA comes up with.

-Mars Rover-
Enviromentally friendly and solar powered.

Comes with:
90 day Warranty: $ ?,?99,?99.99
Also offered: 5yr extended Warranty: $ ??,?95,?95.95

Yup, thats how it go's with most of the manufactured
appliances,tools and electronics I purchase too !

Two or three weeks after the warranty expires it breaks down !

Happens all the darn time.

Spirit failed to report in to engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., last weekend, prompting a series of diagnostic tests this week to hunt the glitch's source. The aging Mars rover did not beam home a record of its weekend activities and, more puzzlingly, apparently failed to even record any of its actions on Sunday, mission managers said.

The condradiction seems apparent to me, why did it not "beam" any reports home but then it "beamed" back that it could not find the sun, am I to believe that spirit now possesses the ability to choose what it sends and recieves? rediculous

By Monday, Spirit's mission controllers decided to tell the rover to find the sun with its camera on Tuesday to determine its location on Mars. Early yesterday, the rover beamed back that it had tried to follow the instructions of its human handlers, but couldn't find the sun

The swamp gas reference was scarcastic IRM, not an attempt on fact

[edit on 30-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

Originally posted by alyosha1981
reply to post by InfaRedMan

 

The simplest explination I believe to be true, is that NASA is either busy putting the rover through examination of something secret and using the "it's broke" excusse or NASA needs a way to figure out some strange transmissions and have already laid out the "it's broke" carpet. Either way I believe there's something ary here weather or not you do is of no concern to me, I will point out that much of the arguments by myself and other poster's seems to be getting a rise out, and that's not the goal perhaps you should follow your own advise and "get a grip"

[edit on 30-1-2009 by alyosha1981]

That's far from a simple explanation. It's as convoluted as one can get! What version of Occam's Razor did you say you were using again?

Again, go back and read the original articles, NASA has NEVER said it's broken. That's you fabricating faux facts!

I have a grip man - my feet are firmly planet on the ground. My point of view is measured and rational. You're the one jumping to conclusions based solely on your 'belief' (at best). There is NO evidence at all to suggest there's anything covert going on. NOTHING!

That's simply what you want to be true and nothing more. You know, sometimes things are exactly as they seem and the world can be a rather dull place.


IRM

Originally posted by alyosha1981
The condradiction seems apparent to me, why did it not "beam" any reports home but then it "beamed" back that it could not find the sun, am I to believe that spirit now possesses the ability to choose what it sends and recieves? rediculous

Why don't you scroll up and read my earlier post to RF? The information is there but you either don't read everything or you don't want to because it doesn't support your theory. There is NO contradiction! None!

NASA NEVER lost contact with Spirit. It failed to perform some functions - that is all. It doesn't choose anything. There are many different/separate protocols. Some worked, others didn't.

It's like your computer working ok but the sound card or graphics card is stuffing up. It doesn't mean you can't do other things with the computer but more to the point that one part is suffering issues. It appears your understanding is somewhat limited.

Sorry dude, you're wrong!

IRM

[edit on 30/1/09 by InfaRedMan]

reply to post by InfaRedMan


NASA said the rover did not transmit the records from sunday, nor did it aknowledge commands given, that implies "broke" however had they said something to the effect of the rovers experiencing a delay in receiving and transmitting beyond normal, that might have been more reasonable. Again are we to believe that the rover is now "choosing" what to send and recieve? that goes way beyond the reasonable explinations you give.

Originally posted by InfaRedMan

Originally posted by alyosha1981
The condradiction seems apparent to me, why did it not "beam" any reports home but then it "beamed" back that it could not find the sun, am I to believe that spirit now possesses the ability to choose what it sends and recieves? rediculous

Why don't you scroll up and read my earlier post to RF? The information is there but you either don't read everything or you don't want to because it doesn't support your theory. There is NO contradiction! None!

NASA NEVER lost contact with Spirit. It failed to perform some functions - that is all. It doesn't choose anything. There are many different/separate protocols. Some worked, others didn't.

It's like your computer working ok but the sound card or graphics card is stuffing up. It doesn't mean you can't do other things with the computer but more to the point that one part is suffering issues. It appears your understanding is somewhat limited.

Sorry dude, you're wrong!

IRM

[edit on 30/1/09 by InfaRedMan]

Horrible comparisson, honestly your comparing a multi million dollar space exploration vehicle to a PC, whose understanding is limited in this case?

reply to post by alyosha1981


...lol and yours are reasonable? *shakes head*

OK, let's agree to disagree. We will see what the wash-up is of all of this in about a week. If you're right, I'll apologise for my point of view. If I'm right, you will apologise - OK?

Done!

IRM