Real Martians Moment: Curious about Curiosity

A quick stop by the "Mars Yard" at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to learn more about rover technology.

[sjcwoor]

Wow. I never knew that Curiosity was that big. I always pictured the rover as about the size of a large dog.

[astrogirlusa]

What impresses me is all the science being done by Curiosity, that we just take for granted nowadays. Also, the fact that Curiosity has lasted for so long. It shows you how great engineering can produce a great rover! I can't wait for the day when people get to walk on Mars!

[masterof]

It looks like all the LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover sets have been bought by you guys in NASA. Can NASA work with LEGO, for a LEGO NXT version of the Curiosity Rover, so we can all give it a try at home? Otherwise, can NASA give LEGO a kick, to make more Curiosity sets, so we can all have a dream at home?

[The_Reality_Filter]

Where can I see the footage of the sky crane being tested? Curiosity is a big old rover.

[danfrederiksen]

One of the things that impressed me most about this vehicle was that the wheels were not designed to drive over small rocks. And in fairness who could have foreseen small rocks on mars. Chance in a million.
And you might have thought that it was standing still behind him but Curiosity has been moving at an average speed 100 times slower than a garden snail so it could be in a flat sprint for all you know. And it is these blistering speeds that makes it so understandable that small rocks punched holes in the wheels.

[shahzebkhan]

well i am just proud of that guy being an indian....