What's happening in space (that's interesting)

[TheWombat]

I think it’s pretty friggin’ COOL that we can fly a helicopter on Mars.

[schurem]

Congratulations @fire and all of your buddies, comrades, colleagues and companieros at the JPL and NASA with this outstanding achievement! Yay humanity!

[Balasarius]

@mjgreeny75

That sounds like a plan, except I worry that Heli would be blown away by a good storm? On the other hand, it would fly then…

Lets hope it will make many controlled flights before that happens…

According to NDT, because the atmosphere on Mars is so thin, the dust storms don’t actually pack much power. When we hear “dust storm” we think of the sand-blasting sand storms of Earth. But on Mars it’s literally just dust. Actual Martian sand is too heavy for the weak winds to pick up.

Yes, the opening scene in The Martian was not accurate.

[Alistair]

Awesome :) One of the less commented on things about this is how little flying drones were themselves the stuff of fiction until not that many years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8K-gqzOR2k

[RichVR]

It’s so weird. Here on Earth we are dealing with so much bullshit. And then this happens. We are seriously living history. For better or worse.

I prefer better. :)

[Strollen]

Very cool, congratulation to Fire and the JPL/NASA team…

[mjgreeny75]

@Balasarius

According to NDT, because the atmosphere on Mars is so thin, the dust storms don’t actually pack much power. When we hear “dust storm” we think of the sand-blasting sand storms of Earth. But on Mars it’s literally just dust. Actual Martian sand is too heavy for the weak winds to pick up.

Yes, the opening scene in The Martian was not accurate.

Good to know! And yeah: while I never actually believed the opening scene of the Martian to be accurate, it clearly still had some effect on how I envisioned a storm on Mars…

[Alistair]

Second test flight for Ingenuity also successful… went a little higher, moved a little sideways :)

[Strollen]

SpaceX successful put crew 2 into orbit, and landed the first stage. I still get a bit nervous watching humans launched. I suspect the SpaceX team does also.

SpaceX launches NASA’s Crew-2 to orbit, its third human spaceflight in less...

Edit: really nice shot of the launch.

Christian Davenport (wapodavenport)

[Ginger_Yellow]

@Strollen

I suspect the SpaceX team does also.

Pretty sure every crewed launch team ever has been nervous.

[arrendek]

r/tampa - Timelapse video of the SpaceX launch from this AM

[Murph]

I apologize if this news has already been posted…I didn’t see it upthread, but I could’ve missed it.

We’re making oxygen on Mars!

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet

[BennyProfane]

Cool! So Mars should be habitable in just a few (does the math) uh, never mind.

[Romalar]

Well, except for all the carbon monoxide…

[sillhouette]

[Baconsoda]

And seasonal changes of Uranus

[RichVR]

My understanding is that we could throw ice asteroids and comets down on Mars. And an atmosphere might develop. But it would dissipate eventually.

[Murph]

@Romalar

Well, except for all the carbon monoxide…

Obviously, you pump that OUTSIDE the dome. Haven’t you played Surviving Mars?

[lordkosc]

https://www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/

11!

[jpinard]

@RichVR

My understanding is that we could throw ice asteroids and comets down on Mars. And an atmosphere might develop. But it would dissipate eventually.

Yea. Without a magnetosphere any terraforming attempts will fail.