Measuring the Distance to the Mars 2020 Rover!

i wish i knew how they kept these Rovers so clean,almost like someone wipes the dust off every day!

They do get dusty. Martian wind does occasionally remove some of it but not all of it.

Many rovers “on Mars”.

With all kinds of “information “ sent back.


And nothing on the Moon?


Odd.

[link to www.nasa.gov (secure)]

Awesome work as always, Astro!

What is its speed on the path from Earth to Mars?

Impressive, as usual.

Thanks for sharing.

Why not shoot straight at Mars and brake when you're there sideways with the orbital velocity of it.

It's constantly changing under the gravitational forces of the sun and planets. That's why in order to be accurate, the integration I ran at the end of the video actually included all the planets out to Neptune (though you can't see the outer planets in the chart itself). Right now I think the velocity is something like 3.8 km/s relative to the earth. That is of course far lower than it was when I tracked it the evening after launch, earth's gravity is constantly trying to claw it back. It did reach escape velocity from Earth and so it is hyperbolic relative to Earth and my trajectory data shows it will reach Mars.

That's not efficient at all. If you want to learn about the basics of orbital mechanics I highly recommend you try out Kerbal Space Program. I prefer Orbiter for higher fidelity simulations of the real solar system, but Kerbal has an easier learning curve when it comes to orbital mechanics. Most players will try to burn straight for their target when they first start in the game but you quickly find out why that doesn't work.

Incidentally, the rover will perform a direct entry to Mars and use the atmosphere to slow down, but the martian atmosphere is thin so keeping the encounter velocity low is critical.

Last Edited by Astromut on 08/05/2020 10:55 AM

Yeah but that's a fuel primative

Straight towards it should use the same amount instead of first swirling around other ball objects to get speed velocity

Or at wild a little bit more fuel then using the sun's gravity cycles to propel very fast

What?

Amazing!

Fuel like tarwe and alcohol appear every year seasons for as if ever, if done correctly

Try a LOT more. Orbital mechanics doesn't work that way.

Iv no clue about straight on to target fuel consumption, compared to orbital gravity propulsion btw

Like I said, go try Kerbal Space Program, it's very educational on how orbital mechanics works.

Like I said yesterday. Even if Astro is larping, he’s picked up enough info along the way, that he might as well be a real astromut.

:circlestars5:

I wonder if this rover will wind up landing in Devon Island Canada like the others did?

Anytime someone has to put the word “truth” into a paragraph that relays no verbal intention on belief or opposition to the underlying meaning of topic, you have a high probability of persuasion on the author. Psychology always highlights the intention.

Instead of trying to "get in my head," you can either address the empirical evidence I presented or shut up. Your choice.

No. Devon Island is a known testing ground for prototype designs, but that does not mean the actual missions are fake. This is why I actually did some real investigation here into whether or not the actual mission is fake.

Last Edited by Astromut on 08/05/2020 11:44 AM

Can't be martians cos I heard they only have 3 green slimy fingers...not very conducive to housekeeping

Don’t get mad at me. Your subconscious acted out. I understand though. There’s always been this silent argument of proving yourself from within. The ideologies of the last word is the victorious persona. Why would one need to get in your head when your head is not controlled from the web you weave?

Not odd.

If they put them on the moon then people from Earth would be able to see if they were actually there or not with various telescopes.

On Mars, its too far away. They could say anything they want and not a single person on Earth could prove it themselves.

Great work. You don't see the flat-Earthers or hoax believers putting in this kind of effort.

Ok so you chose the latter.