• MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    How many Mars probes have we lost though?

    Enough to gain the know-how to deploy a helicopter that has had multiple successful flights on another planet.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Flying a helicopter on Mars and successfully flying and landing a probe on Mars are vastly different.

      • MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Flying a helicopter on Mars was in fact, predicated on successfully flying to, and landing a probe successfully on Mars.

        What exactly are you not grasping here?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I’m not grasping how flying a helicopter on Mars takes the same sort of technology, software and control as landing a probe on Mars. But feel free to explain why they’re the same.

          • MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            The point that you appear to be trying to make, is that it’s really difficult to successfully land probes on the Moon and Mars, and therefore have little faith in human missions to either.

            I countered with the fact that NASA was able to fly a land based probe, and something as delicate as a helicopter on Mars, intact. That’s how good the landing was. That’s how good the entire mission has been so far. A rather solid counterpoint to your pessimistic viewpoint.

            You seem to be under the impression that I’m touting flying a helicopter probe on Mars as equivalent to launching a probe. That’s a you problem, unrelated to my point.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Ok. How many times has landing a probe on Mars failed? Because I can think of at least 3. Saying “this one succeeded” doesn’t really change the point.

              • MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Actually it does, since much of the success attained, is a direct result of what was learned from previous launches.

                It’s part of an iterative process called “learning from past mistakes”.

                If it’s any consolation, I doubt that you’d qualify for any space mission, so you’ll be quite safe from space travel related harm.

                  • MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    I’m not grasping how flying a helicopter on Mars takes the same sort of technology, software and control as landing a probe on Mars. But feel free to explain why they’re the same.

                    Are you really unable to talk to me without being needlessly rude?

                    Are you?