back to article Leaping hedgehog probes planned for Martian moon Phobos

Researchers at Stanford University and NASA are designing spiky spherical probes to bounce across the Martian moon Phobos and prepare the way for possible astronaut colonization. The plan calls for an orbital control satellite, a coffee table–sized unit dubbed Phobos Surveyor, which would scan the moon's surface using gamma …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Bill Neal
    WTF?

    Is it hostile?

    Perhaps it is natural for space exploration to appear as terrifying as possible. If we keep this up we may never find life that would get along with us, not that we would find any on Phobos anyway. What would you think if you saw these bouncing/floating towards you?

  2. Martipar
    Black Helicopters

    Doctor Who

    I've seen enough Doctor who to know what they are.

  3. Martin Budden Silver badge

    Can they jump right off?

    Given Phobos' low escape velocity (a person could easily throw a ball up fast enough that it never comes down) I wonder if these things could take a run-up at a suitable slope (e.g. Stickney's inner wall) and launch themselves into Martian orbit?

  4. Herby
    Joke

    Why am I reminded of...

    The Muppet show's ...Pigs In Space...

    When it comes to naming things after animals that fly high above us?

  5. Mike Flugennock

    Phobos' gravity well

    With no gravity well to speak of, Phobos would be safer and cheaper to land humans on...

    I've heard some wags "in the biz" remark that a spacecraft wouldn't so much land on Phobos as dock with it.

    Given Phobos' low escape velocity (a person could easily throw a ball up fast enough that it never comes down) I wonder if these things could take a run-up at a suitable slope (e.g. Stickney's inner wall) and launch themselves into Martian orbit?

    About the time that the NEAR Shoemaker probe was finishing its mission at asteroid Eros with its famous daring "bumpdown", Eros' gravity was described as so weak that an astronaut standing on its surface would have to avoid jumping so as to not accidentally launch himself into orbit. It's also been suggested that astronauts visiting bodies like Phobos (or Eros) would have to be equipped with modified mountain climbing gear -- spiked overshoes, carabiners, cables, etc. -- as walking in a normal fashion would be nearly impossible owing to the weak gravity.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Most of it's mass it made up of empty space?

    wuh?

    Surely /volume/ could be made up of empty space. But the mass per unit volume of a vacuum is pretty low.

  7. Mike Moyle

    ...And so, the Piranha Brothers began what they called the OTHER Other Other Operation...

    ...where Dinsdale Piranha threatened NASA with bodily harm unless they sent Spiny Norman to Mars in a rocket...

    1. Mike Flugennock

      Re: ...And so, the Piranha Brothers began what they called the OTHER Other Other Operation...

      ...This, for the Piranha Brothers, was the turning point.

  8. jubtastic1

    Solar Panels

    Look like they'll be completly covered in dust after the first roll.

    *Wonders if NASA is outsourcing it's probe design to Lucasarts*

  9. mIRCat
    Coat

    Re: Why am I reminded of...

    Heeedge piiigs iiin spaaace, I believe you mean.

    Exit stage left!

  10. Captain DaFt
    Coat

    I'm amazed

    Spinning, bouncing hedgehogs on Phobos... Does Stanford and NASA really expect to find gold rings and chaos emeralds there?

  11. Mayhem

    Phobos ... safe?

    Oh yes, it starts out safe and boring, but surely we all know where that road ends ... invasion from HELL!

    1. Winston Smith
      Devil

      Groovy

      <BZZZZZZZZZZ>

  12. Yesnomaybe

    Not hedgehogs

    Looks more like sea-urchins

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_urchin

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "tested in simulated low-gravity environments"

    So, that'll the local council swimming pool then. But that doesn't sound quite as 'rocket science'.

  14. Tom Cooke

    Video games

    I call Sonic!!!

    1. Rukario

      Re: Video games

      Roboticised by Robotnik. The probes then unfold into Scratch and Grounder.

  15. DJV Silver badge
    Alert

    Cavorite!

    Yay! Spiky punk versions of "First Men in the Moon" Cavorite sphere!

    http://home.earthlink.net/~jparvey/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/cavorite.jpg

  16. Martin Howe
    Go

    Martian's weight loss programme

    Anybody reminded of the Ruum?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruum :)

    1. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
      Pint

      Re: Martian's weight loss programme

      Ruum, I'll drink to that.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like