From: snidely.too@gmail.com   
      
   On Saturday or thereabouts, JF Mezei asked ...   
   > On 2021-03-05 07:29, Jeff Findley wrote:   
   >   
   >> Bullshit.  Any attempt to land skycrane would require precious   
   >> propellant that would otherwise be used to get the skycrane *further*   
   >> away from the rover.   
   >   
   > You have mass a few metres from the ground, it is a huge waste to just   
   > crash it.  Am not suggesting fancy landing legs.  Not suggesting a super   
   > smooth landing. Don't really care of the legs (ake the thrusters) get   
   > damaged.   
   >   
   > Really, how much more would it to change the profile after the wires   
   > have been cut from rover so that it goes not as far up (enough to clear   
   > rover) and then slowly descend as it moves sideway until engines   
   > depleted? It might drop 1m at the end and crush the engines, but   
   > equipment on top might survive.   
   >   
   >   
   >> Furthermore, any additional hardware added to skycrane would be extra   
   >> mass to carry all the way through descent and landing of the rover   
   >   
   > It already has the cameras. Adding weather station small transmittter   
   > and solar panel wouldn't be a big deal. Remember that they eject mass   
   > during final approach.   
   >   
   >   
   >> This doesn't make any sense and does *not* contribute to the rover's   
   >> primary mission in any way.  In fact, it would *detract* from the   
   >> rover's primary mission.   
   >   
   > Haveing a fixed point of view which hopefully sees the rover and can   
   > measure weather adds to science.  You get a weather station at a fixed   
   > location on Mars that will run for whatever time.   
   >   
   >   
   >> Bullshit.  The rover can serve all those purposes.  Increasing risk to   
   >> the rover would not "add to relisiency of project".   
   >   
   > If the rover is 2km away, and there are tenmpperature/wind differences   
   > and when these differences arive is valuable information. Only available   
   > when you have 2 points that monitor the weather.   
   >   
      
   The time delta over 2km is not big enough to be interesting.   
      
   You don't want the lander running into obstacles (boulders, hillsides,   
   etc) until after it is far enough away to not be a risk to the rover.   
   So you keep it high as long as possible.   
      
      
   >>   
   >> Smarter people than you or I have come to a conclusion you don't seem to   
   >> be accepting.   
      
      
   In additional to the dollar-cost of the rover, there is also a time   
   cost ... years to assemble the rover, six months travel time.  Get too   
   greedy and you throw that away.   
      
   The descent video cameras and microphones were minimally invasive, but   
   it still took months of planning to incorporate them in the craft.   
      
   /dps   
      
      
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