This chat was from the students who are registered for credit.

- It has been edited and some answers to some questions about the class have been inserted -

[14:01:39] NASAModerator: We have begun

[14:21:19] DanielPoynter: which slide...

[14:22:31] DanielPoynter: thanks :D

[14:22:36] NASAModerator: Slide #7

[14:33:38] DanielPoynter: ***QUESTION: relating to the length of a martian day, when combing through potential astronauts that would go to mars, could you study their day cycle? (looking for someone whos biological clock is longer than normal)

[14:36:11] RHS_Students: What new components will the next generation of MER have? (Lauren Delgado, Q1)\

[14:36:34] DrCummings: I would definitely volunteer to sleep 40 minutes later every day...

[14:37:21] DanielPoynter: : )

[14:39:32] ChrisZweigle: Q1: How far off are human missions to mars?

[14:39:41] Frankie: Q1: Will the MER be able to run in more time than what the sojourner did?

[14:39:57] ChristianGabis: Do you have any idea what the rover after MER will be like and of what it will be capable ?

[14:40:35] ChristianGabis: Q1

[14:40:41] BradGates: Question 1: How many more missions to mars have been planned?

[14:41:36] AlexReben2: q1: what is the power of your transmission signals?

[14:41:48] Frankie: Q2: How long does it take to choose a mission to go to Mars?

[14:41:55] AlexReben2: q2: what is the resolution of your cameras>

[14:43:19] ChrisZweigle: Q2: What is the public support for these expensive missions? What are the budgetary contraints, and how much does the general population actually know about past mars missions?

[14:43:55] erich: ::Question1:: What exactly will the MER robots do that is beneficial?

[14:44:33] BrianWoodworth: question 2: When will the first manned mission to mars occur.?

[14:44:48] erich: ::Question2:: How is the decision to launch a mission made, what factors affect the decision?

[14:44:51] RHS_Students: Q1: the rotation of earth and mars plays an important role in communication windows, but how much does the orbit of the planets play a role? How long is that communication window? (Nik Krumm)

[14:44:58] RossBowman: Q1: How long have you been working on MER and what problems have you ran into?

[14:45:19] ChristianGabis: How much did MER cost to build?(Q2)

[14:45:24] RHS_Students: How much will MER weigh on Mars? (Lauren Delgado, Q2)

[14:45:57] BrianWoodworth: question 1: how many missions to Mars have occured to date?

[14:46:29] JohnPutrino: Q1: How long will the entire mission take?

[14:46:36] erich: ::Question3:: Why do the missions cost less than they used to, aren't they more technical and complex?

[14:47:36] DanielPoynter: ***QUESTION: does NASA hold conferences and invite various scientists from different fields from all over the world to get their input on various things they would like to see done by NASA?

[14:49:37] JacquelineMehlberg: What are any applications of A.I. you are developing in rovers?

[14:49:54] JohnPutrino: Q2: What do you hope the robot will find?

[14:51:09] DanielPoynter: ***QUESTION: why do the missions only last a few months? What goes bad on the robot that limits it's lifespan?

[14:53:19] RossBowman: Q2: If you go to the poles would you search for water?

[14:53:39] JennyGimian: Will the two MER each have specific functions? Will they be deployed in the same area of mars?

[14:54:30] BradGates: Question 2: Would you be able to have a longer mission in the polar regions of mars because of the 24 hours of sunlight?

[14:55:08] JennyGimian: Have all of the surface missions to mars included rovers?

[14:58:01] JohnPutrino: Are you worried about the stactic buildup mentioned in the previous lecture that could harm the circuits of the rover?

[14:58:35] AlexReben2: ive looked throught the transcript, has he mentioned how many robots have beeen sent out (q1) ?

[14:58:38] JennyGimian: How fast can rovers more on mars?

[14:59:30] JacquelineMehlberg: Is any work being done in developing an A.I driven method of rover navigation?

[15:02:20] JohnPutrino: Which problem with the rover are you worried about most of all?

[15:03:01] DanielPoynter: ***QUESTION: this is more amusing than anything, but how much do you think it would cost to fly a rover to mars that could plant a flag on the surface? : )

[15:09:05] ChrisZweigle: Q3: What do you think of Robert Byrd's speech? :)

[15:10:55] DanielPoynter: ***QUESTION: during the time when mars is on the other side of the sun, can we bounce radiowaves off other rocky planets so they get to mars? is that possible?

[15:12:24] RHS_Students: q1

[15:13:16] RHS_Students: What are the differences between low-gain and high-gain antennas? Do high gain have more noise, and therefore slower transmission speeds? (q2, Nik Krumm)

[15:14:15] DrCummings: If the rover collects data while we're out of contact, is there any way to retrieve the data later?

[15:16:26] DanielPoynter: neat! :)

[15:18:23] DanielPoynter: yay! thats good :) we can go back and find a little more info! : D

[15:18:26] RHS_Students: q1 Could you put something like a hard drive on the MER to store data, while we are out of contact, seems like a possible solution to DrCummings question (Riley Gorder)

[15:19:01] RHS_Students: is there anything like that in developement, or already created

[15:19:39] AlexReben2: high gain means the antenna is more efficent and therefore less noise

[15:20:03] ChrisZweigle: ........that just got answered riley :P

[15:30:06] DrCummings: Thank you for sharing your time and expertise with us, Dr. Sims!

[15:30:26] DanielPoynter: thanks!

[15:30:32] BradGates: Thank You.

[15:30:39] RossBowman: thanks you

[15:30:43] JacquelineMehlberg: Thank you.

[15:33:53] RossBowman: bye all

[15:38:03] NASAModerator: Thanks for joining us! Great questions.