was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!

Loren Coe writes:

was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

Huh. I assumed it was all made of Lego.

Loren Coe wrote:

was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

The wheels are combination rims and springs. Pretty ingenious for
saving weight. We will probably see American Chopper try it in their
"Rover Memorial" model next. :-)

Richard J Kinch wrote:

Loren Coe writes:


was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.


Huh. I assumed it was all made of Lego.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Loren Coe" wrote in message
om...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that specializes in
machining complex shapes, manufactured the wheels. The overall wheel design
allowed them to machine each wheel from one piece (or billet) of aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page. Look for
"Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:51:30 -0800, "lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote:


"Loren Coe" wrote in message
. com...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that specializes in
machining complex shapes, manufactured the wheels. The overall wheel design
allowed them to machine each wheel from one piece (or billet) of aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page. Look for
"Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane

Thanks, so I had guessed right. Its a shame how they don't cover this
in the newspaper. Last "article" just showed a picture looking back
at the lander and the parachute and that was it , no write up nothing
and on page 20. Two robots on a different planet and no one seems to
care... Loren, did the filters work?

"Sunworshiper" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:51:30 -0800, "lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote:


"Loren Coe" wrote in message
. com...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that specializes
in
machining complex shapes, manufactured the wheels. The overall wheel
design
allowed them to machine each wheel from one piece (or billet) of
aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page. Look for
"Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane

Thanks, so I had guessed right. Its a shame how they don't cover this
in the newspaper. Last "article" just showed a picture looking back
at the lander and the parachute and that was it , no write up nothing
and on page 20. Two robots on a different planet and no one seems to
care... Loren, did the filters work?

Just remember, when you are sending things interplanetary delivery,
fuel cost trumps all other cost considerations. Machining from a billet
means you don't get excess weight from connectors holding it together.

Sunworshiper wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:51:30 -0800, "lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote:


"Loren Coe" wrote in message
. com...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that specializes in
machining complex shapes, manufactured the wheels. The overall wheel design
allowed them to machine each wheel from one piece (or billet) of aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page. Look for
"Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane

Thanks, so I had guessed right. Its a shame how they don't cover this
in the newspaper. Last "article" just showed a picture looking back
at the lander and the parachute and that was it , no write up nothing
and on page 20. Two robots on a different planet and no one seems to
care... Loren, did the filters work?


at first, not real well, then when i tried again, i couldn't really
find anything on the NASA site to view. after reading your query
i tried again and, YES(!), they do indeed work.

two things seem important, letting your eyes/brain adapt and rotating
the filters as you view (maybe swapping between eyes). at some point
i believe you find a sweet spot, maybe just minimizing reflection
(i wear spectacles).

however, tonight i viewed images on a Georia Tech site, that could be
part of the difference. the upper left 1/3 of this one is great:

http://bastille.ns.gatech.edu/gallery/album04/aab

there is plenty of 3-d effect, almost too much. i used the first pair
i removed from the bundle, red and aquamarine
with all attempts, just holding the media in front of my eyes/glasses
while viewing the screen. my 19" is running only 1152x??? so
resolution
s/b no issue. i should try to get it going at 1280x..., it could be
better.

anyhoo, fun and games, and a bit of nostalgia. the last 3-d movie
that
i recall seeing was, "Mars" something or other. the "martians" were
hurling rocks with big sticks, they made the audience duck behind the
seats(!). there was a western movie with a similar effect using
arrows.
that western, the name escapes me, is somewhat of a classic now, but
no
metion ever of it's three-dimensional release. now i am wondering if
it
was color....?

Brad, thanks for the media and the reminder. great fun, sending about
1/2 of these to my daughter in Albuquerque. she just got her cable
modem and viewed the NASA site for the first time this week. --Loren

ps.
while searching i found site that offers another way to view 3-d w/o
the filters: (i didn't try this)

http://www.cpcug.org/user/clemenzi/s..._3DViewer.html

On 11 Feb 2004 17:39:44 -0800, (Loren Coe)
wrote:

Sunworshiper wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:51:30 -0800, "lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote:


"Loren Coe" wrote in message
. com...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any verbal
confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the wheel and tred
are part of the single piece, along with the hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded into
the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks! --Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that specializes in
machining complex shapes, manufactured the wheels. The overall wheel design
allowed them to machine each wheel from one piece (or billet) of aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page. Look for
"Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane

Thanks, so I had guessed right. Its a shame how they don't cover this
in the newspaper. Last "article" just showed a picture looking back
at the lander and the parachute and that was it , no write up nothing
and on page 20. Two robots on a different planet and no one seems to
care... Loren, did the filters work?


at first, not real well, then when i tried again, i couldn't really
find anything on the NASA site to view. after reading your query
i tried again and, YES(!), they do indeed work.

two things seem important, letting your eyes/brain adapt and rotating
the filters as you view (maybe swapping between eyes). at some point
i believe you find a sweet spot, maybe just minimizing reflection
(i wear spectacles).

however, tonight i viewed images on a Georia Tech site, that could be
part of the difference. the upper left 1/3 of this one is great:

http://bastille.ns.gatech.edu/gallery/album04/aab

there is plenty of 3-d effect, almost too much. i used the first pair
i removed from the bundle, red and aquamarine
with all attempts, just holding the media in front of my eyes/glasses
while viewing the screen. my 19" is running only 1152x??? so
resolution
s/b no issue. i should try to get it going at 1280x..., it could be
better.

anyhoo, fun and games, and a bit of nostalgia. the last 3-d movie
that
i recall seeing was, "Mars" something or other. the "martians" were
hurling rocks with big sticks, they made the audience duck behind the
seats(!). there was a western movie with a similar effect using
arrows.
that western, the name escapes me, is somewhat of a classic now, but
no
metion ever of it's three-dimensional release. now i am wondering if
it
was color....?

Brad, thanks for the media and the reminder. great fun, sending about
1/2 of these to my daughter in Albuquerque. she just got her cable
modem and viewed the NASA site for the first time this week. --Loren

ps.
while searching i found site that offers another way to view 3-d w/o
the filters: (i didn't try this)

http://www.cpcug.org/user/clemenzi/s..._3DViewer.html

I don't care about the 3-D just more info. Plus I need a new
computer. I'm missing out, but I bet it will be saved. I'd like the
best panoramic photo after both die for on the wall of my shop.

"lane" lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote in
:


"Loren Coe" wrote in message
om...
was watching NASA a couple of days ago w/the sound off, it
looked like they were machining the current Mars rover wheels,
out of a _single_ piece of metal.

after turning the sound on, it was a little late to get any
verbal confirmation but it does seem likely. further, the
wheel and tred are part of the single piece, along with the
hub.

the rest of the assembly is the "inner-tube", something molded
into the metal housing. is _that_ what i saw? Thanks!
--Loren

ps, if yes, talk about _custom_wheels_(!), yowser!!


From: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/wheels01.html

"Next Intent, a company in San Luis Obispo, California that
specializes in machining complex shapes, manufactured the
wheels. The overall wheel design allowed them to machine each
wheel from one piece (or billet) of aluminum."

There is an interesting video on the wheel design on this page.
Look for "Wheels in the Sky".
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle.../hardware.html


Lane



http://www.nextintent.com/parts.html

Also suspension components (2nd to last photo)

http://www.nextintent.com/parts.html

Also suspension components (2nd to last photo)

Very cool. Wonder how much of my tac dollars went into those "NASA" hubcaps. I
would have settled for Cragers.

GTO(John)

The last Haas catalog/magazine we received at work had an article about the
wheels.

The finished part weighs less than 10% of the blank.

Yoi.

"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
...
http://www.nextintent.com/parts.html

Also suspension components (2nd to last photo)

Very cool. Wonder how much of my tac dollars went into those "NASA"
hubcaps. I
would have settled for Cragers.

GTO(John)

I was going through the past days photos and noticed a couple of
things. The spheres seem to be located in three different situations ,
I take it they are from flying molten metallic ore from impact strikes
, did they see stuff like that on the Moon? And the tracks on one
picture look like they are having trouble or turn struts for fun, and
back track or something. Anyhow, in one spot and in the tracks
themselves it looks like the soil is somewhat sticky to itself. I
wish the rocket scientists would speculate or just say more. Also,
there is one picture from orbit of one of the sites that shows
wandering dark paths from the craters like from the wind and it
"sticks" at different times... I'd like to see a lot more of the
terrain from orbit. They seem to have hit the target ellipse almost
right in the middle , but why in the middle of a plain? I would have
put it closer to the mountains they named after the last shuttle
people. I ran into this in the paper. www.moontomars.org that wants
suggestions on what to do from the public, haven't been there myself
yet.