Jeff Gramling, director of NASA's Mars sample return program, said the revised path forward is simpler.
NASA officials said Perseverance's impressive performance at Mars prompted them to ditch their plan to launch a separate fetch rover. The new versions would have wheels and grappling arms. The chopper weighs just 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms). The helicopters will be modeled after NASA’s successful Ingenuity, which has made 29 flights since arriving with Perseverance at Mars early last year. If Perseverance breaks down, the two helicopters being built and launched later this decade would load the samples onto the rocket instead. There's "a diversity of materials already in the bag, so to speak, and really excited about the potential for bringing these back,” she said. The most recent sample, a sedimentary rock, holds the greatest promise of containing possible evidence of ancient Martian life, said Arizona State University's Meenakshi Wadhwa, chief scientist for the retrieval effort. Perseverance already has gathered 11 samples with more rock drilling planned. Under the plan announced Wednesday, NASA’s Perseverance rover will do double duty and transport the cache to the rocket that will launch them off the red planet a decade from now. – NASA is launching two more mini helicopters to Mars in its effort to return Martian rocks and soil samples to Earth.
This set-up seems to be saying, "I want to be free to ride my machine without being hassled by The Man!"ĭon't you dare call this bike a chopper.CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Would you trust a strange caligrapher to write exactly what you want to say? My back tat was supposed to say "Money, Power & Respect," but a Japanese friend told me it says, "blows goats for dinner."Ī tooled seat as finely crafted as the rest of the bike is a thing of beauty and a joy foreverĪ mid-sized cobra still has plenty of bite when it's mounted on the right machine. Or is upholstery the new hand tooling? Where's our DicE magazine style guide when we need it? They call them tractor seats, but this oversized solo looks anything but agriculturalīrown is the new black. Wild John has a plan, and it includes whip stitching and plenty of hand-hammered rivets. Two bucks at Farm and Fleet and still going strong Leather washers beneath the coils reduce squeeking Solo seats look best when the springs are properly aligned and mounted on the frame. This recessed seat nestles into the rear stays of the frame and looks good doing it Would you still have a smile on your face if you had to stare at sweaty biker ass all day? The throne on this tasteful panhead looks mighty inviting The black leather solo seat on Gilby Clarke's chop simply rocksĪnatomically proportioned for his riding pleasure When you use your illusion, anything is possible. Rich patina is something you can't counterfeitĪnother vinyl-covered solo seat, this time with a tasteful diamond stitched pattern Whichever you choose, the color and craftsmanship on this Bates-style spring-mounted solo seat is unassailable The classic cobra king-and-queen with sky-high sissy bar backrestĪ simplified take on the classic cobra solo seat There's no end to the creativity, and sometimes, no accounting for individual taste. We've seen great seats built on tin, fiberglass and steel bases, and more than a couple guys out there have constructed perfectly good seat pans with stolen street signs. Seat pans come in many shapes and sizes, and nearly as wide a range of materials. When applied with heart and skill, even an old bandana can be great upholstery for a hand-built deathtrap. If you prefer stitched vinyl or more supple fabrics, both furniture and automotive upholsterers have been known to ply their craft for backstreet builders. Fortunately, there's a thriving cottage industry of garage tanners and leathermen who are dedicated to this craft. Tooled and stitched leather are the preferred media for first-class seating on most custom motorcycles. That's a mixed metaphor, but you catch our drift. If choppers are sundaes, seats are the icing on the cake.