[meteorite-list] Lunar Crater Drone Crash Video - Team LunarRock

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 20:28:27 -0500
Message-ID: <CAKBPJW-gTsm9vjQ63AmXsL7=AnbqZVjykixXc-0X_6PN7EWvug_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Adam and List,

Technology is a necessary evil. From what I have read, crashes seem to
be a regular issue with drones, regardless of how experienced the
operator is. I guess somebody needs to build a robust drone that
doesn't rely on plastic and Chinese parts. Of course, weight is an
issue, so I guess that is why they use so much plastic. Maybe carbon
fiber composites could be used - expensive, but tough and lightweight.

So what is this "Lunar Crater"? Is it a volcanic feature? It
certainly looks like a meteorite impact crater, but looks can be
deceiving. I am assuming it is not meteoritic, since there has never
been any mention of meteorites or impactites found there.

I think I would have squelched the verbose computer as well. Having a
digital voice barking orders while one is trying to concentrate would
be annoying at best, if not downright dangerous.

Best regards and Happy Huntings,

MikeG



On 12/20/16, Raremeteorites via Meteorite-list
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> wrote:
> Dear List Members,
>
> Our last trip proves that depending too much on technology is not always a
> good thing. We lost our drone capabilities on the third day of the Team
> LunarRock expedition last September. Two team members, "Action Jackson" and
>
> my stepson temporarily separated from the rest of the eight person, four
> vehicle group on our way to northern Nevada. They managed to crash the
> navigation drone at Lunar Crater, Nevada before we had a chance to use it on
>
> the rest of the trip. Action Jackson is an expert drone pilot having solved
>
> the "Giant Crystal" mystery at Christmas Tree Pass with it two days before
> and a night flight over Pahrump the previous evening in addition to hundreds
>
> of hours of logged flight time. The range had been extended on this drone
> so that we could use it to scout ahead when navigating uncharted trails and
>
> to determine property boundaries so that we would not end up on somebody's
> else's land or worse yet, a mining claim where you are likely to be shot.
>
> Image of drone pre-packed for the Team LunarRock September Nevada
> expedition.
> http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/Nevada2016Trip/DronePreFlight.jpg
>
> An example of one of the flight plans over our Rye Patch, Nevada property
> near where "Curious Iron Stones" were being found by miners. I will get
> into the surprising findings to what the "Curious Iron Stones" actually
> turned out to be later:
> http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/Nevada2016Trip/DroneFlightPlan13.jpg
>
> It doesn't matter how much you prepare for a trip. Unexpected events always
>
> seem to crop up on them. Our backup drone was not ready for the trip so it
> was left behind. It was never registered anyway. You will note that the
> Jeep Cherokee in the video is the same one that I was offering a few weeks
> ago. The Jeep Cherokee is like an old friend, always reliable, always
> getting us into tough areas and then out again making it difficult to part
> with. This 2,200 plus mile journey was the last expedition that we had
> planned for it since we have more than enough updated 4X4s to handle future
>
> trips. Speaking about updates, I had to turn off our navigation computers
> in the updated Jeep Rubicons since they became annoying, constantly warning
>
> us about dangerous trail conditions, rollovers and steep terrain. I do not
> need a computer telling when to disconnect the sway bars or engaging the
> lockers. It became nerve-wracking having the computer distracting me with
>
> verbal commands when paralleling a 300 foot cliff with inches to spare. The
>
> computer would unexpectedly engage traction control, downhill and uphill
> assists making it even more problematic and unpredictable. This made me
> appreciate the simple and very effective Quadra-Trac 4X4 system in the older
>
> Jeep Cherokee.
>
> Here is the video of the drone taking spectacular footage of Lunar Crater
> before meeting its demise at the very end:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C0QWSGn108
>
> Although the crash doesn't appear to be much, dust got into one of the
> Chinese-made motors and seized it permanently. Even though the flight
> capabilities were gone, we managed to use its 12 decimal point navigation
> system, which is far more accurate than our Garmin Rhino GPSs to find
> property monument markers, boundaries and other destinations by hanging it
> out the window while driving. It is interesting to note that Moon dust also
>
> raised havoc with equipment during the Apollo and Luna missions.
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Adam Hupe
> Tem LunarRock
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Tue 20 Dec 2016 08:28:27 PM PST