The rover wont be lowered until the craft has already decelerated quite a bit. This system is also MUCH more accurate , with soem guidance to put the rover down within a much smaller area than the previous air-bag and bounce around like a toy system.

I did! Sorta. My Mun lander used 3 rockets overhead to deposit the lander stage, then hit the stage button and they shoot off, its actually in a hard to explain orbit right now...

I'm lucky enough to own the greatest car I have ever driven. My 05 Ford GT. After liberating it from the other half owner (long story, but the short of it is, he put Duralast pads on it. I don't know why Duralast makes Ford GT pads, but they do) it felt just that more amazing. I sold my RS4, and my STS-V to get…

I mean 10-15k/yr in mileage driven by non commercial, as in people driving POVs.

Three Words: Straight Gear Lube

I think they could have sold it as an upscale version of the A8, with a few tech upgrades, and have made a very successful car.

You are talking about guys who rack up 100k+ miles per year. Most insurance companies expect 10-15k/yr from regular drivers. thats the same as you being accident free for 10 years, while driving something that is 20 times heavier than your car, and ~65 feet long.

When I drove my Phaeton people asked why my VW CC was so big :(

The V8 isnt so bad, and parts are more available. The w12 was a bit difficult to work on. Changing the sparkplugs took the better part of a day.

VW Phaeton. Same platform as a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, W12 engine making 400+HP, AWD, and amazing luxury. Other than some expensive repairs, they are awesome cars that are severely underrated. I will be honest, I bought mine for 21k and had to put a lot of money into repairing its transmission after…

Do you think that using an RTG instead of Solar Panels will give Curiosity a very specific lifespan? I know the solar panels on the current mars rovers allowed them to operate well beyond their original mission.

Please, my rig is literally a rig, as in, it is a Class 8 OTR semi truck (international) that had its frame cut and extended with an RV built onto it. The interior is fantastic, but the shape of the thing makes it clear it was designed for function and that styling wasn't considered at all. It is awesome and well…

When I worked for Wachovia, I used to live in my 40 foot RV, which I parked 300 feet from Lowes Motor Speedway. I survived 3 Coca-Cola 600s. I met Jack Roush, and unintentionally met many of the NASCAR drivers (who I didn't recognize at all). I cooked BBQ with Greg Biffle, who was my neighbor for two races. I…

Thats just how Mays started all his pitches (Very loudly; "BILLY MAYS HERE FOR XXXXXX."

JASON TORCHISNKY HERE FOR GAWKER MEDIA.

Wanna taco?

Depends on how down i am feeling before I head out. I usually drive my Van of the Company Car (s550). If i am feeling really down, I'll head out in my baby.

Would I drive a Porsche Carrera GT?

Being a fleet car would not help, as that's Chevrolet code for 'rental car'. Gold with silver plastic caps, a grey cloth interior, 2.2l ecotec, and no fog lights. Basically, you are looking what was one of Enterprises most common cars. A quick search shows about 450 of them for sale in my area (Memphis).