Monday, August 06, 2012

We're Tall

If you missed it last night, here's the vid of the Entry, Descent and Landing portions of the Curiosity rover landing on Mars.

Mars.

I think at about 28:00, touchdown is confirmed.  NASA JPL...erupts.  It's just awesome.




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Look what we can do when we put our minds to it!

Here are the first 2 shots from Curiosity, confirming not only that it landed in a series of really complicated maneuvers (including a parachute, retro-rockets and a crane), but that it works.  I'm all misty.

rear-facing "hazard cam;" lens a bit dusty, clear shadow of
Curiosity on the surface of...oh...ANOTHER PLANET
The surface of Mars, using a slightly higher-res camera.  To the
lower right is one of Curiosity's wheels. 

UPDATE BY BOB:  Even higher res image from same camera:


Higher res, (but not HD) image sent from Mars a couple hours after the above.  This one is double the resolution.




UPDATE 2 BY BOB - A shot of the parchute open above the lander as shot by the orbiter.


Unreal.  There it is.  In another 48 hours, we'll start getting hi-resolution color photos.

5 comments:

  1. I was just posting this. Really. Just now.

    BTW - I am tired, but that was worth staying up for.

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  2. CNN also reported that their are shots of the lander with the parachute deployed coming.

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  3. Totally cool. If humanity keeps this up we will have to change the Gloria Patri

    Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be...worlds..without end!

    (idea from 'A Mote in God's Eye' by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)

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  4. Man. This reinforces that I am doing nothing with my life. To watch those people erupt at touchdown. Wow.

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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