Valin Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 LA Times: Images arrive at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory soon after Curiosity touches down to begin its search for signs of life on the Red Planet. Scott Gold, August 6, 2012 Curiosity, the largest and most advanced spacecraft ever sent to another planet, stuck its extraordinary landing Sunday night without a hitch and is poised to begin its pioneering two-year hunt for the building blocks of life — signs that Earth's creatures may not be alone in the universe. Applause erupted across the campus of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge and engineers inside mission control could be seen hugging and weeping with joy. Al Chen, an engineer on Curiosity's entry, descent and landing team, said the words that space scientists had been waiting on for 10 years: "Touchdown confirmed." "We did it again!" another engineer shouted. (Snip) 1st images are just coming in....This is a TRR Exclusive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 First Image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearvision Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Can't wait for the first color images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Can't wait for the first color images. What Do You Mean? This is color! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casino67 Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I find it amazing that in my lifetime, we have gone from many failed attempts to just get something into orbit, then to land someone on the moon and now this. Simply amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearvision Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 NASA photographs split second when Curiosity enters Mars airspace Too cool. They had a satellite in orbit around Mars adjusted to try and catch the lander going in.... they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltbag Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Hey, wait, I think I see a Snail Darter in that picture! That's where they all went! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearvision Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 @Saltbag @Pepper @Casino67 @Valin @Rheo @SrWoodchuck @NCTexan Hang on just a minute! What in the world is that under the Mars lander? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 @clearvision You Are A Very Bad Person! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearvision Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 There is a pretty good book (Sci-Fi) that people might want to look at.BoundryEric Flint, Ryk E. Spoor Adult/High School–As this engaging and mostly lighthearted tale of the first expedition to Mars begins, three friends and colleagues are sharing what they expect to be their last dig in Montana with paleontologist Dr. Helen Sutter. Joe Buckley and Jackie Secord are graduate students about to embark on engineering careers–Joe with the Ares Project, and Jackie as an astronaut. After a strange fossil is found, anomalies pile up, and A.J. Baker, a genius with new imaging technologies, comes to help document the site. Then a robot explorer he is working with on the Ares Project finds a suspiciously similar fossil on Phobos, the Mars moon, and before long the four are on their way there, along with an equally likable pilot, security officer, and international crew of scientists. Their adventure of discovery and exploration unfolds in intriguing and surprising ways. While the existence of Jurassic-age fossils on Mars is a little hard to swallow at first in such a reality-based nuts-and-bolts type of science fiction, in the end they serve to raise valid questions about the future of humans in space. Besides paleontology, engineering, and space flight, puzzles in linguistics, biology, physics, and evolution further the story, as well as wacky humor, academic rivalries, and even some sweet romances. Science-fiction fans will enjoy a number of in-jokes (such as naming the fossil Bemmius secordeii).Not A Great Read...but fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 NASA: Curiosity "brain transplant" successful Chenda Ngak 8/14/12 (CBS News) NASA announced Tuesday that the Mars rover Curiosity had a successful "brain transplant." The space agency reported that in a four-day undertaking, new software replaced what was installed in the Curiosity before its flight from Earth to Mars. The original software gave the rover the navigational capabilities it needed for the journey to Mars, but not enough to carry out scientific work NASA has planned for Curiosity. "Just like we upgrade our operating system on our home computer or laptop or something, we're going to do the same thing," Mike Watkins, Curiosity mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told reporters in a news briefing last Thursday. (Snip) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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