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Anyone else excited about Mars Curiosity landing on Aug 6th?
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1066andallthat
16-07-2012
I've booked the day off work.

According to my fingers, Mars Curiosity is due to land on Mars at 06:31 am on Aug 6th UK time. (I'll double check nearer the time.)

According to NASA it is 10:31pm PDT (Los Angeles).

Anyway, NASA will have all sorts of feeds showing real time data so web users will know as it happens.

I remember the 1997 when Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars. There was a basic web site showing real live data from Mars with comments by the JPL engineers to explain what it meant in real time.

CNN was on in the background and it took them over 15 minutes to confirm that the craft had landed OK.

15 years later it should be a fantastic event to track on the internet.
phylo_roadking
16-07-2012
Half six in the morning...and you've booked the whole day off work???
stargazer61
16-07-2012
to answer your question.......................me!
jzee
16-07-2012
Yep, PencilBreath is excited too , article and video of the pretty amazing landing procedure here.
Moony
16-07-2012
Yep - hope the landing goes well, fingers crossed.
TelevisionUser
16-07-2012
OK, here's the theory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4boyXQuUIw

That never before used and over-complex flying crane landing system looks to be an invitation to disaster and hence another victory for the Great Galactic Ghoul.

That said, I hope it works out fine because there's plenty of good science to be done: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ms...4290-anno.html
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by phylo_roadking:
“Half six in the morning...and you've booked the whole day off work???”

Because I'll be up all the previous night and following through the day.
Si_Crewe
16-07-2012
Long as it doesn't clash the womens shot-put on telly I might give it a look.
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by Moony:
“Yep - hope the landing goes well, fingers crossed.”

I sent my brother the simulated video of the landing and told him the mission cost $2.5 billion and was the most exciting search for life in our solar system ever as well as being the most technically challenging landing ever...

What a miserable reply I got saying it was a waste of money...

I replied that we are spending 4x that for a three week sports' festival called the Olympics.
Moony
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“What a miserable reply I got saying it was a waste of money...”

To be honest - i' surprised the thread has made it to 10 posts without somebody coming on here to say exactly that.
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by Moony:
“To be honest - i' surprised the thread has made it to 10 posts without somebody coming on here to say exactly that.”

My brother doesn't know about DS!
Moony
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“My brother doesn't know about DS!”

Its ok - i'm sure somebody else will be along soon to ask why the money hasnt been used to solve world hunger and cure cancer......
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“15 years later it should be a fantastic event to track on the internet.”

I've just realised something. Whether Curiosity makes it or not I bet Twitter does fail on the day!
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by Moony:
“Its ok - i'm sure somebody else will be along soon to ask why the money hasnt been used to solve world hunger and cure cancer......”

While they are using their (expensive, developing world exploiting) iPad or iMacs no doubt.
Moony
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“While they are using their (expensive, developing world exploiting) iPad or iMacs no doubt.”

Which no doubt uses technology developed as a direct result of the space program or advanced physics experiments like the LHC.....
TelevisionUser
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by Moony:
“To be honest - i' surprised the thread has made it to 10 posts without somebody coming on here to say exactly that.”

Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“My brother doesn't know about DS!”

Pure science like that is never a waste of money since it expands both human knowledge and imagination. It also help to sustain an innovative high tech space science industry that is worth $43 billion to the US economy (source = OECD http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9...Type=text/html).
Moony
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“Pure science like that is never a waste of money since it expands both human knowledge and imagination. It also help to sustain an innovative high tech space science industry that is worth $43 billion to the US economy (source = OECD http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9...Type=text/html).”

I totally agree.
MrHoppy
16-07-2012
Your question has been answered, but I'd like to say that I, too, are excited by this. Although I hope all goes well, it is made more exciting by the large number of things that could go wrong. Like an action movie.
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by Moony:
“I totally agree.”

Ditto.

I don't know the details but apparently none of modern electronics would be possible without Quantum Mechanics theory.

When the US military developed APARNET to be resilient to a massive Soviet nuclear attack they had no idea that it would develop to become the internet.

Humankind's development has advanced through adventure and curiosity in fortuitous ways - rarely by design or intent.
phylo_roadking
16-07-2012
Quote:
“I'll be up all the previous night and following through the day.”

Immodium might help with that...
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by MrHoppy:
“Your question has been answered, but I'd like to say that I, too, are excited by this. Although I hope all goes well, it is made more exciting by the large number of things that could go wrong. Like an action movie.”

Agree. I just hope NASA have double checked to make sure that they are all using imperial or metric measurements.

Also, I feel more confident that when Beagle 2 had the mad West Country professor in charge...
1066andallthat
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by phylo_roadking:
“Immodium might help with that...”

Moony
16-07-2012
Originally Posted by 1066andallthat:
“Agree. I just hope NASA have double checked to make sure that they are all using imperial or metric measurements.

Also, I feel more confident that when Beagle 2 had the mad West Country professor in charge...”

How many hogs heads to the rattlesnake tongue do you think the rover gets? Must be pretty fuel efficient
exlordlucan
16-07-2012
What if it gets held up in traffic, you'll have wasted a day off.
Phoenix Lazarus
17-07-2012
I'll be more excited when there's an actual manned mission to Mars.

I can just imagine, when that happens, it will be made into a really cheesy event, with the reporting on it being accompanied by frequent playing of David Bowie, Life on Mars.
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