The terror is over. Our first 256×256 snapshot of the surface of Mars after the utterly terrifying touchdown sequence.
Eight years to plan and build this rover that’s bigger than your car and taller than you.
36 weeks of travel across 562 million kilometres of space travel.
And it missed its mark by a mere couple hundred metres.
Science rules.
Heard on the live NASA TV stream: “Holy shit!” I concur, good sir. I concur.
WOOOT!
Days like this are why I’m a humanist. We’re capable of such amazing things.
A triumph for the entire human race. Things like THIS are why I’m going into Astronomy and Robotics. I almost shed a tear at “touchdown confirmed”.
Teared up and cheered up in my living room. Love when the best thing in the day is brought about by math and engineering.
I repeat: EEEEEEEEEEEE!
The Curiosity has triumphed!
And shall now be satisfied.
Somany people have worked and struggle dand fought sohard tomake this happen. To them : CONGRATULATIONS! and thankyou for sharing the ride. (Via NASA-TV and elsewhere.)
Image here :
https://p.twimg.com/Azl7WkmCEAAYwIK.png
Those tothose peopelat NASA-JPL from the Curiosity itself. Shadows and wheels upon the rusty sands of Mars – and we put them there. Wow. 🙂
Yep, I’m buzzing. For clarity, that was intended to be :
I must remember to preview I know.
I’m old enough to remember watching the Apollo 11 landing and moonwalk (I was 14 at the time). I felt a similar sense of history-in-the-making as I watched this incredible machine emulate Neil Armstrong. The same thought struck me as in 1969: Man, what CAN’T we do!
Jeez, you are a lousy Canuck for not mentioning the large role played by the Canadian aerospace company, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associaties (MDA).
http://is.mdacorporation.com/mdais_canada/Programs/Programs_MarsSL.aspx
Not that I’m biased or anything…I just happen to work for MDA.
[…] in her last hours before succumbing to kidney failure. I still miss her. The Mars rover Curiosity successfully touched down on Mars, missing its mark by a mere few hundred metres. Thunderf00t was kicked off the FtB mailing list for […]